Muslim Life & Culture in

Contemporary Europe

By: Esmeralda, Sophia, Asia, Lindsey

Spain
Spanish architecture, design, gastronomy, science, and philosophy have all been influenced by Muslims. Even
several common Spanish terms have Muslim origins. In the southern half of the peninsula, the Muslim influence is
particularly noticeable. There are some Muslim terms in Catalan as well, although the Spanish language has more.
The presence of Muslims in the area had an
impact on Spanish music, from musical
instruments to melodies. The Muslim influence
extended to Spanish cuisine, evident in their
use of spices and herbs that originally came
from Africa’s northern region. The influence of
Muslim in the Spanish language shows up more
in the names of places and some names and
surnames, as well as in most nouns, but rarely
in verbs and adjectives.
Muslim Influence in Spain

Spain is a country that accommodates all religions and during your stay you'll notice
that a large number of hotels are able to adapt to meet the needs of Muslim clients.
Even today, in the 21st century, one can observe the bonding between the Spanish
and Muslim culture. The Mosque of Cordoba, Granada's Alhambra and Seville Giralda
are some examples of Muslim architecture in Spain and how the Spanish people still
cherish them.

There are a few words in Spanish that are coincidentally similar to Muslim but are of
different origins. Most of the Spanish words that originated from Classical Arabic are
nouns. These are names of items related to the kitchen and food, animals, nature,
hobbies and science. About 4,000 Spanish words were influenced by Classical Arabic
language.
 Sophia Stifano

Life in Belgium
Muslims have been present in Belgium since 1910, and yet still face racism and restrictions today. Belgium didn’t recognize
Islam as an official religion until 1974. Muslims today account for about 5-8% of the Belgian population. Muslims have an
employment rate that is double that of people native to Belgium. In addition, Muslims generally live in more segregated and
disadvantaged areas. Unfortunately, Muslims typically have lower paying jobs.

One major current issue in Belgium is the lack of support from the government and
fellow Belgians towards Muslims being able to wear the hijab in schools. Recently,
southern Belgium has passed a law allowing religious symbols, including hijabs, in
schools. In the rest of Belgium it is up to the school to decide whether or not to
allow religious symbols. There is no federal law protecting religious symbols in
schools and the Constitutional Court decided banning religious symbols isn’t
against their Constitution. Hopefully, in the near future, the remaining regions of
Belgium will permit religious symbols in schools.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep27098.4?seq=3
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/lifting-of-hijab-ban-in-southern-belgium-offers-hope-for-muslim-women-43365
https://www.euro-islam.info/country-profiles/belgium/
https://www.brusselstimes.com/117067/belgian-universities-stress-that-they-will-not-ban-headscarves-in-class
 Sophia Stifano

Culture in Belgium
Muslims celebrate many different religious holidays in Belgium. During Ramadan, the Tarawih congregational prayers are
held by the Great Mosque of Brussels and other Islamic centers in Belgium. In addition, non-Muslim Belgians often refrain
from eating, drinking, or dressing inappropriately in Muslim-dominated areas as a sign of respect during Ramadan. Project
Ifarons brings together the people in Belgium by inviting non-Muslims into the homes of Muslims to celebrate Ramadan.
There was also a Ramadan Festival in Belgium that educated non-Muslims on halal food, the spiritual dimension of fasting,
etc. Halal slaughter has now been banned in Belgium. This makes it increasingly difficult and expensive for Muslims to obtain
halal food.
The Great Mosque of Brussels features Arabic
architecture and is in Cinquantenaire Park. The area
was gifted by the king of Belgium. The park also has
an Islamic research center and a school which both
aim to increase awareness and teach about Islam to
Muslims and non-Muslims.
https://blog.wego.com/ramadan-in-belgium/
https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/news/belgium-muslims-open-their-homes-non-muslims-ramadan_en
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/40257/as-belgium-bans-kosher-and-halal-food-prep-religious-freedo
m-fears-grow
https://muslimmosques1.wordpress.com/2014/12/28/great-mosque-of-brussels-belgium/
 Austria Asia Starks

