Tariq Nelson

An interesting radio program by America Abroad Media about Islam and Muslims in the West. Click here to listen. Summary of the show is below

Hosts: Ray Suarez and Elizabeth Arnold

Original Airdate: Jun 2008

Dr. Robert Leiken, Director of the Immigration and National Security Program at The Nixon Center and author of the forthcoming book, “Europe’s Angry Muslims”

Subway bombings in Madrid and London, riots in France, and protests over Danish cartoons defaming the Prophet Mohammed have prompted concern about how Muslim immigrants are adjusting to Europe’s liberal and secular society. Across the Atlantic, the situation seems more sanguine. A recent study released by the Pew Research Center found that Muslims in America are largely middle class and have integrated well. But the tensions in Europe have sparked fears that Islamic extremism could spread to the US.

On this edition of America Abroad, we’ll examine the friction between Muslim immigrants and European society, and compare that to the situation of Muslims in America.

Elizabeth Arnold traces the history of Muslim immigration to Europe and the difficulties in integrating into their adopted homes.

Ray Suarez looks at multiculturalism in Holland and the challenge of reconciling Islam and a Dutch identity.

Elizabeth Arnold looks at how Muslim immigrants in Chicago and the Boston area are fitting into American society.

Ray Suarez moderates a roundtable discussion comparing the experience of Muslim immigrants in the US and Europe and assessing the risk of Europe’s radicalism spreading to the US.

Guests include:

Dr. Gilles Kepel, Professor at The Institute of Political Studies in Paris and author of “Beyond Terror and Martyrdom and The War for Muslim Minds”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, former Dutch Parliamentarian

Ahmed Marcouch, Mayor of Slotervaart

Farhad Golyardi, editor of the journal Eutopia

Dr. Paul Cliteur, Professor of Jurisprudence at Leiden University

Dr. Han Entzinger, Professor of Migration and Integration Studies at Erasmus University

Mohammed Cheppih, Chairman of Academica Islamica and founder of Amsterdam’s Polder Mosque

Fatima Lamkharrat, a social worker at SONOR, a social service agency in Rotterdam

Dr. Peter Skerry, Professor of Political Science at Boston College

Bilal Kaleem, Executive Director of the Boston Chapter of the Muslim American Society

Dr. Eboo Patel, Founder of the Interfaith Youth Corps

Dr. Aminah McCloud, Professor of Islamic Studies at DePaul University

Dr. Shireen Hunter, Visiting Scholar at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University

Dr. Amaney Jamal, Assistant Professor of Politics at Princeton University