Europe, immigration, and identity

Posted By Davide Berretta Thursday, April 6, 2006 - 6:29 PM Share

Testifying on Islamist extremism in Europe yesterday in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Daniel Fried, assistant secretary for European Affairs, had no kind words (pdf) for my fellow Europeans on immigration. His analysis was for a U.S. audience, and focuses mainly on terrorism risks. But his testimony is more relevant to Europeans, who have a much bigger problem in their hands, the failed integration of millions of its citizens. Money quote:

Until recently, mainstream Europeans viewed Muslim immigrants as guest workers who would someday go "home." This leads to Europe's third-generation Muslims being seen as "foreign," despite being born in Europe, as were their parents.

This is the root of the Europe's immigration woes. On this side of the Atlantic, it is common knowledge that the old continent has much to learn from the way America handles identity and assimilation (see Fareed Zakaria's latest column or this TNR essay). But most Europeans scoff at the idea that Americans might have something to teach them about social policy.

Europe needs a little humility and maybe some more scolding to pull its immigration debate out of the partisan rut that it is stuck in today. Immigrants in Europe -- and their children -- are depicted as ruthless aggressors by the right wing and perennial victims by the left. It is high time that Europe began treating immigrants with both the respect and accountability that come with being citizens of a modern society.

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