The Muslims You Don't See

If Muslims are outsiders in Europe, why do so many expats love their countries? Roland Mascarenhas shares some answers

- Roland Mascarenhas

When I HEARD THE NEWS THAT A Tunisian man committed a terrorist attack in Nice in October, I was startled by the timing. Just two weeks prior, I was travelling throughout the North African country, absorbing the Islamic architecture against the crêperies from France, once an occupier.

France’s Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron declared that it is “France which is under attack,” while the Interior Minister stated “we’re at war, against an enemy who is both inside and outside,” hinting at the country’s six million Muslims and their values.

And yet, from March to October, I have lived in largely Muslim areas in Africa—the Kenyan Swahili Coast, Senegal, Tunisia and Ethiopia—prior to which I witnessed the Shaheen Bagh protests in New Delhi. During my time there, I observed a warmth and tranquillity that has attracted many Europeans to live there, which made me ponder: why is there such a different perception in the media versus reality?

For nearly three months, I was locked down in Lamu, Kenya, a coastal town of 25,000. Despite its turbulent history between Portugal and Oman, Lamu is ‘Africa’s Most Captivating Artists Retreat,’ as the WSJ. magazine called it, akin to an ‘opium dream,’ citing the influx of visitors since the 1970s, including Princess Caroline of Monaco, Sting, and Mick Jagger.