2. Migration and the Muslim World: Perspectives and Challenges

This chapter tackles the phenomenon of migration with a specific focus on Muslim perspectives, approaches and reactions to it. Diversity and pluralism within Islam are discussed as facts that cannot be neglected when dealing with Muslim migrants and refugees, either in their European destinations or in their Muslim destinations and/or transient areas. The concept of migration (hijra) is explored in the light of the history of Islam, according to some contemporary Islamist perspectives and within a well-defined juridical dimension. This is considered as a challenge for Europe, but also as a challenge for the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) ever more involved in the phenomenon of migration and mobility. An analysis of migratory issues in the Arab Gulf countries then follows. These are confirmed as the top south destination of labour migrants, coming from Muslim and non-Muslim communities alike. The migration pattern in this region is explored in its main dynamics and shortcomings. The issues of statelessness and refugees are thorny and have become ever more serious since 2011, both here and in the MENA at large, where some countries have been increasingly confronted with greater instability and conflicts. A question arises: which form of cooperation with Europe? The chapter concludes by emphasizing the role of education in bridging the gap between origin and destination cultures, and the need for more effective coordination between European and Muslim countries in this direction.