Moroccan scholar Moha Ennaji revealed his recent book release entitled “Muslim Moroccan Migrants in Europe: Transnational Migration in its Multiplicity” published by the prestigious American publisher Palgrave-Macmillan.
This book of 290 pages deals with the immigration phenomenon while focusing on Muslim Moroccan migrants, and their contribution to a changing Europe. Based on the author's fieldwork and readings of media, government reports, and historical and contemporary records, he sheds light on the many challenges that face Muslim migrants in Europe ranging from marginalization to Islamophobia despite their major contribution to their host countries, as well their countries of origin
The ten chapters of this book revolve around six major themes: the history of Moroccan migration in the old continent, the living conditions of Muslims and the phenomenon of Islamophobia, language issues and impacts of educational systems, the situation of Moroccan women living in Europe, the challenges of integration and multiple identities, and the contribution of European Moroccans in economic, political, social and cultural development.
Ennaji calls for borders to be open so that people can be free to migrate, live, and work in another country, while being subject only to the restrictions that tie them to citizens in the host country. He further stresses tolerance and the acceptance of migrants’ cultural background as adamant but emphasize the need for migrants to adapt to the laws and rules of the host land.
About the scholar
Moha Ennaji is a professor of linguistics and gender studies and a former head of the Department of English at the University of Fes, Morocco. He is currently the director of Arabic Studies at Rutgers University. He has published extensively on language, gender, and cultural studies with a focus on North Africa. His most recent publications include Migration and Gender in Morocco and the Dialogue of Civilizations (translation) both co-authored with Fatima Sadiqi (2008); Multilingualism, Cultural Education, and Education in Morocco (2005), and A Grammar of Moroccan Arabic (2008). He is the editor of Language and Gender in the Mediterranean Region (2008). He has been a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the University of Arizona and Mansfield University.