Soc 202. 09. Term Paper

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall To what extent are Western European nations willing to bend their long established ideals to honor the philosophy of multiculturalism in their societies?

Multiculturalism, an ideology first engendered in the Netherlands, basically refers to sustaining racial, cultural, and ethnic diversity in a given nation. Responding to large scale immigration of cultural minorities in the mid 20 th century, Western European nations, believing that these immigrants would eventually return back home, espoused the concept of multiculturalism, where the new settlers were encouraged to sustain their cultures, languages, and traditions amidst a society very different to their own. However, even when it became clear that the immigrants had no intention of going back, Western European nations, especially the Netherlands and the UK, redoubled their efforts to create in their societies a culture of respecting difference 1. Possibly they were driven by moral considerations, or perhaps out of humanistic concerns in the wake of the Holocaust, but it was at this precise moment that multiculturalism kicked off in Western Europe. Multiculturalism, from the margin, does indeed appear to be a noble endeavor for the secular, tolerant Western nations. Multiculturalism encourages people to hold differences between individuals and groups as a potential source of strength and renewal rather than of strife. It values the diverse perspectives people develop and maintain through varieties of experience and background stemming from racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation and/or class differences in our society. It strives to uphold the ideals of equality, equity and freedom 2. It also discourages homogeneity in society and persuades one to be true to his nature or heritage and seek with others the same kind of public recognition for one‟s collectivity 3. However, for such ideal an undertaking, Western nations are now facing an unexpected backlash. Aimed to stimulate natives to respect the difference of the immigrants‟ cultures to their own, and eventually to embrace diversity among people and culture as a way of life, governments of Western Europe practiced policies which actually coaxed immigrants to identify themselves with their own, different traditions and not to assimilate themselves among the natives to forge a shared national culture and identity. These very policies of fostering difference at the huge expense of shared national identity are indeed to be blamed for a number “immigrant problems” that have been plaguing the liberal Western societies since several years. Crimes committed by cultural minorities, especially Muslims with non western backgrounds, are on the rise. Inhuman practices, such as honor killings, female genital mutilation and the like not only exist, but are proliferating, at the heart of Europe itself. Immigrants are actually worse off in countries which heavily endorsed multiculturalism than in their non multicultural counterparts1. And perhaps the most shocking outcome of multicultural societies is that they are giving impetus to the radicalization of second or third generation of Muslims, thereby sowing the seeds for home grown terrorism. Legitimately, one does indeed wonder how an ideology intended at achieving a greater measure of equality between cultures, not only encouraged even more segregation but also brought about the radicalization of immigrant children who had been brought up in European societies and educated in European schools. Even though Muslim immigrants are brought up in European countries, despite their western education, they

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall

share an identity and a culture very different from their native peers. In effect, they are raised in their very own society, which believes in different traditions, has different values, some of which are considered very outdated, impractical, even inhuman in the West, and being a minority community, share strong bonds of affection. Rather than embracing the culture of their host country, they are intent upon creating their own mini-Morocco or mini-Turkey in countries like Netherlands and France4. Thus, even when second and third generation Muslims are educated and raised in Western Europe, they fail to assimilate culturally, primarily because of multiculturalism itself. This eventually makes them even more alienated from European societies than their parents. Upon this alienation, and humiliation resulting possibly from lower wages and living standards, they resort to Islam for guidance. This leads to a vicious cycle, with every generation becoming more and more embedded in their age old cocoon of traditions. For example, in the UK, 62% of 16-24 year olds feel they have as much in common with non-Muslims as Muslims, compared to 71% of 55+ year olds 5. Thus, as the immigrant population grows, and the segregation of immigrants and natives increases, economically and otherwise, the Muslim community delves more and more into Islam as their source of identity and expression. This cycle of marginalization and alienation of cultural minorities has resulted in stark differences in how different cultural communities perceive the same actions, even though they were brought up together. The spike in the number of rape charges in the Scandinavia in recent years have been blamed largely on youths with Muslim immigrant backgrounds. In 2001, two out of three charged with rape in Norway‟s capital were immigrants with a non-western background. Norwegian women were victims in 80 percent of the cases6. The shocking reality is that in most of these cases, the parents would not only back up their rapist children, but also would not even understand why they were being arrested. Immigrant parents primarily blamed the conduct of their children on the revealing outfits the Norwegian women were sporting rather than the sick mentalities of their own children. Apparently their culture taught them that women, of every other religion, who defame the values of Islamic womanhood, should be “punished”. And at the heart of this crisis was the fact that the Norwegian government, instead of educating the masses about the situation, was actually intent upon hiding this “immigrant” problem. That tolerance is the very founding philosophy of almost every Western European nation is a fact that indeed cannot be debated. Yet this very tolerance, both at the level of society as well at the national level, is being tested to the limits. Even when there is clear correlation between gang rapes and immigrants with Muslim backgrounds, the Scandinavian nations are yet to take a concrete step in curbing the grass-root causes of this criminal debacle. A significant number of Muslim majority suburbs in the UK have been declared as “no-go zones” for non-Muslims by an influential bishop7. A court in Germany even went so far as to legitimize wife-beating on cultural grounds8. Yet almost every society is at denial to accept that the core values of Western democracy, particularly individual freedom are at extreme odds with Islamic values of the supremacy of males, and that of family honor. Governments are willing to compromise rule of law on the fear of being labeled xenophobic and racist. And to top it all, the fiercely aggressive media has actually been cowed into submission by the constant death

