Muslim Youth and Women in the West: Source of Concern or Source of Hope?

Session I–Tensions Produced by Islam in the West: How Can They Be Overcome?

Part 1: Opening

Mustapha Tlili, founder and director of the Center for Dialogues: Islamic World–U.S.–The West at New York University, opened the conference by welcoming participants to a gathering sparked by what he described as a call for creative thinking regarding the inclusion of Islam in the West, a call made more pressing by the clashes of recent years. Today, the 15 to 20 million Muslims in Europe and the four to six million in North America contribute to their communities and their fellow citizens’ welfare, but rarely feel as appreciated as their contributions should make them—or worse, have become objects of suspicion due to prejudice and security concerns. Their fate should be of interest not only to those in the West, but those in the larger Muslim world as well. This conference is intended to help provide policy recommendations to further the integration of Western citizens of Muslim faith in the economic, social, cultural, and political fabric of their respective countries—and the conference’s success will be judged, in part, on the implementation of these recommendations.

Mr. Tlili thanked the government of Austria, the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, and the mayor of Salzburg for their support and for hosting the event. He noted that Austria was a particularly appropriate setting for a conference on Muslims in the West, as Austria has recognized Islam as one of several national faiths since 1912. He also thanked the Danish Ministry of Refugee, Immigration, and Integration Affairs; The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Qatar Foundation; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund; as well as the Kronen Zeitung and its publisher, Herr Hans Dichand, for their financial and other types of support.

Given the misunderstandings and tensions that in recent years have structured the issue of Muslim communities in the West, particularly issues surrounding Muslim youth and Muslim women, Mr. Tlili stressed the need to consider the Muslim–Western relationship as a diverse and varied one. He highlighted that the Center for Dialogues has been committed to this focus and the fostering of reasoned and respectful communication since the program’s creation and will pursue the same approach now that it has become an NYU Center.

Mr. Tlili noted that the issues of Muslims in the West are complex and are weighed down by the heavy burden of historical memory, exacerbated by the distortions of globalization, frequently reduced to their most simplistic dimensions by the media, and often instrumentalized for short–term political gains during election season. These reasons make the conference’s debates challenging but important as a basis for a fact–based, reasonable dialogue in wider society, which hopefully will lead to common ground. The goal for conference participants, Mr. Tlili suggested, is to propose recommendations that could help policy makers and others working to enable citizens of Muslim faith to attain full and equal citizenship in the West—the proof of which would be that they would no longer be described first by faith and second by nationality.

Mr. Tlili acknowledged that recent events have made it less easy to determine the right terms under which the integration of Muslim communities in the West, and particularly in Europe, should occur. In addition to intra–European social, economic, and cultural tensions, strained relations between the Muslim and Western worlds have reverberated within Muslim communities in the West. While the path toward full inclusion of Muslim and other minorities is a challenging one, Mr. Tlili noted that both the United States and Europe have successfully addressed similar challenges regarding the integration of other minority groups in the past. Moreover, the challenge cannot be ignored. After decades in Europe, many of the immigrants of the 1950s and 1960s and their descendants have become citizens. The idea that their settlement in Europe is temporary has become an illusion held only by the extreme right–wing. Ethnic and religious pluralism is Europe’s new social reality, and it requires governments and other social actors to lead the way in rethinking the obligations that connect citizens to the state and to one another.

A new “citizenship pact” allowing for pluralism and diversity must be constructed, Mr. Tlili argued. Europe’s traditional pacts of reciprocal obligation must be rewritten to include Muslims and other immigrants who do not seamlessly blend into the historical “national body,” whether ethnically or religiously. This pact must address the issue of integration, whether in the private sphere, which concerns an individual’s faith and moral values, and in the public, which concerns civic culture as well as education, employment, and political participation.

This new citizenship pact would provide a set of principles regarding the obligations of Muslim citizens, as of all citizens, as well as the rights they enjoy in return; it would also outline the state’s obligations to its citizens. Defining these principles will take some work, as there are difficult issues to work through, such as Muslim women’s right to choose whether to wear a headscarf, to work outside the home, and to observe the practices of their faith as they interpret them. In Mr. Tlili’s view, the principle of full gender equality, which has been enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally binding instruments, should be upheld without question.

When developing this new citizenship pact, Europe may look to the United States as a model, Mr. Tlili suggested, since American Muslims are at least economically and socially far more integrated than European Muslims. Creating the new pact might most fruitfully be considered as a European Union initiative, since EU capacities exceed those of individual states. The process might involve holding open meetings with Muslim populations around Europe to identify grievances and propose remedies; an open “constitutional convention” to incorporate findings from studies and surveys of the contemporary situation; and an “eminent persons” committee to draft policy recommendations and the pact itself.

In conclusion, Mr. Tlili noted that while the challenges are many, the effort required to address them is necessary in order to offer hope for a bright, peaceful future rather than one of alienation and violence. He restated his call for a new citizenship pact as the instrument best suited to bring about the future that the conference’s background paper envisioned:

As citizens, reassured in the integrity of their private values but in full agreement with the encompassing legal system of their adopted countries and its civic culture, Western Muslims could become an inspiration for the larger Muslim world as it struggles to strike a balance between faith, tradition, and modernity. The harmonious integration of Muslim communities in the West could also lead to a more peaceful and productive relationship between the West and the Muslim world.

Heinz Schaden, mayor of Salzburg, spoke next. The mayor began by noting that Salzburg is a particularly appropriate place for a conference like this, because the city has, within Austria, the largest number of non–European–born residents. Today, Islam is the second most well–represented religion in Salzburg schools. Hence dialogue is important to Salzburg because of its population as well as its position as a European city.

