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10. Islam in the contemporary world
In 2010, the population of Muslims – meaning people committed to a Muslim cultural and historical identity - was estimated at 23% of the world population, a percentage given by the Pew Research Center after reviewing national censuses conducted in more than 150 countries. Islam is presently considered the second largest religion in the world. Demographic dynamism in Muslim countries - as well as important migration flows since the 1950s – brought spatial changes with the emergence of a new Muslim area - the "diaspora". Migrants from the Arab-Muslim region, mostly from the Maghreb, were joined by migrants from Turkey, sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. This trend is often named “transplanted” Islam. These migrants and their families have formed major religious minorities in Europe. These migrations were hastened by civil wars, political instability and decolonization. Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have settled in Britain, while North Africans and West African nationals have settled in French-speaking countries. In the Muslim world, the population growth, the economic development of some countries - United Arab Emirates (UAE), Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. - and the emergence of a middle class have created a specific market in several economic sectors (tourism, hotels, restaurants, etc.).
Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Public domain
Image under URL: http://www.pewforum.org/...global-religious-landscape-exec/
(05/01/2015)
These demographic data – map and diagram - only give a rough idea of the geographic distribution of Muslim communities in the world, and need to be examined with caution. The numbers were mainly issued from governmental statistics using variable criteria and questionable statistical methods. Moreover, in France and other countries, it is forbidden to collect data on religious affiliations, so statistics cannot be accurate.
Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Public domain
Image under URL: http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-muslim/
(05/01/2015)
The Swiss vote or the “fear of Islam
The “no” to the construction of minarets in Switzerland, that has largely prevailed during the referendum held on 29 November [2009], has put the country in shock while it has brought consternation and anger both in Europe and in the Muslim world. Neither xenophobia nor the rise of the extreme right can explain such a result (the 57% of “anti-minaret” voters were far beyond the traditional clientele of the extreme right - that initiated the referendum). It is also difficult to understand the current tensions brought up by the French government on national identity and the endless controversies over the burqa. Beyond its international dimension, with the recurring theme of "Islamic Terrorism" and the new theme of "Green Threat" replacing the "Communist Threat", the debate is about the place of Islamic religion in Europe – a debate that is less and less linked to the subject of immigration. This debate is founded on the irrational fear of a conquering Islam based on activism, on increasing faith, and on demographics.
Samir Amghar et Patrick Haenni, "Le mythe renaissant de l'islam conquérant", Le Monde diplomatique, janvier 2010. Trans. Marie Lebert.
The population of Muslims in Switzerland increased sevenfold in forty years. The population growth - and the demand for new mosques - sparked a reaction from the most conservative political circles. Their people’s initiative (2007) called for the ban on the construction of mosques to be included in the Federal Constitution.
During the election campaign preceding the vote, supporters of the ban put forward the so-called demand for a "political and religious power" made by Muslims. Opponents of minarets also referred to the Quran to explain that minarets – as architectural forms - was not prescribed in the Holy Text, meaning Muslims could have places of worship without minarets.
The “Muslim friendly” in Japan
The “Muslim friendly” in Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kITdBV6TjNI
Japan and Muslim tourists
In early June [2014], a surprising congress was held at a Tokyo hotel: facing a Japanese audience taking many notes, Malaysian business men and Japanese specialists of the “Islamic thing” made presentations that lasted the whole day on the question "what is halal?".
Japan only has a small Muslim community - less than 100,000 people on 126 million Japanese - so the country is not a big market. But Japan decided to become “Muslim friendly" in order to attract tourists from Southeast Asia, in particular from Indonesia and from Malaysia. The country wants to attract these moneyed tourists to Japan instead of relying too much upon Chinese tourism that is always sensitive to Sino-Japanese political tensions.
Moreover, after hitting the mark of 10 million tourists in 2013, the country is now targeting the mark of 20 million tourists in 2020 ... when it will host the Olympic Games.
More and more restaurants have begun to adapt the Japanese "washoku"* - recently honoured by UNESCO - to their Muslim guests, while airports and hotels offer more and more prayer rooms. Some hotels even provide a prayer rug and point to the direction of Mecca in their rooms. Nineteen universities serve “halāl” food in their cafeterias in order to attract Muslim students.
Another sign: for the first time, in June [2014], a Japanese bank, the Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, launched an Islamic finance project in Malaysia by issuing "sukuk"* bonds, consistent with the Quran, for half a billion dollars. [...]
In 2013, twenty Japanese regions organised seminars to train hoteliers and restaurateurs. The Osaka Chamber of Commerce distributed 5,000 brochures giving explanations on prohibited food (pork, alcohol) and other topics.
Some travel agencies, such as Miyako International Tourist, have even organised "Muslim-friendly stays". In July 2013, Tokyo removed its entry visa requirements for tourists coming from Malaysia and Thailand. The entry visa requirements for tourists from Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, are expected to be removed soon.
Obviously it works: from 2012 to 2013, there was an increase of 37% for Indonesians visiting Japan and 21% for Malaysians visiting the country, according to the Tourism Office in Japan.
*Washoku: Japanese specialty based on rice, fish and noodles.
*Sukuk: Arabic plural name used in Islamic finance to certify that a currency is consistent with religion.
AFP Tokyo 09/07/2014. Trans. Marie Lebert.
This information by AFP was widely copied and commented in the French press and on social networks. Tourism professionals have preferred the term "Muslim friendly" to the term "halāl tourism", a marketing concept whose target is the Muslim clientele and its increasing purchasing power since the early 2000s. “Muslim-friendly” tourism includes a range of services (specific tourist services, catering, separate pools, etc.) respecting Islamic ethics and norms. In Japan’s foreign clientele, the main group is formed by tourists coming from Malaysia, whose number exceeds the number of tourists coming from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and from Indonesia. All these tourists represent a huge leisure market Japan is interested in. Muslims are a small community in Japan: most of them are foreign students and foreign workers, with only 10% of Japanese Muslims. In its quest for Muslim tourists, Japan also turns to a new clientele, in particular tourists from China, South Korea and Taiwan. The halāl market is not limited to tourists. It has also caught the interest of Japanese food entrepreneurs. Since 2010, the JHA (Japan Halāl Association) has certified some products intended for the overseas market, such as "halāl rice", soy sauce and the washoku (a specialty based on rice, fish and noodles).
