Starting from a comparison of the relationships between state and religion in France and Great Britain since 1648, the paper analyses the impact of Muslim immigration and settlement since 1945. The practical policies which have been followed in the two countries by both Muslims and the state indicate that the great contrast often made between the individualistic French policy of assimilation and the communal British approaches are not as great as all that. Both countries seem to apply communal and individualistic solutions according to local requirements.