Why Muslims Flee to Europe Rather Than Wealthy Islamic Nations
Over the past decades, millions have fled the Islamic world. They escape war, dictatorships, and economic collapse. Yet instead of seeking refuge in the wealthy monarchies of the Gulf states, reachable in mere days, they risk everything to head for Europe – Germany, Sweden, France, Britain.
Why does Europe, with its colonial history and differing values, open its doors, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait keep theirs shut?
This video explores the deeper reasons behind this paradox. We examine everything from Europe's post-war embrace of multiculturalism to the Gulf states' closed citizenship models, and the cultural, political, and identity crises this creates for both sides.
//Summary - Level-B2//
Millions flee wars, dictatorships, and poverty in Muslim countries, but instead of the nearby wealthy Gulf states, they risk their lives to reach Europe. Europe, after WWII, embraced multiculturalism, offering rights, services, and citizenship. However, integration has been complex: Muslim traditions often clash with Europe’s liberal values, creating parallel communities and tensions. National models—assimilation in France, labour migration in Germany, and multiculturalism in Sweden—all faced problems. Meanwhile, Gulf monarchies reject refugees, fearing instability and protecting tribal identities. This contrast leaves Europe struggling with social division, rising populism, and questions about whether democracy and cultural diversity can truly coexist.
1)
Millions of people from the Muslim world have left their countries in recent decades. They are escaping civil wars, dictatorships, and poverty. Many risk their lives crossing deserts and seas. However, they usually don’t find refuge in rich Muslim countries close by, like Saudi Arabia or Qatar. Instead, they go to Europe—Germany, France, Sweden, or the UK—places far from their culture and language but where they are given hospitals, schools, and legal rights. This situation shows both the weaknesses of the Muslim world and the identity crisis in Europe.
2)
Europe after World War II:
After 1945, Europe was destroyed physically and morally. Economies collapsed, cities were in ruins, and racism and fascism had damaged national identities. Countries needed workers and a new vision for society. Starting in the 1950s, immigrants arrived: Turks in Germany, Algerians and Moroccans in France, Pakistanis in the UK, Surinamese in the Netherlands. Europe wanted to avoid past mistakes and built a new model based on human rights, equality, and multiculturalism.
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This meant immigrants could keep their languages, religions, and traditions while becoming citizens. Multiculturalism became official policy in many places, with bilingual schools, cultural funding, and minority protections. Europe hoped that Muslim customs and Western freedoms could live side by side. Over time, millions of Muslims settled, and today they make up about 8% of the population, possibly more in the future.
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The Integration Challenge:
Muslims don’t come to Europe because of cultural affinity but because Europe offers rights, education, healthcare, and jobs—things rich Muslim countries don’t give. But many immigrants struggle to adapt. They keep strong family hierarchies, collectivist traditions, and strict gender roles. These values often clash with Europe’s liberal, individualistic culture.
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In some neighbourhoods, imams or tribal leaders have more influence than local authorities. Social pressure enforces rules, especially on women and girls, who may face restrictions on dress, relationships, and independence. Some Muslim parents distrust European schools that teach autonomy and critical thinking. As a result, integration is weak, and parallel communities appear.
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European governments have often reacted with “passive tolerance,” afraid of being called racist. Practices like forced marriages or pressure on minors are sometimes ignored. Multiculturalism, instead of creating unity, has sometimes allowed rival systems of authority to grow inside Europe.
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National Models and Their Failures:
Different countries tried different strategies.
France: Enforced strict assimilation and secularism—no headscarves in schools, no religious symbols. But this caused tension and violence in the suburbs rather than unity.
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Germany: Accepted immigrants as labour but didn’t offer integration. When over a million Syrian refugees arrived in 2015, unpreparedness caused social problems and political radicalisation.
Sweden: Embraced extreme multiculturalism, even encouraging separate systems. But this led to gang wars, ethnic clans, and violence in cities like Malmö.
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Despite their differences, all models faced fragmentation and rising conflict. Public services are strained, laws don’t apply equally everywhere, and many citizens feel abandoned. This crisis of multiculturalism fuels the rise of anti-immigration parties across Europe. Once fringe movements, they are now mainstream, pushing for stricter borders and deportations. Countries like Hungary and Poland openly reject EU refugee quotas, defending their Christian national identity.
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Why Not Rich Muslim Countries?:
The oil-rich Gulf states—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait—are incredibly wealthy and close to conflict zones. Yet they refuse refugees. Their societies depend on strict separation between citizens and foreign workers. In some Gulf states, 90% of residents are foreigners, but they are treated only as temporary workers with no path to citizenship. Even children born there don’t gain citizenship. National identity is based on tribal continuity and elite control, not diversity.
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These monarchies also see refugees as a political risk. Many flee authoritarian regimes and carry ideas of reform or revolution. The memory of the Arab Spring, when protests shook several Arab states, is still strong. Refugees could bring instability, independent religious groups, or political Islam, all seen as threats to kings and emirs. For them, accepting refugees is too dangerous.
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Europe’s Dilemma:
Europe, by contrast, has welcomed refugees with rights, services, and freedoms but often without demanding real integration. The result is growing tension: fragmented societies, weakened trust in democratic values, and political polarisation. Europe sought to establish a new model of coexistence, but the influx of millions of people with different norms is now reshaping Europe itself.
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The key question is: Can democracy survive if it must coexist with cultural systems that contradict it? For decades, Europeans hoped integration was only a matter of time. Today, it’s clear that some values don’t change even after generations. Without shared rules, tolerance becomes weakness. And while Europe hesitates, anti-immigration forces grow stronger.
14)
Meanwhile, the wealthy Muslim countries remain closed, preferring control and stability over solidarity. Refugees, then, continue to look to Europe—changing not only their lives but also the future of Europe itself.
Why Muslims Flee to Europe Rather Than Wealthy Islamic Nations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ3LJtdIk8I&t=919s
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