Europe Questions Muslim Immigration
It's not only extreme right wing Europeans who wrestle with the issues posed by Muslim immigration. "Is this our future?" The question posed on posters of a veiled woman in the streets of Vienna could be asked in a fair number of European countries. That it's the argument of a campaign conducted by the Austrian extreme right seems almost secondary, for, beyond the politically correct postures and speeches, it's the question all Europe is asking itself today, without putting it so crudely, about Muslim immigration.Read more here.
posted by Annamarie at
7:55 PM
2 comment(s):
Great blog.
Just wanted to add that this is an awfully complicated personal issue for me in that it is difficult for my partner and I to be served by a veiled woman in a store and not think: 'would she want me stoned because I'm gay?' - it IS simply that personal, and when one sees the increase in gay bashing by muslim men in Amsterdam, it's all too easy to be attracted to demagogues like Pim Fortuyn.
How do we seperate multi-culturism from a blind support and respect for religious superstition?
By
Lept, at
4:43 PM
Thanks for your comment. Yes, that is a difficult question. I am for multi-culturalism (it creates a more diverse, interesting society) but totally against all religious superstitions that infringe upon the rights of others.
I guess the best way is not to give into bigoted demagoguery, and approach people as individuals. Gay bashing is not relegated to Muslims. We see it among intolerant, bigoted Christian fundamentalists just as often. It's just that the veiled, shrouded Muslim is easier to spot, whereas her Christian counterpart is not. Behind that veil may be a gentle, kind, non-homophobic person. So it is not so much the veiled Muslim woman as the one who is a blind, bigoted fundamentalist, of whatever stripe. Thus it is not the race, it is the bigotry and intolerance of overly-zealous religious fundamentalists. The only way to overcome religious intolerance is by education.
That is my humble opinion. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
By
Annamarie, at
12:15 AM
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