Abstract
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in Europe today; it is already the second religion in Europe. There are at least thirteen million Muslims living in this area ranging from Portugal to Finland and from Ireland to Bulgaria. The sociological entity of these Muslims is very heterogeneous. On the one hand, European Muslims are from various origins: from Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. On the other hand, Islam is characterized by the fragmentation of its beliefs and some people with a Muslim background are atheistic. Moreover, a huge majority of them have an immigrant background. Indeed, Muslims began to immigrate to Europe in large number after the Second World War so as to participate to the rebuilt of the war aftermath and also to the need of semiskilled and unskilled workers because of the economic boom. In the early 1970's with the economic recession, European countries gradually closed their borders. Although there were tougher laws limiting immigration, a second wave of immigration as family members occurred and it was precisely at that time that the status of Muslim people changed.