Edward Mortimer, senior vice president and chief program officer, Salzburg Global Seminar, noted that relations between Muslims and non–Muslims around the world are a key issue at this moment in history. He added that this conference can make an important contribution to resolving misunderstandings by proposing new relations of trust and mutual respect among people of different religions and cultures. This conference should be seen not as an end but as a beginning of a major effort by Muslims and non–Muslims, the beginning of a rethinking of what people coming from different cultures are entitled to expect from one another.

Ursula Plassnik, Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs opened her address by noting that the issue of how people of different social, cultural, and economic backgrounds can build mutual confidence in order to live with one another is often seen as a “soft” issue—but for her it is far from being a soft issue. Instead, it is an issue that has direct implications for security, for the well–being of our societies. The image she suggested is the image of two extended hands, one hand extended to those within our society, particularly those from the Muslim world, and the other hand extended to people elsewhere in world, and particularly in the Muslim world, who are seeking dialogue and seeking to learn more about one another through our common interests.

Today, women and youth are often in the spotlight when it comes to questions of integration and relations between Islam and the West. They are often perceived as victims and as those who suffer the most discrimination. However, gender roles are shifting, including among Muslims. Furthermore, integration begs the topic of identity—national, cultural, religious, and so forth—which is an especially challenging issue for women and youth.

Dr. Plassnik urged her fellow participants to look beyond complaints and stereotypes in order to identify the real problems and solutions associated with Muslims in the West. For example, she noted, citizens with immigrant backgrounds often lack education and job prospects, which gives them few possibilities for professional and social promotion and therefore leaves them with a feeling of nonbelonging. Looking at statistics, this is particularly true for male adolescents, even more than for female adolescents. The lack of future prospects and the feelings of exclusion that they face can lead to radicalization.

However, the question of nonintegration has been posed for years and particularly in relation to Muslim women. Is traditional Muslim women’s dress a sign of nonintegration, for example? While the European Court of Human Rights has looked into this issue, Muslim women are also increasingly successful in campaigning for equal education and the same rights of access to the European job market.

Pluralism is a force in Europe today and is, at heart, a very European concept, Dr. Plassnik said. Estimates of the number of Muslims in the EU range from 20 to 30 million to more than 50 million. They come from a variety of origins, from the autochthonous to those who have come during the past century as immigrants. European policies favor diversity and support the idea that each individual should feel at home in Europe. The EU has established solid foundations regarding the division between state and religion, equal opportunities for men and women, and individual liberal rights. The new European core model is to communicate and “live” pluralism. A quote from the 2003 conference of Islamic clerics in Europe illustrates this: “European Muslims are aware of their religious identities as Muslims and their social identities as Europeans.” This sentence illustrates the core objective of European Islam. Europe’s core values as well as its legal system promote equal opportunity and combat discrimination.

Nevertheless, integration presents challenges, demanding a new framework be put in place that acknowledges the reciprocal rights and obligations of Muslims living in Europe, Dr. Plassnik underlined. The goal of integration is not the loss of one’s religious identity; rather, success lies in finding solutions together. The challenge is also for a widespread internal Muslim dialogue, in which religious authorities and organizations play a strong role, but which is not limited to religious acceptance.

One very important task is to avoid a situation where young people feel frustrated and get lost in a sea of blurred perspectives. We must encourage young people by providing role models, i.e., getting those who have succeeded in Western societies to speak publicly about their experiences.

Language skills, confidence, and education are cornerstones for young people—they are the “door openers” for social, cultural, and political participation and for being integrated rather than excluded. Dr. Plassnik reported that Austria encourages language skills on several levels: courses are offered for young people who come to Austria before or after entering school here, and there are courses for mothers of school–age children as well.

Unemployment particularly affects immigrants, including the young, Dr. Plassnik observed. In Austria, the Federation of Industrialists, which has approximately 500 members and is an important part of the business community, published a position paper on the future of integration in Austria, with the aim of improving conditions for people already in Austria, including language skills to help with jobs and social promotion for this generation and the next.

We must also invest in promoting a European identity, Dr. Plassnik argued. We live in an age of multiple or patchwork identities, and identity as we know it is dynamic and keeps growing, changing, and expanding throughout life. European identity is no exception. Dr. Plassnik suggested that the schools, from the first grade on, teach children what “Europe” is in a concrete manner that breaks down fears of the unfamiliar.

With regard to Muslim youth, religious instruction should correspond to European standards, in terms of the training of teachers and the pedagogy. Austria has put in place a study for mastering the pedagogy of Islam and the creation of a center for Islamic theology, but needs social support for Muslim initiatives that counteract ideas that conflict with European values. Both the state and Muslim associations should be aware of electronic media that threaten to radicalize rather than further understanding and debate.

Muslim women are exposed to social tensions, both within Western societies and within their own religious communities. A conference of imams convened in Austria in 2006 took a clear position on women’s rights: Muslim women and men are equal partners in Islam, with equal responsibilities, equal dignity, the same right to work, to education, and to participation in social discourse.

Through strengthening the position of women, we can influence young people. A modern educated mother will give confidence to her children so that they can succeed in life, Dr. Plassnik argued. But we must recognize that Muslim women are anything but a homogeneous group in European society. They vary in terms of countries of origin, education level, family situations, backgrounds, and personal orientations and lifestyles. We often speak about Muslim women and not to them, Dr. Plassnik continued, stating that she did not want to speak this way.

Muslim women’s challenges are only partly due to religion. Although Islamic authorities have spoken in defense of women’s rights and equality, the historical experience has not been as positive. However, this is the case for women in general. After all, battering husbands are not only Muslim.

In closing, Dr. Plassnik pointed out the danger of indifference, which is often camouflaged as tolerance with regard to Muslim citizens. She recalled the image of two extended hands as a model for active outreach toward understanding and integration.

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