Article,
Arab European League (AEL): The Rapid Rise of a Radical Immigrant Movement
Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 25 (1): 97--115 (April 2005)
DOI: 10.1080/1360200050
Abstract
In this paper a contextualized account is given of the rise of the immigrant organization, Arab European League (AEL), in Belgium. An attempt is made to explain how and why the AEL was able to mobilize important numbers of immigrant youngsters in Antwerp, while other actors remained powerless to do so in the past. In addition, the question of why and how the AEL was able to become a key-actor in the debate on immigrant integration in Belgium and in the Netherlands is also addressed. The article discusses the influence of media-coverage on the rise of the AEL and contextualizes the counter mobilization against the AEL and attempts at criminalization of the organization. The focus of this paper is also directed to an analysis of the organization itself, on the level of ideology, discourse and style. In doing so, we look into the significance of the rhetorical use of references to Gamal Abdel Nasser, Malcolm X and the intifida, and into the AEL's fluctuating strategic stress on male and ‘Arab pride’ identity. Equally, the organization's pan-Arabic and Muslim identity claims, the conceptualization of Arab-Europeanness (inspired by the African-American identity) and multicultural ideology are discussed. The paper finally discusses how the phenomenon of the AEL fits into theoretical approaches to the political mobilization of ethnic minorities, with special attention to insights from the perspective of political opportunity structures.
