More and more Muslims in Germany speak German, have jobs and claim a close connection with the Federal Republic
As reported by "Russkaya Germaniya", the researchers compared the situation of Muslims who arrived in Germany, Austria, Great Britain, France and Switzerland from the early 1960s to 2010 inclusive (in Germany, the share of Muslims is 5.7% of the population, or 4.7 million people – not counting refugees who arrived since autumn 2015). The study covered 8,500 followers of Islam in each of the listed countries and was conducted in four areas: work, language skills, education and social contacts.
In Germany, according to the researchers, the situation with the integration of Muslims looks best on the labor market – on average, their employment rates are almost no different from those of non-Muslims (refugees from Muslim countries accepted since the start of the migration crisis were not included in this statistic). Thus, about 60% of Muslims work full-time, 20% part-time, and the unemployment rate is approximately at the level of the local population.
But at the same time, more religious Muslims, due to their low level of professional qualifications, find work less often than non-religious ones, and accordingly earn significantly less. Things are even worse for those who consider themselves deeply religious (according to the study, 40% of Germany's 4.7 million Muslims). They find it harder to get a job and earn less than other Muslims.
"Things are different in Great Britain, where performing religious rites at work is not taboo," the authors of the study note and cite the example of British policewomen who were allowed to wear hijabs while on duty 10 years ago. In Germany, wearing them at the workplace is prohibited. "Lifting the taboo on religious rites at the workplace would help the integration of Muslims," the experts believe.
As for proficiency in the language of the country of residence, the majority of Muslims living in Germany speak German well. Thus, 73% of children born in families where Islam is practiced know it at the level of their native language. At the same time, the degree of German proficiency increases from generation to generation (similar trends in France, Great Britain, Austria and Switzerland).
One in three (36%) Muslim teenagers in Germany drop out of school before reaching the age of 17, while in France it is one in ten (11%). The researchers believe the reason is different school systems, as well as the fact that in France children of Muslim immigrants often speak French well due to the country's colonial history. But at the same time, despite having completed school education, Muslim teenagers in France are more often unemployed than in Germany.
"The comparison between countries shows that the chances of successful integration are determined not by belonging to a particular religion, but by legal, economic and social conditions," notes Stefan Vopel, an expert at the Foundation.
The success of integration can be measured by such an indicator as active communication of Muslims with the non-Muslim population of Western European countries, the authors of the study write. 78% of Muslims in Germany regularly spend time with non-Muslim friends. The same result in France, and in Switzerland 87%; lower figures in Great Britain (68%) and Austria (62%).
The absolute majority of Muslims in Germany (96%) said they recognize the laws of the country of residence and claimed to have a close connection with it. But such a high figure arose because the researchers combined answers to two questions – whether respondents feel a "rather close" or "very close" connection with the country of residence. If separated, it turns out that 64% of respondents feel a "very close connection" with Germany (in Austria 37%).
When answering the question "whom would you not want to have as neighbors," native residents of all five countries put Muslims first (followed by large families, guest workers, homosexuals, Jews, people with a different skin color, atheists and Christians). In Germany, every fifth respondent (19%) answered this way, in Austria – every fourth (over 25%). At the same time, prejudices against Islam have only grown in recent years: if in 2012 53% of non-Muslims in Germany said they perceive Islam as a threat to themselves, then in 2016 there were already 57%.
To promote integration, experts from the Bertelsmann Foundation propose three key approaches: improve opportunities for participation in public life and employment, especially in the education system; institutionally equate Islam as a religious community and thus recognize religious diversity; promote intercultural contacts and interreligious exchange in schools, grassroots organizations in places of residence and in the media.