“European terrorism is linked to migration”

There is no doubt that there are terrorists who have entered Europe via illegal migration routes and that Muslim communities were harboring them. But the point is not the number of migrants, but rather how migration works and how integrated Muslims feel. This is of course their responsibility as well, not just the host country’s “ said Diego Muro in an interview with Magyar Nemzet. He works as a terrorism researcher at the Scottish University of St. Andrews and is currently a guest professor at Budapest’s Mathias Corvinus Collegium.

2021.10.13 Budapest Diego Muro terroriizmus szakértő Fotó: Kurucz Árpád Fotó: Arpad Kurucz

Anna Lindh, the Foreign Minister of one of the most developed countries in the world, was stabbed by a second-generation immigrant in a department store. What are the conditions Europe must provide so that certain immigrants do not drive their frustrations to assassination?

Grievances cannot be necessarily understood objectively. Of course, you can say that the Swedish migrants enjoy a higher standard of living and have fared much better than if they had stayed at home. But, what we label relative deprivation in academic literature sheds light on the difference between what someone assumes should be his or hers, and what they actually have. So, this is a perceived grievance. Suppose you have an income of twenty thousand euros. But you feel that you deserve thirty thousand. This feeling of lack causes grievances. In the case of Muslims, you must also bear in mind that the fate of their fellow believers in distant corners of the world can also cause grievances.

Back to the Abdeslam trial: where do you see its importance?

I am absolutely sure it will have a cathartic effect on French society as a whole, just as the 9/11 committee did in the United States. The way the eyewitnesses and survivors recalled what happened at the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks was quite touching. I think the lawsuit will heal many wounds and make the French reconsider their own values as well as how little they can do as a society.

Will this also have an impact on the French presidential election campaign in which the issue of migration will play a prominent role?

It will surely provide ammunition for those politicians looking for a weak point in their opponents. This is natural.  At the same time however, I do not think it will substantially influence Emmanuel Macron’s reelection campaign. Instead, the long-term impacts of this lawsuit will be far greater for France.

(In the picture: Diego Muro. Photo: Kurucz Árpád)