Migrants to the West #3

In previous articles I said already that the media play a central role not be underestimated in internationalizing integration debates by framing and linking local issues to international events. I also mentioned the feeling of superiority of the European community. European integration politics is fixated on the role as manager of integration, multiplied by the European self-image as supervisor of civilization. The individual countries prefer to have most of the control and are afraid the European Union as governing state is willing to have more say into the debate. But I think Europe is to soft and should demand the same treatment of all people in all countries of the union and trying to get the same conditions for all of them, may they live in Spain, Greece, Belgium or the rich Germany.

English: The Fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989. The photo shows a part of a public photo documentation wall at Former Check Point Charlie, Berlin. The photo documentation is permanently placed in the public. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While its contemporary form differs from classic nation-building and cultural homogenization, ‘integration’ discourses always combine nationalism and liberalism, and are primarily a matter of control, of the government’s need to demonstrate its ability to manage diversity. (Titley and Lentin 2011:201-204)

Some westerners want that other people take over their values and are not happy when others keep up their traditions. Those who keep celebrating their own festivals are considered by many not integrating. when we look at the work situations many European Muslims are generally well-integrated in the economic and political sense, but allegedly fall short of the expectation to internalize what is often called ‘Western values’ or Judeo-Christian values.

The ‘assimilation’ required is more a taking over of the attitudes and actions been labelled as ‘normal’.  The politicians also look at the successful immigration that one were there is a one-way adjustment. They seem to overlook that those minorities do not ‘disturb’ mainstream society and become as much as possible like the majority. When we look sincerely non-predisposed we will clearly see that there is much more in common with those immigrants and other people in that state than the prejudiced proclaim.

A survey by John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed’s (2007) worldwide Gallup poll on Muslim views shows that a vast majority of Muslims (as opposed to the extremist minority usually highlighted by Western media) see ‘Western’ and ‘Muslim’ values as compatible, and support free speech, democracy and gender equality, which most women and the majority of men see as compatible with their religion.

Too many people are ignoring the fact that it can be as interesting to integrate the two values of the religious thinking with each other, neither assimilating “Western values” nor separating from the West.

Talking with several Muslim immigrants you can hear that they are nuanced in their criticism of the West; they mostly admire Western democracy, but lament the
breakdown of traditional (family) values and criticize specific (foreign) policies.  In the real ‘traditional Muslim families’ “Western culture” is not rejected, but they would prefer their own model of democracy, which may include sharia (in its diverse interpretations) as a source of legislation, but reject that religious leaders should have a role in law-making (theocracy). They want to improve relations with the West, but are asking for greater respect for the Islamic religion. Form many of them Europeans and Americans are living a life to be ashamed of, and when you look at certain television programs and some printed magazines you can not blame them, for having such a look down at our indecorous behaviour. Immorality seems to stand on the first place in the capitalist world. Those who really love God would also detest such a society and prefer to live otherwise. We also should not ignore the free sexual behaviour,  the greed and envy with great materialism
and ‘egoism’, sometimes seen by Muslims as characteristics of Western society, but
more accurately seen as characteristics of modern capitalist society.

It is getting time that politicians and religious people come out in the clear and talk openly about their community and tell the others what they expect.
They should try together to take away the unfounded and irrational fear of Islam and of the many other religions of the immigrating people and of those of the people already living for decennia in the region.

The people in charge of the community should show to their citizens that it is unfounded to think that Muslims do not want to integrate and that they have ‘unreasonable demands’, ‘mixed loyalties’ and ‘support extremism’. By giving themselves to be better know Muslims also can help to get rid of the label of ‘obscurantism’ and their incompatibility of values.

Christian Stokke looks at the western logic being in itself “the last bastion of Eurocentrism”, “the gap between Western cultural formations and universal values” (Sayyid, 2003:135-136) and he writes:

Both Islamic and western discourses can be understood as particularist interpretations of universal values. Thus, in Sayyid’s words, “it is not so much that some elements are western and others are not, but rather that eurocentrism operates by laying claim to the copyright on some things and rejecting others” (Sayyid 2003: 148). In other words, Eurocentrism ‘polices’ universal values by claiming that they are of western origin, an act that depends upon an essentialist view of the West (Sayyid 2003:151), and on the Orientalist claim that the ‘Other’ cannot represent itself without intervention from the West (Sayyid 2003:,149).

We should all consider:

Values like freedom, equality and justice are universal, but can be interpreted in more than one way. ‘Western’ attempts to
monopolize interpretation and universally impose its version, are no more legitimate than when reactionary Islamists do the same. Democracy implies that everyone is entitled to take part in reinterpretation and renegotiation of values, and the outcome of this never-ending process remains open as an empirical question for the future. It cannot be settled in advance; neither by theology nor by political philosophy.

