A new survey reveals that the children of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants practice their religion less rigorously than their parents. However, researchers from the University of Utrecht and the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) say an overwhelming majority of the group still see themselves as ‘Muslim’.
The conclusions are based on a survey of nearly 2000 members of the Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch communities made a few years ago. The respondents answered questions including about how often they prayed. They were also asked to what extent they agreed with the statement: “My religion should not be a matter of discussion”.
The second-generation immigrants were found to be less religious due to their growing up in a secular society. Another conclusion was that a full assimilation of the immigrant groups will take a number of generations.
The researchers looked at how vibrant religious feelings and practices were in the two generations. The younger generation scored significantly lower on both counts.
Although an overwhelming majority still see themselves as Muslims, this majority is smaller than among their parents’ generation. Only 5 percent of the older immigrants denied belonging to a religion, compared to 12 percent of the younger generation.
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Rotterdam’s Essalam Mosque
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We think our civilization near its meridian, but we are yet only at the cock-crowing and the morning star. Assimilation should be a voluntary process and not forced down the throat of people. Some people assimilate fast and others take their time for it, and some don't even like to assimilate.
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