Study: Clear Majority of European Muslims Pro-Sharia Fundamentalists

From the Gatestone Institute:

The majority of Muslims in Europe believe Islamic Sharia law should take precedence over the secular constitutions and laws of their European host countries, according to a new study, which warns that Islamic fundamentalism is widespread and rising sharply in Western Europe.

The “Six Country Immigrant Integration Comparative Survey“–a five-year study of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Sweden–was published on December 11 by the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, one of the largest social science research institutes in Europe.

According to the study (German and English), which was funded by the German government, two thirds (65%) of the Muslims interviewed say Islamic Sharia law is more important to them than the laws of the country in which they live.

Three quarters (75%) of the respondents hold the opinion that there is only one legitimate interpretation of the Koran, which should apply to all Muslims, and nearly 60% of Muslims believe their community should return to “Islamic roots.”

The survey shows that 44% of the Moroccans and Turks interviewed agree with all three of the above statements, which makes them “consistent fundamentalists,” and fundamentalist attitudes are just as widespread among younger Muslims as they are among older Muslims.

According to the study, Islamic fundamentalism is most pronounced in Austria, where 73% of Muslims interviewed say Sharia law is more important than the secular laws of the state; 79% say there is only one correct interpretation of the Koran that should apply to all, and 65% believe Muslims should return to their Islamic roots. In Austria, 55% of the Muslims surveyed say they agree with all three of the above statements.

The author of the study, the Dutch sociologist Ruud Koopmans, says that “comparisons with other German studies reveal remarkably similar patterns. For instance, in the 2007 Muslime in Deutschland study, 47% of German Muslims agreed with the statement that following the rules of one’s religion is more important than democracy, almost identical to the 47% in our survey that finds the rules of the Koran more important than the laws of Germany.”

Original article appears at gatestoneinstitute.org.