Multiculturalism and Islam

The relationship between multiculturalism and Islam is an important aspect in the overall debate on the soundness of the modern doctrine of multiculturalism, given that many Muslims are culturally opposed to the idea of nationalism, and often prefer to identify themselves as Muslims instead of Egyptians, Iranians, Moroccans, Pakistanis, etc.

Debate on issues surrounding multiculturalism

Backlash against multicultural policies

In an article in the Hudson Review, Bruce Bawer, writes about what he sees as a developing distaste toward the idea and policies of multiculturalism in Europe, especially, as stated earlier, in the Netherlands, Denmark, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Austria and Germany. The belief behind this backlash on multiculturalism is that it creates friction within society.^[1]

Incompatibility with secular society

Incompatibility with secular society has been influenced by a stance against multiculturalism advocated by recent philosophers, closely linked to the heritage of New Philosophers.^[2] Fiery polemic on the subject by proponents like Pascal Bruckner,^[3] and Paul Cliteur has kindled international debate.^[4]

Introduction of sharia in Western countries

In Canada, the possible introduction of sharia family courts became a contentious issue, and received much media attention.^[5][6] London is far more segregated on religious grounds than by race. 25% of London's seven million residents live in religiously segregated neighbourhoods.^[7][8]

Hostility towards Muslims

A survey showed that 18% in Britain think that "a large proportion of British Muslims feel no sense of loyalty to this country and are prepared to condone or even carry out acts of terrorism".^[9] A TNS/Global poll showed that 79% in Britain would feel "uncomfortable living next to a Muslim".^[10] There have also been notable tensions in Britain between established Muslim communities and newly-arrived Eastern European immigrants.^[11] A major attitude survey of teenagers in Flanders showed that 75% refuse to have a relationship with a black person, a Muslim, or an immigrant. Half want all immigration stopped, and 41% say they distrust anyone from another ethnic background.^[12]

British cabinet ministers had been criticized in October 2006 for helping to "unleash a public anti-Muslim backlash" in the United Kingdom by blaming the Muslim community over issues of integration despite a study commissioned by the Home Office on white and Asian-Muslim youths demonstrating "White youths are more likely to believe they are superior to those from other races, and their attitudes are more of a barrier to integration than those of Muslims".^[13][14] A Europe-wide survey by Gallup in May 2009 also found that the Muslim communities in Britain, Germany and France felt more patriotic towards those countries compared to the general populations as a whole,^[15][16] while another survey found that Muslims supported the role of Christianity in British life more so than Christians themselves.^[17]

Ethnic and cultural diversity within Islam

Arab nationalism

Arab nationalism is a nationalist ideology which rose to prominence amongst Arabs from the early 20th century onwards.^[18] Its central premise is that the peoples and countries of the Arab World, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, constitute one nation and are bound together by their common linguistic, cultural, and historical heritage.^[19]

Iraqi people

The Iraqi people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq^[20][21] which is located primarily in the land between the two rivers Euphrates and Tigris (known since antiquity as "Mesopotamia") and, by virtue of a wide-ranging diaspora, throughout the Arab World, Western Europe, the Americas and Australia.

Kazakh people

The Kazakhs are a Turkic people of the northern parts of Central Asia (largely Kazakhstan, but also found in parts of Uzbekistan, China, Russia, and Mongolia). Kazakhs are descendants of Turkic tribes (Kipchaks and Naimans, Cumans, Nogais, Qarluqs, Kankalis),^[22] Mongol groups (Kiyat, Kerait, Onggirat, Argyns, Manghud, Jalayir, Dughlat, etc.)^{[citation needed]}, Indo-Iranian tribes (Wusun, Sarmatians, Sacae, Scythians, etc.) and Huns which populated the territory between Siberia and the Black Sea and remained in Central Asia when the Turkic and Mongolic groups started to invade and conquer the area between the fifth and thirteenth centuries AD [1]

See also

• Criticism of multiculturalism

References

1. ^ "Crisis in Europe"
2. ^ Tariq Modood (2006-04-06). Multiculturalism, Muslims and Citizenship: A European Approach (1st ed.). Routledge. pp. 3, 29, 46. ISBN 978-0415355155. 
3. ^ Pascal Bruckner - Enlightenment fundamentalism or racism of the anti-racists? originally appeared in German in the online magazine Perlentaucher on January 24, 2007.
4. ^ Paul Cliteur, Moderne Papoea’s, Dilemma’s van een multiculturele samenleving, De Uitgeverspers, 2002
5. ^ Will Canada introduce Sharia law?, BBC News, 26 August 2004.
6. ^ Richard Fidler, 2006. Ontario's "Sharia Law" Controversy: How Muslims Were Hung Out to Dry.
7. ^ London's neighbourhoods 'segregated by religion'
8. ^ Britain 'sleepwalking to segregation'
9. ^ Daily Telegraph. Islam poses a threat to the West, say 53% in poll. 25 August 2006.
10. ^ Daily Star, 8 September 2006, quoted at Islamophobia Watch
11. ^ ‘War’ on the streets
12. ^ Meeste Vlaamse jongeren afkerig van buitenlanders, Trouw, 2 October 2006.
13. ^ Vikram Dood (21 October 2006). "White pupils less tolerant, survey shows". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/oct/21/schools.religion. Retrieved 2010-04-04. 
14. ^ "Muslim students 'more tolerant'". BBC News. 11 October 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/6033155.stm. Retrieved 2010-04-05. 
15. ^ "Poll: European Muslims more patriotic than average populace". Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 07/05/2009. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1083892.html. Retrieved 2010-04-05. 
16. ^ Ian Dunt (7 May 2009). "Muslims more patriotic than Brits". Politics. http://www.politics.co.uk/news/equality/muslims-more-patriotic-than-brits-$1293822.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-05. 
17. ^ Nick Allen (24 February 2009). "79 per cent of Muslims say Christianity should have strong role in Britain". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4799345/79-per-cent-of-Muslims-say-Christianity-should-have-strong-role-in-Britain.html. Retrieved 2010-04-05. 
18. ^ Charles Smith,The Arab-Israeli Conflict,in International Relations in the Middle East by Louise Fawcett, p. 220.
19. ^ Ibid.
20. ^ http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=iraqi
21. ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/iraqi
22. ^ Z. V. Togan: The Origins of the Kazaks and the Ozbeks, Central Asian Survey Vol. 11, No. 3. 1992

External links

• Watch the two-part National Film Board of Canada documentary Sharia in Canada, part 1 and Sharia in Canada, part 2