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall

threats and harassments journalists receive from extremist Muslims as a token for their courageous act of delivering their findings to the world at large. Muslim women, grown up and educated in European schools, are still being forced to marry the grooms of their family‟s choice. Anyone who dares to become “European”, in their attitude, religion and thought, are thought to have brought shame to their families. Hatin Surucu‟s only crimes were that she did not succumb to forced marriage at the tender age of 16, discarded her Islamic head scarf, enrolled in a technical school, and dated German men. For this, she was punished with death, at the hands of her own kin 9. Indeed, women do not still have the liberty to discard the veil even if they want to. French Muslim women are still being gang raped for wearing any seemingly modern attire10. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Dutch “infidel”11 parliamentarian has had to flee her country because of imminent death threats she received because she denounced Islam. Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker, was brutally murdered in public by a second generation Muslim immigrant, because he dared to criticize Islam‟s merciless treatment of women 12. Outdated and inhuman practices, like female genital mutilation, are still taking place in France. The rare few parents who were actually tried in court and brought into public limelight received only suspended prison terms, for the immensely grave crimes of their own daughters‟ genital mutilation13. Muslim parents in the UK are coaxing their daughters into submission at the hands of rapist “import” grooms11. And if their daughters fail to live with their husbands, they are intent upon killing them for bringing about shame to the family. Despite all this, hard few Muslim women have had the courage to come forward and admit what injustices their very own society did to them. And the grand irony amidst all this unimaginable depravity is that it‟s happening right where the entire world idolizes as the birthplace of enlightenment, liberty, equality of gender and otherwise, and freedom of speech – Western Europe. Rule of law has clearly been compromised – much of the violence in the “no-go” suburbs clearly evades the law. Liberty has been suppressed beyond doubt, especially in the case of Muslim women. From clothes and makeup to bridegrooms, Muslim women have virtually no freedom of choice but instead are forced to follow whatever their family deems right. The immigrants‟ conservative notions of religion and morality whereby women must remain virgin until marriage but men can do whatever they want, including gang raping others, has started pushing the limits of Westerners‟ tolerance. Native Europeans are torn between traditional values of tolerance and fear that unrestrained immigration will somehow tear apart the national fabric. Despite all this, Western Europe is yet to take a collective, and powerful response towards these problems. Even when all of its base values have been compromised, Western European nations, veiled in the fear being labeled xenophobic, are still supporting multiculturalism for the sake of political correctness. Imagine, for a moment, the uproar it would cause if a native European woman were forced to marry someone she did not even know, for the sake of keeping up the honor of her family. News like this would spread like wildfire, and probably the entire “enlightened” Western world would protest. However, when a similar thing happens to Muslim women, all the blame goes the supposed differences in culture. Furthermore, in some cases, Europeans are not only tolerating the cultural odds but are actually encouraging it. Take for example the German court ruling that legitimized wifebeating8. When a Turkish man beat his wife, he didn't get the same punishment as when a German did it. The court tried to rationalize the crime in terms of the culture, the

