The Moroccan and Muslim Diaspora in Europe: Shifting from the Context of Migration to the Context of Citizenship

The Moroccan diaspora in Europe in general, and Western Europe in particular, has undergone various profound historical, political, demographic, socio-cultural, and identity transformations since the era of labor migration or so-called “guest workers” in the 1960s up until today. This new situation has drastically altered the landscape of the Islamic and Moroccan presence in Europe. It is not just about the numerical and quantitative expansion, which researchers often emphasize, but also about the qualitative presence reflected in the various cultural, social, political, and institutional achievements made by European Moroccans from different generations of immigrants. This research paper discusses the main shift from the context of migration to that of citizenship, focusing on the conceptual transformation from being seen as “guest workers,” “immigrants,” and “foreigners” to being recognized as European “citizens.” The research paper is divided into four chapters. In the first chapter, we argued that there is a need today to adopt a new approach to the Islamic presence in Europe and the West. In the second chapter, we discussed the evolving European epistemological and sociological context, in which Muslims and Moroccans have become a significant element, highlighting the key determinants and features of this context. In the third and fourth chapters, we explored the main hypothesis of this study: the shifting from the context of migration to the context of citizenship focusing on the conceptual transformation experienced by the Islamic diaspora in general, and the Moroccan diaspora in particular, especially in the West-European context.