Prof. Cas Mudde Offers Thoughts on 'Islamophobia' in Europe

October 4, 2011

October 4, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — According to Cas Mudde, Hampton and Esther Boswell Distinguished University Professor of Political Science, anti-Islamic sentiments are "more widespread in Western Europe than any social prejudice since the anti-Semitism of the 1930s." He tells EconomyWatch, "The problem is that the vast majority of Muslims in Europe are born and raised there. By excluding them discursively, but also increasingly in government policies, such as putting limitations on building mosques, which you don’t have on churches and synagogues, or by banning the burqa, you marginalise and exclude a large part of the population which is growing.

The professor also notes, "Democratic societies are based on loyalty and solidarity. If Muslims are excluded and isolated, why should they feel solidarity with other populations? It’s important because there are increasingly cities in Europe with Muslim majorities."

Read the complete piece, which examines "Islamophobia" in Europe, by clicking here.

Dr. Mudde has published widely on topics such as political extremism, democratization in Eastern Europe, civil society, and Euroskepticism. His book Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe won the Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research and was named a Choice "Outstanding Academic Title." Learn more in this previous story.

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