The Norway killer, Anders Breivik, saw his massacre of 69 people as a strike against what he sees as the growing threat posed by the presence of Muslims in Western Europe. In this he had international connections. The strongest of these appears to have been to our home-grown English Defence League, whose anti-Muslim ideology inspired him. But Breivik and the EDL are only the most extreme expression of anti-Islamic sentiment that is observable in many countries of Western Europe.
The establishment of Islamic communities in Western Europe is a fact. But in spite of the familiarity of Islam it often remains poorly understood. In order to appreciate Islam and what its presence, in Britain and other western countries, means, we need to turn the mirror on ourselves and see better how Islam and our society relate.
Islam is an Abrahamic religion, that is to say, it springs from the message of the biblical figure of Abraham as does Judaism and Christianity. But this obscures the fact that its origins are closer to Christianity than Judaism.
In its early days Christianity split into different factions and "heresies". Although, by the time of the Prophet, Mohamed, in the sixth century, the theological turbulence had subsided, there were still competing sects and practices. Mohamed, an international merchant by profession, had the chance to travel widely in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East and so became familiar with the diversity and conflicts within Christianity.
Out of this came the Koran and the founding of Islam as a new religion. The Koran rejected the complicated theology of Christianity and refined it into a simple monotheism, with Allah as the one god. But there was one aspect of the diverse Christian landscape that became of prime importance to Islam - early Christian monasticism, as it existed in the uplands of Egypt. What we see in the practice of Islam, today as then, can be understood as the importing of monastic practice into a popular religion.
The practice of praying five times a day is similar to the monks' daily routine of prayer. The fasting of Ramadan parallels monastic fasting. The idea of community (umma) that is so essential to Islam was also fundament to the monastic ideal as is abstinence (notably from alcohol). The denial of overt sexual displays follows the same ascetic pattern. Modern Muslims, even in Northern Europe often still favour dress that has much in common with the desert robes of the early monks. Spiritually Islam requires great piety if not as strong as that demanded by monastic rule.
This interpretation is undoubtedly an oversimplified view of a complex and subtle religion but it offers a way in to understanding how Islam works and also why it suffers from stresses and strains in modern society - and not just in non-Islamic countries. The period of Islam's preeminence from the seventh to the twelve centuries was before modern institutions and economies had developed. This period has been called the "age of faith" and this refers to faith in general - Christian as well as Islamic. Because spiritual faith was an overwhelming fact of everyone's life, it was possible to model society around a demanding ascetic religion.
However, over the last six or so centuries, a major problem for Islam has been in adapting to the modern world. Christianity has not shared such difficulty as it evolved in the highly material society of ancient Rome and so allows a less committed piety and does not assert its presence in day-to-day life to the same extent.
But it would be quite wrong to see the Islamic community of present day Western Europe as living in a predominantly Christian society - Western Europe is not that. When asked, a majority may still say they believe in god but they are not in any real sense Christians. They do not go to church, they do not say prayers privately and the bible is not longer taught in state schools. They are doing nothing to sustain Christianity as a living faith.
At this point, let us stand back and look at the global position with regard to religion. It is a surprising fact but Western Europe is practically the only part of the world where religion is in decline. Nearly everywhere else religion is on the rise. And the most successful of the expanding global religions is Christianity.
In Latin America, Catholicism is vigorously on the march, while in the United States evangelicalism, of one sort or another, grows stronger and penetrates the political life. In Africa, Pentecostalism is making great advances, often in competition with a developing Islam. In the Indian subcontinent, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism continue to thrive, and in Eastern Europe following the demise of communism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity is making a powerful comeback. It is the same pattern virtually everywhere else except perhaps in China - but we really do not know how strong religious sentiment is there as it is not an open society.
But to fill out the picture we need to put in the fact that most of the developed world has also developed a lifestyle that is totally in defiance of any sense of spirituality. The following is a superficial judgement but if you look at what is on display everywhere you could conclude that we have an uninhibited preoccupation with obtaining gratification and indulgence of every kind we reject any necessity to develop the inner life. In this we may be thought to be returning to our pagan past that finds so many echoes in modern life. Of course this is only a partial reflection of western society but it is the one that is constantly thrown in your face.
Thus we are carving out a separation from the Muslims in our midst. Muslims have a problem with the west not because it is Christian but because it has reverted to neo-paganism - the glorification of sensuality and what inevitably goes with it - the glorification of money.
Currently the view of even the most liberal westerner is that while we should tolerate Islam we should not budge one iota on our own practices, however licentious. This is the view of those who think a total secularism is viable. But it is not. We all need an element of the transcendental in our lives, however we may define it.
We should not simply emphasise tolerance of Islam, we should go further and recognize that in its piety it can teach us something. Perhaps we should shift our society away from its extreme licentiousness and show that we are also interested in looking for a deeper meaning in life.
As I said, Islam has a problem with the modern world for its practice and reverence don't always live easily with it. But non-Muslims also have a problem with the modern world for they often succumb too easily to its excesses. Both sides need to try to move towards the other.