IDEAL EYE

Anti-Islam Propaganda in Europe (Contribution )

Interviewed By European Muslims staff

Why is the West focusing on Islam?

The European Muslims page at IslamOnline.net (IOL) has just opened the door for a discussion on the increasing hostile incidents against Islam and Muslims in Europe (e.g. the Prophet-defaming cartoons and Wilders's film attacking the Qur'an).

We have sent a list of questions pertaining to the topic to a number of European Muslim and non-Muslim experts and intellectuals whose contributions are expected to enrich the debate.

Responding to our questions, Bashy Quraishy, president of the Brussels-based European Network Against Racism (ENAR), highlighted various issues related to the topic in discussion.

IOL: Do you think the recent campaigns are directed toward Islam as a religion or toward Muslims as individuals? Why? And if they are targeting Islam, are they targeting the pillars of Islam or the religious interpretations?

Quraishy: One of the topics that are increasingly discussed in the Western societies today is Islam and the challenge it poses, not to Christianity or Judaism as divine religions but to the norms of the European culture, the Western way of living, and the humanistic values the Western civilization is built on.

This discourse has found its way right into the top political leadership and mass media and down to the population in general. This mindset has produced an atmosphere where freedom of expression is misused to vent abusive opinions and hate speech. This has in turn given rise to Islamophobia and cultural racism.

The question that arises is, "Why is the West focusing on Islam?" My qualified guess is that, after the fall of the Soviet empire, the only remaining ideology or system that stands in the way of the total Western dominance — commercial, political, and to some extent religious — is Islam and the Muslim communities.

Another factor is the historical rivalry and competition between Islam and Christianity for geographical dominance and getting new followers. Islam has now 1.3 billion followers worldwide and is the majority religion in nearly 60 countries. It is also said to be the fastest growing faith in Africa, the US, and Europe.

Most of the oil resources are under the control of countries that profess to be Muslim. Furthermore, in order to physically occupy the oil-rich Middle East or to start any future confrontation between Christianity and Islam, the political forces consider demonizing Islam and its followers a useful tool in their hands. They would need to win the majority of public support in the West to carry out "a clash of civilizations" or to spread democracy a la George W. Bush.

And such public backing can only come if Islam is portrayed as a terrible enemy. Some observers may find this rationale far-fetched or at worst my prejudice against the West. I wish that this feeling was so individual-based, but the reality is that I have heard of such scenarios from people from Morocco to Indonesia, as well as from many concerned Western citizens who wish to live in peace with Muslim communities and do not see Muslims as a threat or an enemy.

Quraishy

IOL: What are the main tools and arguments used in these campaigns?

Quraishy: The campaigns against Islam as well as Muslim communities are manifested in the newspapers, on the radio, on television, films, theatre plays, church sermons, school curriculum, and popular literature. Even in entertainment magazines for men and children's books, one can find anti-Islam stories and remarks.

Just have a look at airport bookshops all over the Western World; one can see piles of books and magazines with Islamophobic covers, articles, and interviews. The media constantly portrays non-European cultures — especially cultures from different Muslim countries — as inferior and primitive and incompatible with the Western values. Different newspapers do the same in their articles, foreign reports, editorials, and letters to the editors.

Media studies carried out by universities, some serious journalists, and ethnic minority organizations have shown that nearly 70 percent of all media coverage of Muslims focuses either on crime, social problems, terrorism, militancy, or isolationism. Frequently, such coverage is not only exaggerated and distorted but also filled with lies.

It is rare that a foreigner's race, religion, culture, and country of origin are not mentioned, whether or not this information is relevant. Islam is often presented as fanatical, barbarian, uncivilized, and medieval. It is constantly attacked with racial slurs similar to the way Jews were attacked in the 1930s.

IOL: Do you think this kind of campaigns aims at paving the way for future violence from Muslims to reinforce a stereotypical image of Muslims?

Quraishy: I do not subscribe to the notion that violent actions committed by individuals or a small group of people with a Muslim background should be termed "Muslim side."

There are 60 countries with a Muslim-majority population, as well as a large number of Muslim communities in India, China, Russia, and various African countries. Muslims today constitute over 1.3 billion people. They should not be held responsible for few thousands who march in Tehran, Cairo, or Islamabad, burn Danish flags, or shout slogans.

It is true that such violent reaction only gives more ammunition to those who seek confrontation. It is equally unfair to expect that people would not protest violently or react irrationally if some ideology-driven Islam haters in the West intentionally played with the emotions of those who neither have done any harm nor have had any ill will toward the West.

In two surveys recently conducted by the World Economic Forum in January 2008 and Gallup Poll in February 2008, nearly 60 percent of the Europeans said that they consider any rapprochement with the Islamic world a threat, while over 70 percent of Muslims in the Islamic world expressed a desire for democracy, human rights, and a dialogue with the West. These surveys clearly reject this false perception in the West: that Muslims hate democracy, dislike the Western values, and support terrorism.

