Muslim Immigrants in Western Europe – Terrorist attacks harms integration

The recent rise in the number and intensity of fundamentalist Islamic terrorist attacks occurring in several Western cities could, as it has in previous situations, inflame an aggressive socio-political atmosphere against Muslims. How does this affect the integration of Muslim immigrants?

An IZA discussion paper by Ahmed Elsayed (IZA) and Andries de Grip (Maastricht University and IZA) investigates the effect that the violent wave of terrorist attacks that hit Western Europe in 2004-2005 (namely, the Madrid bombings, the assassination of Theo van Gogh, and the London train bombings) had on the lives of Muslim immigrants living there.

Using unique panel data from the Netherlands that oversamples immigrants and collects detailed information on their attitudes and experiences of integration in the host country, the authors show that shortly after the attacks, Muslim immigrants’ attitudes toward integration worsened significantly compared to those of non-Muslim immigrants. Furthermore, no evidence was found of a negative trend in the attitudes of Muslims prior to the attacks.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Backlash against Muslim immigrants after terrorist attacks harms integration and the economy | IZA Newsroom