Muslim population has increased in Austria. 2017 their number increased to over 700,000. Even with the history of Muslims in
Austria. Austria has restricted the Muslim public sphere. Muslim spaces are being confronted. Muslim activity is being only allowed in
mosques. Far right Freedom Party that has Nazi roots and the center-right People’s party that specifcially does not like people who are
Muslim. On top of that there was the Islam Act in 2015. This would ban face veiling in 2017. Many Muslim Austrians are being
ostracized and forced to assimilate to Austrian way of life. There is the Islamic Religious Community that was formed in 2018 to fight
back against government policies.

Muslim Youth Austria that wants to break the walls and make a unified society for all people of all ethnic backgrounds. People can
understand Muslims in Austria better. They have Youth Camps during summer and winter. These are filled with activities like sports,
spiritual, educational. Multi-ethnic Iftars, Last day of Ramadan they want all people to come and eat with them regardless of
background.
Kolb, Jonas, and Erol Yildiz. “Muslim Everyday Religious Practices in Austria. From Defensive to Open Religiosity.” Religions (Basel, Switzerland ), vol. 10, no. 3, MDPI AG, 2019, p. 161–, https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10030161.

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/12/26/572572798/austrian-muslims-say-religious-intolerance-is-growing

https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-new-right-austrias-freedom-party-and-changing-perceptions-of-islam/

https://www.annalindhfoundation.org/members/muslimische-jugend-osterreich#:~:text=The%20aim%20of%20the%20Muslim,of%20all%20faiths%20and%20backgrounds.

https://www.euro-islam.info/country-profiles/austria/
 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country situated in the western
Balkan Peninsula of Europe. The larger region of Bosnia
occupies the northern and central parts of the country, and
Herzegovina occupies the south and southwest.

A significant number of people in the former Kingdom of Bosnia

converted to Islam after the conquest by the Ottoman Empire
in the second half of the 15th century, giving it a unique
character within the Balkan region. It took over one hundred
years for Islam to become the majority religion. Muslims paid
https://www.britannica.com/place/Bosnia-a
much lower taxes and enjoyed widespread benefits while nd-Herzegovina
Christians were second-class citizens.
https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/bosnian-
culture/bosnian-culture-religion

Lindsey Nguyen
 Bosnia-Herzegovina
The Ottoman Empire was one of the mightiest and longest-lasting dynasties in
world history. This Islamic-run superpower ruled large areas of the Middle
East, Eastern Europe and North Africa for more than 600 years. The chief
leader, known as the Sultan, was given absolute religious and political
authority over his people.

Those who weren’t Muslim were categorized by the millet system, a

community structure that gave minority groups a limited amount of power to
control their own affairs while still under Ottoman rule. Some millets paid
taxes, while others were exempt.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is generally ethno-religious whereby one’s ethnicity

usually determines their religious affiliation. The majority of Muslims are
Bosniaks, most Orthodox Christians are Bosnian Serb and Catholic Christians https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/ottoma
are generally Bosnian Croat. It is very rare for a person to change religions. n-empire#:~:text=The%20Ottoman%20Empire%20was%20o
ne,for%20more%20than%20600%20years

https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/bosnian-culture/
bosnian-culture-religion

Lindsey Nguyen https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/10/

how-bosnian-muslims-view-christians-20-years-afte
r-srebrenica-massacre-2/
Sources

https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/arabic-impact-spanish/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml

https://www.britannica.com/place/Bosnia-and-Herzegovina

https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/bosnian-culture/bosnian-culture-religion

https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/ottoman-empire#:~:text=The%20Ottoman%20Empire%20
was%20one,for%20more%20than%20600%20years

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/10/how-bosnian-muslims-view-christians-20-yea
rs-after-srebrenica-massacre-2/