Muslims on the move: migration and the West (1950s-today)

Part oneOlder roots

Muslims in the West are not only a modern story. Muslims ruled much of Spain for nearly eight centuries, and the Ottomans ruled the Balkans for five, where Muslim communities live to this day. Many of the Africans taken to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade were Muslims, and some of them led revolts, such as the uprising of Muslim slaves in Bahia, Brazil, in 1835. In Australia, cameleers from Afghanistan and British India opened the routes of the outback from 1860 and built its first mosques. Small communities of Muslim sailors and traders settled in British ports in the nineteenth century, and a mosque was opened in Woking, near London, in 1889.

Part twoThe great migration

After the Second World War, Western Europe needed workers to rebuild. Britain welcomed workers from its former empire, many from Pakistan, India and later Bangladesh, who worked in the mills of the north and the factories of the Midlands. France drew workers from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In 1961 West Germany signed a labour agreement with Turkey, and the Netherlands and Belgium made similar agreements with Turkey and Morocco. The workers were called "guest workers", and many were expected to go home. Many stayed, and their families joined them.

In the United States a new immigration law in 1965 opened the way for migrants from Asia and the Middle East, many of them students and professionals. Canada and Australia also opened their doors. Later decades brought refugees fleeing war in Lebanon, Bosnia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Part threeBuilding communities

At first the newcomers prayed in rented rooms and houses. Over time they bought buildings and then built mosques, with domes and minarets in cities where none had stood before. They opened weekend schools to teach their children the Quran and Arabic, halal butchers and shops, and Islamic schools. Their children and grandchildren grew up as citizens, speaking the language of their new countries and taking part in every profession.

There were also many new Muslims. In the United States in particular, many African Americans came to Islam during the twentieth century, some by way of movements that later turned to mainstream Sunni Islam. Across Europe, America and Australia, people of every background have accepted Islam, and they form a growing part of these communities.

Life has not always been easy. Muslims in the West have faced suspicion and prejudice, especially after the attacks of 11 September 2001, and debates over dress, mosques and loyalty have been fierce in many countries. Yet the communities have kept growing. Today tens of millions of Muslims live in Europe and the Americas, and the call to prayer is heard in cities from London to Los Angeles.

From the Quran

۞ وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُرَٰغَمًا كَثِيرًا وَسَعَةً ۚ وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِنۢ بَيْتِهِۦ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ ٱلْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا ۝١٠٠

Whoever emigrates in the cause of Allah will find many safe havens and bountiful resources throughout the earth. Those who leave their homes and die while emigrating to Allah and His Messenger—their reward has already been secured with Allah. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

They prayed first in rented rooms, and later built mosques where none had stood.

More on How to Muslim

• guide.howtomuslim.orgStart hereFor anyone new to Islam, wherever they live.

WatchThe lecture for this chapter

Lecture

[[LECTURE]]slot for the chapter lecture embed, to be supplied by the owner.

The mapWhere it happened

• London
• Woking
• Bradford
• Birmingham
• Paris
• Marseille
• Berlin
• Amsterdam
• Brussels
• New York
• Detroit
• Toronto
• Sydney
• Melbourne

This map is a simple sketch to help you picture where events took place. Positions, distances and borders are approximate, so please use it for reference only, not as an accurate map.

SourcesSources for this chapter