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall

traditions, and the religion. In doing so, the German establishment bolstered confidence into immigrants to actually follow their age old traditions in the midst of a very modern society. The Muslim minorities probably perceived that wife-beating, honor killing and like, which were not regarded as criminal offences in their home country, would be respected in Germany as well. This very ease of evading judgment indeed will lead to more of the similar kinds of crimes in the future. Add to it the fact that even if someone has the courage to come forward and speak out the crimes one‟s society and religion inflicted upon him, he would be denied fair judgment on cultural grounds. This would eventually lead to a vicious cycle where perpetrators would increase drastically, but justice would remain ever elusive. Moreover, yet again another German court sentenced a man behind the bars only for a mere nine years when proven guilty of honor killing 9. For the cold blooded murder of his own sister, the punishment he received was arguably a lot lesser than what would have been had a German committed the same offense. These acts of acceptance and tolerance at the extremes have indeed made assimilation of immigrants, and the consequent sentiment of national belonging, impossible in the near future. To cap it all, multiculturalism and its shortcomings are believed to have inspired radicalization among homegrown Muslims. While radicalization is only the first step towards becoming a full fledged Islamist, it is indeed a dangerous step. The four London bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain were all British-born Muslims. Lindsay was a convert. Omar Khan Sharif and Asif Mohammed Hanif who carried out a suicide bombing in Israel, killing people at a Tel Aviv pizza parlor in April 2003, were from Derby. Sharif went to King‟s College, London 14. These two examples may suffice to say that homegrown terrorism in indeed on the rise in Western Europe. The failures of multiculturalism, namely the failure to assimilate the immigrants into a shared national culture, and the policies of mollycoddling immigrant populations, have finally started to show their mark. It is now not only imaginable but very much real that a British born and educated Muslim, living a “normal” rational life, can suddenly turn against his fellow citizens in the name of Jihad. This leads us to the conclusion that it is not only that natives do not appreciate the culture of immigrants, but also immigrants believing that “Western European women have too many rights and liberties”. Thus the former gradually segregates itself because of stereotypes like “bike stealing Moroccans” 15, and the latter segregates itself because of overly liberal values of the former. And it is this alienation that leads to radicalization, supported by internet forums, Islamic cable TV channels, and certain members of its own community of Muslims, thus leading to the development of a fullfledged Islamist. Indeed, everyone is to blame for this multicultural debacle - the governments, which blindly supported multiculturalism, without actually giving a thought to the consequences; the immigrants, who blindly refused to assimilate, who do not feel “at home” even though they have been born and raised in Western Europe; and the natives, who subconsciously discriminated against cultural minorities, because their respective cultures were not in any way compatible. Moreover, now that the fear of Islamophobia has been spreading rapidly, the segregation, and resulting alienation of Muslim minorities, is bound to increase even further. An increasingly influential intellectual consensus on both sides of the Atlantic has presented Europe as a doomed and decadent

