Being a Muslim student in Europe: Erasmus experiences

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Erasmus experiences of female students who wear headscarf, which is a symbol that reveals their religious identity in the course of their Erasmus term in European countries. I conducted in-depth interviews with female students from different universities and departments in Istanbul. In this thesis, I examine how the participants evaluate their Erasmus experiences in European countries in terms of attitudes toward Muslims, whether there are differences in attitudes toward Muslims among European countries, and whether there are differences in the attitudes of different social groups toward Muslims. I also examine the observation of Muslim students who comes from a Muslim majority country about Muslim communities in Europe and the Islamic life of European Muslims. This thesis argues that direct interaction with other cultures is a strong factor that reduces prejudice and that the attitudes toward foreigners and immigrants in multicultural societies is more moderate than in societies with a relatively homogeneous sociological structure. The educated and religious segments of European societies have more positive attitudes toward Muslims than lay Europeans as well. This thesis also shows that religious practice and organization of Muslims who live in European countries as a minority group are different from that of Muslim majority societies. Keywords: Erasmus, Europe Experience, Islamophobia, Muslims in Europe, Mosques in Europe.