Dialogues, Muslims In The West: Source Of Concern Or Source Of Hope

Islam in the West: Source of Concern or Source of Hope? continued

Jon Benjamin spoke next, reiterating Tlili’s statement on the difference between European and American Muslims, and adding that – since religion plays a greater role in public life and discourse in the United States –– this country is a more welcoming environment in some ways for explicitly religious communities. Taking issue with the question about forcible integration, he said that the government must insist on certain basic standards of education, which must apply without exception to all citizens. Lastly, on the mujahideen, Benjamin said that foreign policy is an impossible area to have absolute integrity in, and since the world has changed since the 80’s and Western societies are now the targets of terrorism and military action, Western governments have the right to counter those attacks. Later Hasan Mujtaba requested Jon Benjamin to elaborate on this response in light of the current situation in Pakistan, to which Benjamin asserted that his government had very clearly called on President Musharraf to lift the state of emergency and re–institute elections and the democratic rule of law.

Ambassador Alsaidi said the Arab World is apprehensive of the wide use of the word “Islamofascism,” and also lamented the increasing use of racial profiling. Borrowing a phrase from Bob Woodward, he said the U.S. and the Arab world are both in a “state of denial,” with the former not recognizing flaws in its foreign policy and the latter feeling that “foreigners” conspire against them. While he agreed with Jon Benjamin that times have changed since the 1980’s, he feels that foreign policy should not be predicated on the grounds of religion because it often fails and furthers sectarianism, as is currently the case in Iraq. Mujahideen who came back from Afghanistan harmed the Arab world more than they harmed the West, he said, because they adversely affected stability, prosperity, and development. He personally feels, and his government agrees, that they need to tame these movements, which will be helped by the just resolution of festering regional problems.

Jyette Klausen said it was not really possible to draw a parallel between African Americans and Muslim Europeans because there is a sense in the U.S. that the former are owed something, and in Europe that the latter need to adjust their values to fit in. Regarding patience versus extreme action, she said extreme action is needed to deal with discrimination resulting from Islamophobia, and patience is needed on general measures of overall integration; for instance, she feels that if Bangladeshi women do well in school yet decide they would rather marry early and stay home to raise their children, there’s room in European societies to allow them to do that.

While noting that the Netherlands had never materially or financially supported the mujahideen, Piet de Klerk agreed that the world had changed since the 80’s. The lesson to be learned, he said, is that one should be very circumspect in choosing allies, even when it seems like there aren’t many options, because the Islamic world and the West still face lasting damages from the choices that were made back then.

On the subject of integration through the school system, de Klerk said this had been widely debated in his country for many years, and the feeling now is that there should be schools geared towards different religious communities, and that integration should be promoted through other means. He maintained, however, that the government must establish, and bears responsibility for maintaing, certain standards for the quality of education.

At this point the floor was opened to further questions. Piet de Klerk, who had previously referred to Islam as a visible faith and absolutist religion, was asked how he could reconcile the expectation that people be less visible about expressing their faith in a society that promotes freedom of expression. The panel at large was asked if polygamy should be allowed in the West as an expression of Islamic faith, especially in light of homosexual marriage and other accepted alternative lifestyles. And Jon Benjamin was asked if institutionalized discrimination (as evidenced by: the Danish cartoons; controversial remarks made by Pope Benedict and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi among others; and ever tightening visa and immigration laws) was alienating Muslims.

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