What Do Europeans Think About Muslim Immigration?
07 February 2017
Matthew Goodwin
Professor Matthew Goodwin
Visiting Senior Fellow, Europe Programme
Thomas Raines
Thomas Raines
Research Fellow and Programme Manager, Europe Programme
Professor David CuttsProfessor of Political Science, University of Birmingham
New research points to significant and widespread levels of public anxiety over immigration from mainly Muslim states.
Protesters gather outside Downing Street in London to protest against President Trump's executive order banning refugees and citizens of seven majority Muslim countries from travelling to the US. Photo by Getty Images.Protesters gather in London to protest against President Trump's order banning refugees and citizens of 7 majority Muslim countries from travelling to the US. Photo: Getty Images.
President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban citizens of seven Muslim-majority states from entering the US for 90 days, and temporarily freeze all refugee arrivals (including Syrians indefinitely), has been interpreted widely as an attempt to curtail the inward migration of Muslims, which Trump and his supporters argue pose a threat to national security.
Trump’s policy has generated a backlash among some of Europe’s leaders. Angela Merkel’s spokesman said the chancellor had ‘explained’ the UN Refugee Convention to the president in a phone call discussing the order, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan argued that the invitation to the president for a state visit to Britain in 2017 should be withdrawn until the ban is rescinded. Meanwhile, leaders of Europe’s populist right-wing parties, including Geert Wilders, Nigel Farage and Matteo Salvini, have heaped praise on Trump.
- See more at:
https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration#sthash.J2IdKM9k.dpuf
