Reaction and Overreaction

An article I came across about "Islamophobia" in Europe got me to thinking about the subject.

No, not about the butchery of the English language when such invented terms are used, although I was struck by that, too. Rather, my interest is in the dissimilar reactions of Europeans and Americans to the issue of Islam in general and terrorism in particular.

The ABC article tells the experiences of one Salma Yaqoob, described as a "a 32-year-old British Muslim activist," who spoke about a "backlash" against British Muslims in the wake of the War on Terror at the November 2003 European Social Forum.

She appeared wearing the Muslim veil, or hijab. The crowd registered their distaste for this dress, and evidently this shook Ms Yaqoob.

"I was genuinely shocked how people reacted just because I happened to be wearing a hijab Yaqoob recalled in a phone interview. "It was actually a very upsetting experience. It was shocking to see people so passionate and, in my view, so ignorant of basic things, basic things like etiquette. [They] felt they had a right to behave that way in the name of what they thought was freedom and liberation."

"Happened?" As if wearing the hijab is a choice made entirely at random. One day you wear the hijab, one day you don't. One wonders if people who say such things realize what they are saying, or ever think about the meaning of the words they speak. Evidently not.

But aside from this, the reaction in Europe to two recent Islamic terrorist attacks seems totally out of proportion to the incidents.

In the Netherlands — a country famed for its relaxed attitude to everything from pot smoking to prostitution — at least 14 Muslim buildings and schools were attacked in the troubled days following the killing of a Dutch filmmaker by a suspected Islamist extremist. Postings in online chat rooms showed a rising anti-Muslim feeling. "Today is the day I became a racist," read one typical message.

I recall other press reports telling of similar incidents. How big of a problem is it?

"There is definitely a rise in Islamophobia across Europe," said Liz Fekete, deputy director of the London-based Institute of Race Relations. "Muslims collectively are being blamed for the attacks on the World Trade Center, and there is a general punitive climate toward Muslims. This has manifested itself in a variety of ways. On the ground, there has been a rise in racial violence on Muslim targets across Europe. And the biggest problem is that the scale of the problem has not been acknowledged," Fekete said.

This is not to say that all, or even most, Europeans are suddenly anti-Muslim racists. One is struck, however, by the level of reaction to the murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo Van Gogh.

Immigration: Isolation vs Assimilation

I'm no expert on immigration into Europe, so I'll tread carefully.

Immigration to the United States has never been an easy affair. Even going back to the earliest days of the republic, there has been debate over how well, how much, and how fast new immigrants are assimilating into the mainstream of American culture. We've used terms such as "melting pot" and "salad bowl" to describe our various theories and ideas. Today we hear "multiculturalism" and "diversity" ad nauseum, but even with PC at it's worst there is some idea of a give-and-take among immigrants and natives.

The point is, anyone can become an "American." it's all largely a matter of citizenship, although some (like me) would argue that it encompasses values as well. Either way, there is noone on this planet that cannot become an American.

In Europe the situation is different. Immigrants from other continents are (grudgingly) welcomed for their labor. But beyond that there is little attempt made at assimilation by either side. Immigrants are both marginalized and marginalize themselves. There is no give-and-take as there is in the US.

The ABC News article cited above goes on to say that Muslim immigrants have low levels of participation in society and government

Indeed after decades of Muslim migrations — mostly from former colonies — Muslim representation in European parliaments is still low, with only two practicing Muslim members of Parliament in Britain, one in Germany and none in the French parliament.

Experts warn that the lack of political representation, coupled with a growing intolerance of Islamic culture, increases the risk of increasing extremism among Europe's young Muslim population.

Contrast this to the United States, where President Bush goes to great lengths make sure everyone knows that we are not at war with Islam, which he describes as a "religion of peace." In the days following 9/11 there was much in the press cautioning against targeting "Muslims" as a people. And although I do not have the statistics in front of me, time and time again it has been reported that anti-Muslim incidents have remained few in number.

Rip van Winkle

...in the Netherlands, the current "clash of civilizations" furor was sparked Nov. 2, when controversial filmmaker Theo van Gogh was stabbed and shot to death in Amsterdam, and a man with dual Dutch-Moroccan citizenship was arrested. Van Gogh had received death threats after "Submission," his film about the abuse of Muslim women by Muslim men, was aired on national television.

What is strange is that The Netherlands, like much of western Europe, touts itself as a bastion of tolerance. Now, suddenly, one person is murdered and it's off to burn a mosque and head to a coffee shop to talk about a "clash of civilizations?" Did everyone over there suddenly wake up from a deep sleep?

Maybe now they'll understand our reaction to 9/11. But I doubt it.