Immigrant Religion in Western Europe 1

Koby Lee

Sociology 398 – Sociology of Culture in Western Europe

Dr. Cruise

Thursday 11 – 1:30

19 June 2017

Immigrant Religion in Western Europe

In the sociological journal Immigrant Religion in the U.S. and Western Europe: Bridge or

Barrier to Inclusion?, researchers Nancy Foner and Richard Alba explore the reasons why views

on immigrant religion are so drastically different in the United States to those of Western

Europe. Foner and Alba believe that three main factors contribute to the differences in attitude.

These three factors, which are Immigrant Religion, Native Religion, and Historical Relations, are

reviewed through the social interactions that immigrants progressed in their day to day lives, as

well as observations of the majority culture and the minority immigrant culture. Through their

research, they find that the difference is caused by the immediate relevance of religion and

whether or not it fills the role of a bridge into society for immigrants.

The study conducted by Foner and Alba was separated into two parts, the first of which

focused on views within the United States. At the start of their research they discovered that

immigrant religion was not a prevalent topic amongst American sociologists, and that it had

taken a “backseat” to topics more relevant to the economic society, such as residential patterns

and labor market incorporation. This was due to the dependence of sociologists on the census

data gathered by the federal government, which does not include religion (Foner, Alba 360).
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Foner and Alba, however, believe that this is not the only factor that leads to religion being

overlooked. They believe that scholarship on immigrant religion is scarce because religion is not

seen as a “problematic area for immigrants in the contemporary United States”, leading to less

research focusing on the topic. This idea is supported by the little scholarship on the topic that

exists, which Alba states “overwhelmingly emphasize its positive role in smoothing and

facilitating the adaptation process” (Foner et al 360). They use this positive ideology as the

foundation of their study within the United States, which they then expand to discuss the ways in

which a positive religious outlook can help immigrants integrate into a majority society. Foner

supports this perspective and explains through their research that in the United States, religion is

used as a way to help immigrants integrate into a community with similar cultures to their own,

to build respectability within said community, and to construct their individual identities. While

reading this journal, I found this perception of the United States’ tolerance to be surprising, and it

directly challenged my own personal observations. In my academic career, as well as my

personal life, I have made many observations that would directly contradict this positive

perspective on the topic. In my experience, a non-Christian based religion would serve to only

strengthen the barriers faced by immigrants within the United States. I share a very close

personal relationship with a young Muslim woman, who is also the child of two first-generation

immigrants. Many times throughout our relationship, I have witnessed firsthand the barriers and

discrimination that she faces on a daily basis, purely because of her familial religion. Negative

views of her religion in the United States causes her family nothing but anguish. When I asked

her opinion of this article, she recounted many times when, during the immigration process, her

parents faced extra barriers in immigrating based solely on their religious affiliation. There are

also many experiences that I have had personally with religious intolerance, including
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discrimination and social separation, leading me to believe that these situations could only be

worse for those who are less privileged than I, such as first-generation immigrants. These

experiences make it difficult for me to believe in such a positive observation of attitudes towards

immigrant religion within the United States.

The second part of this study focuses on Western European views of immigrant religion.

While the United States views immigrant religion as a bridge to integration, Western European

countries view it as a barrier. Foner discusses this, stating that “Islam is analyzed as a barrier or a

challenge to integration and a source of conflict with mainstream institutions” (Foner et al 368).

Many Western Europeans believe that the set of beliefs that are taught in The Quran directly

conflict with Western European ideologies and secularism, causing conflict and unease. This

directly shapes the sociological scholarship around the topic, splitting the works between those

who feel that the integration of Muslim immigrants directly threatens “basic European values”,

and those who attempt to break apart stereotypes and give a positive light to Islam in order to

promote a positive integration of immigrants (Foner et al 368). This thought that Muslim

immigrants are threating these “basic core values”, along with the secularistic society that is

prevalent within some Western European countries, opens the pathways for anti-immigrant

sentiments, and gives rise to a sense of nationalism that leads to the overall negative view of

immigrant religions as a whole. Just as with the analyzations of the views within the United

States, I also found the observations of Western Europe to directly challenge what I had observed

in my personal life. While on a short study abroad during my second year of college, I travelled

through prominent Western European cities, including London, Paris, and Amsterdam, to learn

about and study the different cultures and societal structures within, and witnessing the daily life

and interactions between those natives and immigrants who lived in these areas. During this
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time, I observed much positive public support of immigrant religions, and witnessed interactions

between Muslims and non-Muslims on a daily basis, on a much larger and more open scale than

anything I have ever perceived in the United States. It was much more commonplace for Muslim

people to walk openly and freely, proudly donning their religious attire, seemingly without the

intense fear of prosecution that seemed to permeate every moment within the States. This

perceived public acceptance was nothing like anything I had ever seen while in the larger cities

within the United States.

Throughout Immigrant Religion in the U.S. and Western Europe: Bridge or Barrier to

Inclusion?, Nancy Foner and Richard Alba explain the three main factors that cause the

difference between views of immigrant religions in the United States and Western Europe. These

three factors, which include Immigrant Religion, Native Religion, and Historical Relations, lead

to the completely contrasting views of immigrant religion in these areas. The rise of Secularism

and nationalistic views give place to the anti-immigrant sentiments that cause conflict with

Muslim immigrants in Western Europe, while open religious doctrine and widespread acceptance

leads to easier integration and more economic and social opportunities for immigrants in the

United States.
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References

Foner, N., & Alba, R. (2008). Immigrant Religion in the U.S. and Western Europe: Bridge or

Barrier to Inclusion? The International Migration Review, 42(2), 360-392.