http://www.merip.org/mero/interventions/silverstein_tetreault_interv.htm

templates

3. When I first thought about why young Muslims commit terrorist attacks in the name of jihad, I assumed it was because their religion told them to. Now, however, having learned of the oppression they face in Europe, I’ve come to the conclusion that they commit terrorist attacks as acts of rebellion against the exploitive state and use "jihad" to justify the violence under "allah".
1. Although it is often said that Islam is a violent religion and culture, I argue that the violence exibited is really provoked. [Disagree]

Muslim Assimilation

Giry, Stéphanie. France and Its Muslims http://proxy.elmhurst.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=22049793&site=ehost-live

This article describes the current rise of terrorism and jihadist mentality amoung Muslims in Europe. Giry also introduces the idea that Europe, namely France, with its stern integration policies are producing homegrown Muslim terrorists. In my paper, Europe's lack of tolerance for cultural identity will serve as the focal point as to why there is a significantly larger occurance of jihadism in Europe than there is in the United States.

more sources

Europe's "Terrible Transformation"
http://proxy.elmhurst.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=25539757&site=ehost-live

Religious Diversity and American Religious History

Britannica Encyclopdeia of world religions

i just had me an apostrophe

refined topic- why is there a higher occurrence of jihadism in Europe than there is in America?

primary sources- scholarly articles, possibly an interview with an expert

i must be edumacated!

1) so far I've read about how Muslims have had a hard time in France because of the way french society views them and itself. I've learned that the french are a very homogeneous and homogenizing society, in that they believe that once you move into France you must leave your old culture behind and assimilate into french society. The French believe that holding onto their old culture is detrimental to french unity. To the french, religion also carries a negative connotation, they believe it is a divisive subject. This collective french mentality is deeply ingrained in the republic's laws; one of which is laïcité. Laïcité is the French state's aggressive official secularism. But the real cause for muslim youths turning to crime and violence has less to do with religion and more to do with socioeconomic issues.

2) i want to learn what Muslims think the problem is, and why muslims don't use the government to fight the social and economic injustice, and opt instead for violence and crime as a form of protest.

artikles

Europe and its Muslims
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=116&sid=090ac895-717a-4d07-b919-cf229480fafb%40sessionmgr109

France and its Muslims
http://proxy.elmhurst.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=22049793&site=ehost-live

The French Path To Jihad
http://proxy.elmhurst.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=22761798&site=ehost-live