Excerpt:
With the rise of the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society of cosmopolitan cities and states, values and beliefs are not long limited to the borders of any given country. Perhaps, it could be argued, that 50 years ago non-Christian and non-Jewish religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism were generally seen as non-Western religions, bound to forever remain in locked in the lands of their origin i.e. the Middle-East, south Asia etc.
Of course any good historian can easily tell you that this is far from the truth, as non-Christians and non-Jews have always been a part of Europe, Russia and the Americas, especially Muslims. Without even having to mention 800 years of Muslim rule in Spain and the Muslims who discovered America before Christopher Columbus, the native Muslims who still live in the Balkans, Caucuses and former Soviet states of central Asia are enough examples from more contemporary times of Islam in Western civilization.
However, with the increased awareness and concept of nationality, citizenship and rights, the new upcoming generations of Muslim youth who have been born and raised in primarily non-Muslim environments are challenging the ideological boundaries in regards to the relationship between Islam and its place on the geographical map. Unlike their parents and grandparents, who may have migrated from predominantly Muslim lands, this new generation cannot be told to 'go back' to their countries, as they most likely don't have any other country to 'go back' to.