here is not like there

"What happened in France would never happen here, not because the United States is less racist, but because the class and demography of the Muslim community here bear almost no resemblance to its counterpart in Europe." -Ali Moossavi

Detroit Free Press: Metro Detroit Arabs don't feel France's alienation
NewAmericaMedia.org: American Muslims Not Like Those of France

The above two pieces are careful to distinguish the Muslim community in America from the rioting Muslims in France. To me it is pretty clear that they are motivated by a desire to reassure the American public that "we're okay" but that doesn't make the claims any less factual. Objectively, the demographics of the Muslim populations on each side of the Atlantic are rather different. In the United States, much of the Muslim population is highly educated; lawyers, engineers, doctors, etc. Many have grown up in the US, or have traveled here from abroad in search of training, education, or good jobs.

In Europe, the Muslim population is generally less educated, and less affluent than their counterparts in the US. They play a much different role in the European economy. In fact, I had a conversation with some Germans about a year ago and when they got around to discussing the Muslim (in this case, mostly people from Turkey and also some North Africans) I was struck by how much their stereotypes were reminiscent of those attributed to Mexicans and African-Americans in the US.

So the riots are pretty clearly not the result of religion or a clash-of-civilizations. In this case race and class are more salient.