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall

continent that is being transformed into an Islamic colony called „Eurabia‟. What began as an outlandish conspiracy16 theory has now become a dangerous Islamophobic fantasy that has moved ever closer towards mainstream respectability, as conservative historians, newspaper columnists and right-wing Zionists find common cause in the threat to „Judeo-Christian‟ civilization from Muslim immigrants with supposedly incompatible cultural values17. Buoyed by the ever soaring fertility rates of the immigrant minorities, „the smarter Islamists . . . know they can never win on the battlefield, but . . . they can drag things out until Western civilization collapses in on itself and Islam inherits by default‟ 18. Indeed, multiculturalism has only been accused of being used as a political tool by Islamists, who want the entire world to hitchhike back to Islam‟s heyday, when the powerful and prosperous Muslim empire spread from Cordoba in the West to northern India in the East. One could argue that there is nothing wrong with a secular society progressing from a Judeo-Christian majority to an Islamic one. However, would we want the birthplace of free thinking taken over by a religion which is not only incompatible to democracy, but also to rational enquiry and political liberty? That the supposedly glorious Islamic civilization, ruled by caliphs, functioning under “dhimmi” system which discriminated against those of other religions, was sorely lacking in political liberty is beyond doubt. That leads us to the logical conclusion that rational enquiry and scholarship were actually supported by the caliphs, for it was Islam which introduced the West to numerous innovations, the prime being the concept of zero. However, several scholars have proven otherwise. The Middle East, due to its geographical advantage, was the melting pot for ideas from around the world. It was due to this advantage that Muslim scholars were able to transfer the Indian numerals to the West as the Arabic numeral system 19. The arts and architecture, including the symbolic parabolic arch, were a product of Assyrian craft 20. Indeed, Islam accumulated so much knowledge in such a short time because it is “parasitical by nature and preys upon the pre-Islamic culture in the conquered lands”21. While it would be hyperbolic to say that the Muslim empire did not produce any free thinkers, one cannot deny that it was required for them to step out of the realms of Islam for any rational enquiry. Indeed, Islam, by the very nature of its core values, is a hindrance to modernity, in the modern day sense of the word. Nevertheless, it is also true that Western rationality is itself a set of dogmas, in no way different from the dogmatic outlooks of Islam22. Yet this very rationality not only helped achieve but actually fueled remarkable development, economically or otherwise, in countries which embraced it wholeheartedly. It is these connotations of progress and freedom that the Muslim minorities are yet to accept. Multiculturalism requires everyone to treat all dogmas, all possible authoritarian political and moral demands with equal respect. But Shariah law and western democracy, orthodox biblical family law which demands capital punishment for homosexual relations and modern family law – which in most progressive countries permits sexual relations between persons of the same gender – are certainly incompatible22. Despite this, multiculturalism is still protected by Western states. Thus, multiculturalism has actually brought about an era of “secular superstition”, where tolerance has inhibited critical thinking and rational discourse. Much akin to age when the Catholic Church prohibited certain books, free thinkers are not allowed to express their resentment at the ever growing followers of centuries-old Islamic thought. Despite the elimination of Judeo-Christian religious

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall

control of society, political liberty, rational thinking, free speech and universities championing free enquiry are actually on the decline – all thanks to multiculturalism and associated political correctness. Therefore, unless Europe wants to propel itself towards decadence, it needs to act fast. If Islam were to take over Europe, the current definition of “free thinking” would be virtually eliminated. Instead “free thinkers” would be those who enquire to and for their religion, within the realms of Islam. Also, Muslims feel a need to Islamicize the values of the surrounding culture that they perceive as immoral and decadent23. Thus, eventually, all the “Western rationale” that made Europe and the world what it is today, would be virtually erased. Indeed, Europe has reached that limit where rationale and sheer logic have to be weighed more than secularism and tolerance. And to the enlightenment fundamentalists‟ relief, despite the veil of political correctness, small, yet firm, steps are slowly being taken. Only in the recent few years has Europe actually formed institutions to tackle its “immigrant problems”. Sweden, despite its already overburdened welfare system, is supplying even more economic incentives to create jobs for immigrants who have failed to settle well24. Hotlines have been setup in France for any Muslim woman who wants escape the subservience inflicted upon her by her own culture25. Five of the Germany‟s 16 states have voted to ban teachers and other public officials from wearing headscarves to work26. Denmark was the first to tighten immigration laws, and to espouse in its citizens nationalistic sentiments 27. The UK has also instituted citizenship tests to ensure that immigrants have a greater understanding of Britain and its culture28. Forced marriages and honor killings have been publicly condemned and the 2006 Austrian Presidency of the European Council took the initiative to develop the „Network Against Harmful Traditions‟ proposing legal measures as well as protection of victims and awareness campaigns 29. For rationale to reign supreme and not to be stifled by religion, culture and ideology, these small steps are valuable indeed. Ideally, multiculturalism was supposed to create a society where everyone respected everyone else regardless of their religion, race, caste or ideologies. There was one central flaw in it though – that of human nature. It is only human to feel superior to others. Discrimination has always plagued human societies. People, in almost every society around the world, have condescended upon those who differ, possibly on racial, religious, or ideological grounds. Multiculturalism encouraged difference, thus making it all the more easier to discriminate against those who were different, consciously or otherwise. This encouraged segregation in a society which had already been divided along cultural lines by policies of multiculturalism. Thus, multiculturalism not only encouraged sustenance of immigrant cultures, but also dissuaded immigrants from ever integrating into modern European societies. With newer generations, the existing cultural incompatibility only increased. The end result was obvious: those who were discouraged to appreciate the Western world tried to do away with Western culture altogether – by making it more and more Islamic. Thus, what had started out to create a microcosm of the world where everyone lived in harmony, failed miserably. Disagreements and violence are indeed to be expected when people of totally different religions, cultures, ethnicities are brought about together in this world which is becoming smaller by the day. Indeed, it is the “clash of civilizations” that has resulted in violence against those of other civilizations, even if they grew up as your next door

