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

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

After thanking Ambassador Alsaidi for his insightful comments, Mustapha Tlili sought Mr. Jon Benjamin’s opinion on the ways in which Western governments and civil society could combat media–fueled suspicion and “Islamophobia.”

Jon Benjamin started out by complimenting the Center for Dialogues for its immensely valuable work and explaining that he had not only been a diplomat for seven years in the predominantly Muslim countries of Indonesia and Turkey, but was also currently engaged with outreach to Muslim communities in New York. He provided a statistical snapshot of the Muslim community in the UK, noting that 50% of this population is under the age of 25, and he then warned that there is no agreed upon legal definition of ‘Islamophobia’—merely several social, academic, and informal ones. While recognizing that Islamophobia exists, he warned that accusations of it not be used as an excuse to stifle debate and de–legitimize people who are asking difficult, sensitive questions.

Benjamin also spoke of the need to combat discrimination through dialogue, education, and the prosecution of all who incite racial hatred and advocate violence. Adding that tolerance must go both ways, he said it is equally important for the Muslim community not to imbue in its members, whether through faith schools or other means, a sense of “separateness” from the rest of society or disrespect for other groups.

Lastly, on terrorism, Benjamin said the British government has been careful not to speak in terms of a “War on Terror” but to tackle terrorism as a serious crime against everyone in society and against shared core values. He concluded his speech by referencing a recent Pew global attitude survey, which indicated that general attitudes towards Muslims in Britain are more favorable than in every other large European country.

Acknowledging the frequent confusion between cultural and religious integration and describing social science as the “ultimate referee” in this debate, Mustapha Tlili asked Professor Jytte Klausen whether she thought social scientists, in cooperation with government agencies, could develop methodologies and statistical tools to objectively evaluate integration.

Klausen said that, given the paucity of statistical information regarding integration, the best thing that social scientists can do is provide facts and figures to help guide public policy, and also urge patience while immigrants work to reach levels of socio–economic achievement on par with society at large. She cautioned however, that “facts” can lend themselves to conflicting interpretations. As an example, she pointed out that while Turkey and Algeria actually have lower fertility rates than France, there is a misconception that Europe will soon be majority–Muslim due to the perceived population surge—extrapolated from fertility rates in countries of origin and incorrectly assumed to remain the same among Islamic immigrants. While disputing rapid population growth, Klausen did acknowledge another demographic problem, namely the “youth bulge” among Muslims that Jon Benjamin had also discussed. Up to 50% of European Muslims are under the age of 25, she said, and Europe needs to change its educational policies, starting by actively recruiting immigrant teachers.

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