The Future of Islam in Europe: an Analysis by Means of Religious Studies

Abstract

The research found the following perspectives of the development of Islam in Europe. First, the facts of religious extremism and jihadist terrorism in Europe will not go down, but will only intensify.  Secondly, considering the statistical analysis of population growth in Muslim countries conducted in the research, the ethnic and religious composition of Europe's population will change significantly, as the indigenous population will decline year after year, freeing up space for migrants and migrant children from Muslim countries whose territories are already overpopulated significantly. Thirdly, the Muslim population will play an increasingly important role in the political and social life of Europe, first thanks to its strength and unity of religious doctrine. In current trends, in order to avoid religious and other conflicts, some researchers hope for a dialogue between Islam and Christianity. However, the success of such a dialogue is doubtful due to strong differences in religious doctrines, as well as a sharp decline of the West religiosity index along with an increase of Muslim believers number. The author of the article, in particular, notes that we have no reason to believe that the existing demographic trends will change in the coming decades. But these trends are that the indigenous population of Europe is aging and dying, and the Muslim population of Europe is showing an explosive increase in its number. Thanks to increasing migration, now the presence of Muslims in Europe cannot be overlooked, and this fact will become more and more obvious every year. The author makes the conclusion that the conflict between the two projects of globalization - Westernization and Islamization will grow and intensify in the coming years. In order not to be completely «washed away» by the rush wave of Islam, Western civilization needs a strong unifying and strengthening factor, which has always been Christianity.