Final Project

•           How does the influx of large numbers of Muslims effect western society?
•       How does the migration of Muslims into western society differ from than that of other religions and cultures?

After World War II, Western Europe encouraged foreign labor forces to migrate there to help with the rebuilding efforts in various countries. Immigrants were later encouraged to come to so these countries could meet the demands of the rapid economic growth and as an asylum of sort. It was not until the Iranian revolution and the recent terrorist acts that it was brought to attention that these immigrants were not just of a different ethnicity; they were Muslim. Within the last two decades there has been a steady increase of Muslim population in Western Europe and the Unites States. Since 1989, Islam in the United States has increased by 25%, while Islam in Europe has increased by 142.35%. In Europe, the country with the largest Muslim population is France, with 8%, followed by the Netherlands at 6% and Germany at 4%. Many compare this mass immigration to the immigration of Hispanics in the United States. However, there is a crucial difference. Hispanics beliefs and cultures can go hand and hand fairly harmoniously with the beliefs of Americans. As Muslims disperse themselves they are not assimilating well with other societies and their religions. Muslims have a much more extreme belief system than of those here and in Europe.

 Due to the incidents in previous years, tensions have risen between nations and their Muslim populations. There was the 2004 Madrid and 2005 London attacks, the 2005 Paris riots, the 2006 Danish cartoon incident, and several high profile murders. The massacre in July 2011 in Norway by Anders Behring Brevik, who killed 8 people in Oslo and then proceeded to kill 69 people, mostly children, at a Youth Camp on the island Utoya. He spoke against the Islamization of Western Europe and multiculturalism, encouraging the idea of deporting all Muslims from Europe. These events further deepened the tension and strain between the Europeans and the Muslims living inside these countries.  

First publication of Charlie Hebdo Magazine post-attack

Blurb translates to: "100 lashes if
 you don't die of laughter"

Discussion Post Question:

With recent attacks and the increasing tension between state and Muslim population, how can we as a society break the tension before it reaches its point? In other words, do you have any insight on how we as a society can move forward together with the Muslim population before another war is declared? 

Links

http://www.theglobalist.com/living-where-you-dont-make-rules-part-1/

http://www.ibtimes.com/charlie-hebdo-cover-prophet-muhammad-holds-je-suis-charlie-sign-first-magazine-issue-1781326

The link below will lead you to a fairly long (89 minute) BBC documentary on the Islamic History of Europe and how it affected art, science, and philosophy. Just to add a bit of positivity to this article. Not a requirement to watch to be able do the assignment, just an interesting documentary. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfhZR15QRKA

The Endangered Gray Wolf

Gray wolves were once common throughout all of North America. Wolves fared poorly with the growing human population in the western states. Man made it their duty to kill off the wolves as they were first seen as a danger, but then turned into a sport, where one could reap rewards for a wolf carcass. By the mid 1930’s the gray wolf had become extinct in the Lower 48 states. 

The ESA (endangered species act) protection for wolves in 1974 allowed wolves to begin rebuilding on Isle Royale and in northern Minnesota. They also brought Canadian wolves down to Yellowstone Park, a place wolves had not been in seven decades. The wolves not only thrived in this area, but Canadian wolves found their way over the border and began settlements in parts of the Rockies.

The red area is the areas most populated by wolves.

Wolves are known as the keystone predators because they keep a well-balanced ecosystem. They hunt large hooved animals, such as moose, elk, deer and caribou. They help keep the large animal population under control. Because of their dominating presence in Yellowstone Park, researchers have observed that they force herds of elk to move around more, which in turn allows aspen and willow trees to flourish in areas they previously couldn't due to overgrazing. This has resulted in the return of beavers and riparian birds. The return of beavers means they build dams, which helps keep rivers clean and lessens the effects of drought. There is also an increase in the biodiversity in the water. The water around the dam is an ideal place for animals such as otters and ducks and reptiles and amphibians and small birds to inhabit. Since the return of the wolves in Yellowstone, scientists have seen an impressive improvement of the quality of the streams. Yellowstone has seen a great increase in the numbers of all animals. Wolves hunt coyote, which means more rabbits and mice which meant more hawks, weasels and foxes. There has also been an increased diversity in the birds, because with more vegetation means more trees and berries. 

There are an estimated 7,000 to 11,200 gray wolves in Alaska, 3,700 in the Great Lakes region and 1,675 in the Northern Rockies, and as many as 50,000 in Canada.

The gray wolf was listed as no longer endangered in the Great Lakes region in January 2012. The wolf population is still critically low in the majority of the states, and conservationists fear that legalizing hunting wolves will create a nosedive in the population. 

http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/animals-saved-by-the-u-s-endangered-species-act

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/mammals/gray-wolf.aspx

http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife/other-carnivores/gray-wolf.aspx

http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/gray-wolf/