Europe's relationship with Islam is very much an internal affair
10th Nov 2005, 01:17 GMT
With the recent wave of rioting in France, the jitters across Europe about the presence of Muslim immigrant communities have intensified. Much fuss has been made about the rioters' supposed "Islamic" heritage, with some commentators referring to the violence as "Islamic riots" or "Europe's intifada." But it is a grave mistake to describe the riots, which have their roots in social and economic conditions, in religious terms.