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall

neighbors. Multiculturalism has only helped to give momentum to this inevitable clash of civilizations. Multiculturalism not only proved, but helped to establish that Westerners erroneously assume that other civilizations can and will embrace individualism and democracy easily. Thus, unless Europe disbands multiculturalism, and initiates policies to assimilate marginalized immigrant Muslims right from today, its fundamental values will soon be expunged past salvation.

Works Cited 1. Paul M. Sniderman And A. Hagendoorn, When Ways Of Life Collide : Multiculturalism And Its Discontents In The Netherlands, Princeton, N.J., 2007, 1. 2. Rosa Carson, 'What is multiculturalism?' 1999. 3. Tariq Modood, 'Multiculturalism : A Civic Idea', Themes For The 21st Century.2007, Viii, 193 P. 4. Sniderman et al, When Ways Of Life Collide. 5. Abi Senthilkumaran Munira Mirza, Zein Ja'far, 'Living Apart Together- British Muslims And The Paradox Of Multiculturalism', Clutha House, 10 Storey’s Gate, London, 2007, 5 6. Jonathan Tisdall, 'Oslo Rape Statistics Shock', Aftenposten, 2001. 7. Shiraz Maher, 'Muslim Britain Is Becoming One Big No-Go Area', Times January 13, 2008 8. Srdja Trifkovic, 'Sharia Comes To Germany', Chronicles: A Magazine Of American Culture, March 26th, 2007. 9. Ray Furlong, ''Honour Killing' Shocks Germany', Bbc News, 14 March, 2005. 10. Bruce Crumley; Adam Smith, 'Sisters In Hell', Time Magazine, Nov. 24, 2002. 11. Abigail R. Esman, 'Hirshi Ali Leaves Hiding To Spotlight Honor Killings ', Women's ENews, January 23, 2005. 12. European Monitoring Centre On Racism And Xenophobia, 'Muslims In The European Union : Discrimination And Islamophobia', 2006, 80. 13. 'Woman Jailed For 48 Circumcisions ', Bbc News, February 17,1999 14. Abi Senthilkumaran, Munira Mirza, Zein Ja'far, 'Living Apart Together- British Muslims And The Paradox Of Multiculturalism', 13 15. Sniderman, When Ways Of Life Collide. 16. Ye Or Bat, Eurabia : The Euro-Arab Axis, Madison, 2005. 17. Matt Carr, 'You Are Now Entering Eurabia', 2006. 18. Mark Steyn, ‘European population will be ‘‘40 percent Muslim’’ by 2025’, Wall Street Journal, January 4, 2006. 19. Fjordman, ‘Islam, Christian Europe, And The Greek Heritage’, 2007. 20. Jamie Glazov, 'The Muslim Accomplishments That Weren’t ', Frontpagemagazine.Com, February 27, 2008. 21. V. S. Naipaul, Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey, New York, 1981. 22. Lars Gustafsson, 'The Logic of Tolerance', February 17, 2007. 23. Melanie Phillips, ‘How the West was lost’, Spectator, May 11, 2002. 24. 'Immigration Issues in Sweden ', ‘http://welcometosweden.blogspot.com/2008/08/immigration-issues-in-sweden.html’, August 26, 2008

SOC 202 Prof. R. Jackall

25. Rebecca Hillauer, 'Neither Whores nor Submissive', ‘www.Signandsight.Com/Features/288.Html’, 2005. 26. Jody K. Biehl , ‘The whore lived like a German’, Spiegel, March 2, 2005 27. John Tagliabue, 'Denmark’s Unabashed Lightning Rod on Immigration ', The New York Times, November 10, 2007. 28. 'Citizenship In Britain And The United States', February 4, 2008. 29. 'Muslims In The European Union : Discrimination And Islamophobia', 2006, 10