Do Muslims feel at home in the European Union? ‘Knowledge can help combat discrimination and fake news’
NWO L-beurs
Although the European Union (EU) is collecting data on its citizens and residents, we know very little about the extent to which they feel at home and safe in the EU. Data is particularly lacking when it comes to ethnic and religious minorities. Professor Sarah Wolff has been awarded an NWO L grant to change this.
Central to Wolff’s research is the concept of ‘belonging’, which is often defined as feeling at home and safe. ‘So far, belonging has been studied almost exclusively in a national context,’ says Wolff. ‘To what extent do people in France feel at home there? At a European level though, such data is lacking, particularly for minorities. We know very little about how minorities such as Jews or Muslims, women or the LGBTIQ+ community relate to the European Union (EU), whilst previous research has made it clear that people with a strong sense of belonging are more inclined to trust institutions and support democracy.’
With a research background in migration, the Middle East and North Africa, it was natural for Wolff to fill this gap by examining the experiences of European Muslims. Wolff: ‘That’s simply the area I know most about, but ultimately I want to develop a theory of belonging to the EU and a methodology that can also be applied toother minorities as well .’
In her research, Wolff will focus specifically on three countries: the Netherlands, France and Bulgaria. ‘Since the 1960s, both the Netherlands and France have built up large Muslim populations as a result of the migration of guest workers. Bulgaria differs in that it has a Muslim population that has lived in the region since the days of the Ottoman Empire. On a continent where “Muslim” is often equated with “migrant”, this offers an interesting perspective.’
An escape from racism and discrimination
One of the hypotheses that Wolff intends to investigate – using methods such as focus groups, Q-method and surveys – is that the European Union offers a means of escaping from racism and discrimination. ‘In my research, I focus solely on Muslims who are legally EU citizens. On paper, they have the same rights as other residents of their country, but in practice they often experience racism and discrimination. What is striking is that these often diminish when they move to another EU country. For instance, if someone of Algerian background moves from France to Italy, they are suddenly seen as French rather than Algerian.’
In a few years’ time, Wolff hopes to use the results of her research to contribute to the public debate. ‘Our societies are becoming increasingly multicultural. It is important to have data on the experiences of minorities, so that decisions are based on facts. Hopefully, in this way, we can combat fake news, the decline of democracy, racism and discrimination.’