All Need Toleration: Some Observations about Recent Differences in the Experiences of Religious Minorities in the United States and Western Europe

Differences between Americans and Western Europeans in their public perceptions of largely immigrant religious minorities—particularly Muslims—have lately been thrown into high relief, with Europeans appearing increasingly less comfortable with a growing religious pluralism in their midst. By 2006, the trend had begun to draw attention from major news media. Underlying the differences are the continuing high value with which Americans (in sharp contrast to their European counterparts) view religion itself, their historic awareness of religious differences as part of the national landscape, and the willingness of at least some prominent Muslims in the United States to embrace American symbols and attempt to teach others about Islam itself.