A thoughtful reader passed some material by my desk this morning. It is an interpretation of a Gallup poll about the attitudes of big city Muslims in Europe. This article from the Harvard International review shows some interesting findings and a rather moderate conclusion:
Those who oppose multiculturalism may see it as the subversion of national identity and call for the opposite extreme. By placing national loyalty and religious fidelity in direct competition, they force Muslims to make a false choice between Islam and integration. Instead, to progress toward greater community integration, leaders must radically revise the way they think and talk about cohesion. It must be measured by examining different communities’ shared commitments to the betterment of the whole, not by judging the extent to which groups conform on a superficial plane. Cohesion must be promoted as a way to fully utilize every individual citizen’s potential, not simply as a means of reducing security risks. Strong majorities in Great Britain, France and Germany—Muslims and the wider public alike—agree that people from minority groups enrich the cultural lives of their countries. Only small minorities say people with different religious practices threaten their ways of life. Policy makers would do well to listen to the wisdom of the people.
They may be up on things in Europe, but I haven't seen much call from Americans subvert Islam in favor of patriotism. The dichotomy is indeed false, and I don't perceive much of a conflict. As a new enemy of multicultural overproduction, it is not variety of religion I cannot stand, but eclexia - the idea that everything that's different makes for better.
As the new Putnam Report makes clear, we Americans tend to distrust ethnic and religious difference when we are not engaged in volunteering activities. So I think the Gallup's measures of integration are a bit off. There is nothing really but self-interest in getting a better education, getting a job and celebrating national holidays. But it's the stuff that requires collaboration that really tests ones attitude towards integration.
I remain concerned that moderate Muslims are not going to moderate jihadis any more than moderate Catholics are going to moderate fundamentalists abortion clinic bombers. Fortunately, there has no action on the domestic front in America which has infringed upon the civil liberties of Muslims, despite all perceptions to the contrary. The country is just not into religious persecution, to our credit.
What I think we haven't learned well enough is, firstly how to behave as citizens who are not so self-interested. Forget about Muslims. How many of us actually know and collaborate in a public spirited way with our neighbors? Secondly, how to disambiguate the legitimate forms of Muslim expression with those of more radical stripe. It may be easy for a normal Muslim to hear when the Koran is quoted with a forked tongue, but far less likely for the rest of us. Nor can we very fairly estimate how Muslim practices differ or where their religion ends and culture begins. So it's going to continue to be ugly, so long as the jihadis can actually secret themselves in Muslim enclaves. We all understand the 'blink' factor of 'bad' neighborhoods. That's going to be with us for a long time - forever perhaps, unless and until great majorities of us are politically aligned and rally behind the flag.
Recent Comments