It's about belonging...we begin our series on Muslim life in Western Europe
What does it mean to belong in a culture? At what point does an adopted place become home? Is it when you children are born there? Is it when their children are born there?
In the United States we have been absorbing immigrants since our founding. It isn't always painless for the immigrants, but each new wave can follow the path of the previous wave.
In Europe, to varying degrees, the process is a bit more complicated. The path to becoming integrated into society isn't as clear.
The recent terror attacks in Paris and the rise of anti-immigration movements in Germany and elsewhere have brought the feelings of marginalization or assimilation of Europe's Muslim communities in particular, into the conversation.
For the next week or so, I'll travel, with my All Things Considered team, to Britain, France and Germany to meet Muslims residing in Europe. I'll ask them whether they feel British or French or German, and whether they think they are embraced by their country.
Some will be recent arrivals, some will be the third generation of their family in the country. None will represent the entirety of the Muslim experience in Europe. But we hope that by learning about the lives of a few people we will gain a better understanding of the feelings of groups of people that we often hear about but rarely hear from.