In light of the Danish cartoon controversy, panelists said Wednesday that Western societies must dedicate more effort to closing the growing rift between East and West.
The European Club and the Muslim Students Association hosted the panel to discuss the integration of Muslim immigrants in European societies. While generally agreeing that action on the part of Western governments is needed, panelists painted somewhat different pictures of what life in Europe is like for Muslim immigrants.
Professor Jeffrey Anderson of the Georgetown Center for German and European Studies compared the discrimination Muslims currently face in European society to the discrimination present in United States in the 1950s. He said education and dialogue alone will not bring about much change without political and economic reforms for Muslims in Europe.
Describing a more optimistic scenario, Danish Ambassador to the United States Friis Arne listed the number of programs Denmark has implemented to reduce unemployment levels among immigrant groups.
“Our polls show two-thirds of our immigrants feel successfully integrated. Those who do not largely happen to be Muslim,” he said.
One of the biggest signs of this continued separation has been Muslims’ failure to adopt the languages of their new homes, Arne said.
“We’ve seen our flag burnt, our embassies burnt, more hatred than we ever expected,” he said, noting that the controversy has only encouraged Denmark to work harder to integrate.
In comparison, Muslims in the United States have a greater sense of belonging than those in Europe, Ahmed Younis, national director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council said.
“In the U.S., you can be one hundred percent Muslim and one hundred percent American without conflict; we fit in the story of America. Many European Muslims don’t fit in the story of those countries,” he said.
Professor John L. Esposito of the Georgetown Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding blamed anti-immigrant groups in Europe for provoking the controversy, saying they compose a minority that must be marginalized because of the xenophobic attitude it promotes.
Some students in attendance, such as European Club member Agememnon Koutsorgiorgas (SFS ‘08), felt that the panelists did not talk in enough depth about the cartoons and the violence itself.
MSA President Abed Bhuyan (SFS ‘08), however, said he and many other Muslims in the United States felt insulted by the cartoons and hoped the panel would spark more discussion for common ground and understanding of Muslim culture.
“Discussion of Islam is always simplified to either a violent or a peaceful faith. It can’t be simplified into a one-word answer,” he said.
