The Republic of Austria, covering an area of 83,853 square kilometers, is located in Central Europe and is landlocked. Its capital is the city of Vienna, and the country is composed of nine states with a population of over 5.7 million people. The people of this country are primarily of Aryan descent and belong to the Germanic ethnic group.
During the reign of the Ottoman Empire, Austria engaged in fierce wars against the Ottomans and acted as a barrier against the advance of Muslim forces into Europe during the 16th century. However, in 1914, after the assassination of the Austrian crown prince in Sarajevo (the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina) by a Serbian student, Austria entered into war with Serbia, supported by Germany. The Ottoman Empire also joined the war in support of this alliance, leading to the outbreak of World War I. Although the war was initially favorable for the Allies, defeats began to accumulate, resulting in Austria being divided and the eventual disintegration of the Ottoman Empire.
The majority of the approximately 150,000 Muslims living in Austria are Turkish, Yugoslav, and Egyptian immigrants. The Austrian government has recognized Islam, and the country’s first television channel broadcasts a program called “Voice of Islam” once a week. The head of the Muslim minority in the country also shares his messages on television during religious occasions and Islamic holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
The primary center for Muslim gatherings is the city of Vienna, the capital of Austria. Muslims are also significantly represented in the provinces of Nuremberg, Styria, Oberammergau, Graz, Salzburg, and Klagenfurt.
Switzerland
The Federal Republic of Switzerland is located in Central Europe and is also landlocked, covering an area of 41,293 square kilometers. Its capital, Bern, comprises 26 cantons and has a population of 5.6 million. The population includes a mixture of German, French, Italian, Romanian, and Hungarian people, with approximately 65% speaking German. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic, with religious minorities including Protestants and Muslims.
In 891 AH (approximately 1486 AD), Muslims sailed to the Gulf of Troyes in Provence and conquered the inhabitants, choosing the famous Moros mountain as their refuge, thereby naming the area Fraxinum. Gradually, the regions between the Po and Rhine rivers became battlegrounds for Muslims. In 921, Muslim conquerors reached the strategic St. Bernard Pass in Switzerland and burned the Monastery of St. Maurice in 945. By 954, the country was invaded by Hungarians on one side and Muslims on the other, with Muslims establishing control over the Swiss Alps’ passes.
The number of Muslims in Switzerland has significantly increased over the past quarter-century. In 1960, only 3,000 Muslims lived in Switzerland; this figure increased tenfold by 1971 and twenty-fivefold by 1981. Currently, the Muslim population has reached 100,000, with about 20% being indigenous to the country. The first Muslim groups included Turkish immigrants, followed by Slavs, Arabs, and Africans.
One concerning issue is that the Swiss government does not publish actual statistics regarding Muslims, and many Muslim workers in factories are not recorded in official records. Moreover, indigenous Muslims in Switzerland often conceal their faith due to societal pressures.
Belgium
Belgium is located in northwestern Europe and south of the North Sea. The country covers an area of 30,518 square kilometers, consists of nine provinces, and has a capital named Brussels. Belgium has a population of 5.9 million, composed of two ethnic groups: Flemish (of German origin and language) and Walloon (of French origin and language). 90% of the population is Catholic, with the rest being Protestants, Muslims, and Jews.
The first wave of Muslim immigration to Belgium came from the Balkan Peninsula, especially Albania, primarily after World War II. Turkish immigrants and later North African immigrants also contributed to the Muslim population. The Muslim population in Belgium reached 120,000 in 1981 and has now grown to 500,000.
Belgium officially recognized Islam as one of its official religions in 1974 and has provided various financial and legal facilities to Muslims in social, administrative, and cultural aspects.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is located on the North Sea coast, between Germany and Belgium. It is the lowest country in Europe, with 25% of its area lying below sea level. The Dutch people have not only prevented water intrusion by constructing dams and other fortifications but have also advanced toward the sea. The country covers 41,836 square kilometers and has a population of 14.5 million. The Dutch population is predominantly of Germanic descent, with 40% being Catholic and 35% Protestant.
Muslims have a bitter memory associated with the Netherlands, as Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, which is 50 times the size of the Netherlands, was colonized by this country for 353 years. During this prolonged period, the Dutch plundered Indonesia’s resources and attempted to distance the Indonesian people from Islam through cultural invasion, Christian propaganda, and, at times, repression. Despite these efforts, the Indonesian people preserved Islam, which became a unifying factor against the invaders. The Islamic reform movement in Indonesia grew in the early 20th century, leading to the end of Dutch rule.
During the colonial period in Indonesia and Suriname, many Muslim immigrants arrived in the Netherlands. Of the 500,000 Muslims living in the Netherlands, the majority are immigrants from Turkey, Suriname, Tunisia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Morocco, and the former Yugoslavia. Muslims are concentrated in the political center of the Dutch government and are often employed in factories. After World War II, with labor shortages, workers from the Middle East and North Africa immigrated to the Netherlands, and in the 1970s, the first generation of foreign workers settled in the country.
The first mosque in the Netherlands was built in 1955 by Indonesian immigrants in the small town of Balek. Turkish Muslims established a mosque in Almelo in 1975, collaborating with Dutch monotheists. In that same year, Islamic organizations in the Netherlands united to form the Islamic Union of the Netherlands.
Although the Dutch government does not officially recognize the country’s Muslim community, marriages conducted according to Islamic law are acknowledged. Furthermore, public schools provide religious education through Muslim teachers. The growing Muslim population in the Netherlands has raised concerns among Christians, with some Dutch villages having one or two mosques but no churches, and even some old churches have been converted into mosques.
In response to these developments, the Dutch magazine “Christianity Today” remarked, “Now is the time for Christians to take the lead and reclaim the Gospel before churches are turned into mosques!”