A general message for all to all

Blog for and go for Peace

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Preceding articles:

Migrants to the West #1

Migrants to the West #2

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Read also:

1. Judeo-Christian values and liberty
2. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
3. Prophets making excuses
4. Liberal and evangelical Christians
5. A Multicultural Society in the Making: How Norwegian Muslims challenge a white nation
6. Citizens to be put at the heart of the public debate
7. Welfare state and Poverty in Flanders #1 Up to 21st century
8. A world in denial
9. Religion, fundamentalism and murder
10. Consequences of Breivik’s mass murder
11. A nation needs to foster unity not just diversity
12. An Ex-Muslim’s Open Letter
13. Muslims should also Fear God
14. Fear of God reason to return to Holy Scriptures
15. People of Faith for Obama video
16. Religious Practices around the world
17. Wrath kills the foolish man, and envy consumes the covetous one
18. יהוה , YHWH and Love: Four-letter words
19. More-Letter-Words
20. Alternative four letter words

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  It is a fact that the notion of a clash of civilizations, first popularized by the American academic Samuel Huntington, is more relevant than ever in the minds of many people. Especially when it concerns Muslim-Western relations, there is a view that Muslim and Western values are incompatible. And yet Huntington’s argument that after the Cold War conflict would be defined not by ideology or economics, but by cultural differences, was prophetic as culture has become the principle basis for differentiation, even if it is often viewed in far too static a way.
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  Huntington was prescient for realizing that the causes of conflict would shift away from ideological antagonism (though the argument with respect to economics was less persuasive), even if they remained firmly in the realm of ideas. However it is also true that, in his rendering, global relations seemed to reflect an apocalyptic vision – that of perennial discord and enmity.

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  Acknowledging the complex undercurrents of the Arab revolts is necessary in order to grasp what is going on. The notion that there is something irreconcilable between the aspirations of Arab societies and those of Western societies is simplistic, and often wrong, just as it is equally naïve to expect Arab societies in ebullition will wholeheartedly embrace Western values, such as secularism, the primacy of the individual at the expense of the group, and so on.
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  Muslims, on the other hand, are bound together less by patriotism, but mainly by family relations and religion.

  Intermarrying to protect the family and community from outside non-Islamic influence is much more important to Muslims living in a Western nation than integrating into that nation and supporting it.

  Today, 70% of all Pakistanis are inbred and in Turkey the amount is between 25-30% (Jyllands-Posten, 27/2 2009 “More stillbirths among immigrants“).

  A rough estimate reveals that close to half of everybody living in the Arab world is inbred.

  A large percentage of the parents that are blood related come from families where intermarriage has been a tradition for generations.

  A BBC investigation in Britain several years ago revealed that at least 55% of the Pakistani community in Britain was married to a first cousin.

  The Times of India affirmed that “this is thought to be linked to the probability that a British Pakistani family is at least 13 times more likely than the general population to have children with recessive genetic disorders.”

  The BBC’s research also discovered that while British Pakistanis accounted for just 3.4% of all births in Britain, they accounted for 30% of all British children with recessive disorders and a higher rate of infant mortality.

   

• Migrants change UK forever: White Britons ‘will be in minority by 2066’ (express.co.uk)
  There is nothing wrong with discussing the disparities between Western and Muslim values, but to lend to the discussion unchangeable qualities on both sides is to miss the adaptable nature of culture and the ability of humans to modify cultural reactions in changing environments.If one wants to question Huntington’s paradigm, it is in the sphere of perceptions where that has to be done. For many people in the West, the Arab uprisings since 2011 have been a case in point. These people have come to believe that what began as a yearning for democracy and freedom has ended up favouring Islamist groups (groups that believe there is a role for Islam in politics) that are neither particularly democratic nor tolerant of freedom, and who have usually sought restrictive legislation against women, a substantial portion of their populations.

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  Acknowledging the complex undercurrents of the Arab revolts is necessary in order to grasp what is going on. The notion that there is something irreconcilable between the aspirations of Arab societies and those of western societies is simplistic, and often wrong, just as it is equally naïve to expect that Arab societies in ebullition will wholeheartedly embrace Western values, such as secularism, the primacy of the individual at the expense of the group, and so on.

  A mass influx of migrants has given the UK the fastest-rising percentage of ethnic minority and foreign-born populations.

  The report – which also reveals the huge impact of Labour’s open-door policy to immigration between 1997 and 2010 – says foreigners and non-white Britons living here will double by 2040 and make up one third of the UK population.

  Report author Professor David Coleman said: “On current trends European populations will become more ethnically diverse, with the possibility that today’s majority ethnic groups will no longer comprise a numerical majority.”

  

  Prof Coleman said migration has become the “primary driver of demographic change” – Daily Express

  The findings mean that the UK could overtake the United States as the world’s melting pot, with fewer people describing themselves as British or white.

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