The reason why many Muslims — whether practicing or not — react to Western criticisms of Islamic countries and practices is that they are well aware of their history, take pride in Islam's achievements, and — based upon the past relationships — are suspicious of the Christians' motives.

Muslims also feel singled out in a variety of ways; for example, in the UK, Sikhs and Jews are accepted as ethnic or racial groups for the purposes of the Race Relations Act 1976, but as yet Muslims receive no such recognition or protection under the law.

This also became obvious in Denmark when the attorney general refused to prosecute the newspaper that commissioned and published 12 insulting caricatures of the Holy Prophet on September 30, 2005. This is a political judgment, not a legal assessment. It is the key argument in the whole decision. It separates the drawings from the accompanying text and separates both from their context of debate, from which they are inseparable and in which they should be assessed.

If the cartoon matter remained restricted to one newspaper in one country, the damage could have been localized, but it was quickly followed by many newspapers and magazines throughout Europe in the name of freedom of expression and to show solidarity to the journalists community!

IOL: Do you think secular Europe is a hotbed of these aggressive approaches? Why? And how can these approaches affect the Muslim communities in Europe?

Quraishy: Stereotypical images of Islam in the West are not the result of misdeed on the part of the Muslims but are due to provocative campaigns that are deliberate and well-thought-out. Actually, Islamophobia is not a new phenomenon in Europe.

A hostile view of Islam began in the eighth century when Muslims expanded into the Iberian Peninsula. Islam as a faith was rejected as a fundamental religion and seen as a direct challenge to Christianity. Muslims were seen as heretics and their Prophet as a diabolical fraud. By the time of the Crusades, Muslims were viewed as a geopolitical threat and military means were seen as the only way to address the danger to the Church.

Ignorance about Islam and abject rejection of Muslim culture reached the peak in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, itself considered the pinnacle of Western literature in the 13th century. Dante saw it fit to cast Prophet Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him) and `Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin, to the ninth circle of Hell — one created for schismatics and sowers of discord.

The idea that Muhammad was Hell-bound was further explored in a 1415 painting by Giovanni da Modena. The Last Judgment, which "adorns" a cathedral in Bologna, depicts a scantily clad, turbaned, and bearded Muhammad in agony as he is pulled into the pits of Hell by demons.

Voltaire, who is considered one of the pioneers of free speech in Europe, was barefaced in his play Mahomet, traducing the Prophet in every which way in such a debasing manner.

The personal attacks upon the Prophet were a buildup to justify and incite hatred toward Muslims. In 1095, the rallying slogan of Pope Urban II to "free the Holy Land from the vile, infidel Muslims" set in motion a series of marauding raids, pillage, murder, and mayhem that are collectively known as the Crusades.

William Dalrymple, an eminent British scholar, said in the Independent, "Prejudices against Muslims — and the spread of idiotic stereotypes of Muslim behavior and beliefs — have been developing at a frightening rate in the last decade …. Anti-Muslim racism now seems in many ways to be replacing anti-Semitism as the principal Western expression of bigotry against 'the other.' Unfortunately, even if the term Islamophbia is a recent one, the fear, dislike, or hatred of Islam in the Western World is as ancient as Islam itself."

The aggressive Western approaches have dire consequences, not only for the harmonious relations between the Western majorities and Muslim communities in the West but also for a peaceful coexistence in the world. Very few voices of reason are pointing out that Islam — being the second largest religion on the planet — cannot and should not be treated as an enemy or an ideology that the West has to conquer or defeat. Unfortunately, there are signs that such ways of thinking are being systematically advocated in certain political and intellectual circles in the Western World. If this opinion does take hold, it will be a sure recipe for disaster.

IOL: How can the Muslims in Europe withstand these campaigns?

Quraishy: Islamophobia is a matter at hand, and it must be dealt with as such, not tomorrow or the day after, but here and now. Dealing with Islamophbia now does not mean that we should ignore other pressing problems. There is no scale of discrimination against which we can measure the amount of racism.

All types of racism are equally deplorable, and we should tackle them both on the long term and as an issue at hand. To do this, we have to look at various factors, such as stereotypical categories, key issues facing the Muslim communities externally and internally, and what can be done about this situation.

Proposals with workable solutions from the civil society must be welcomed; especially those from the Muslim communities should be encouraged. Legal measures are the state's responsibility, but the civil society must demand these changes.

A proactive and open-minded discussion concerning the accommodation between secular and religious forces in the society, including Muslim communities, is recommended, including

A clear understanding that Islam is not a nationality or ethnicity but a faith.
A closer look at the terminology used by the media in its coverage of Islam and Muslims in general and terrorism in particular.
Disengaging Islam from terrorism or militancy in the media.
Clear guidelines against Islamophobia from internationally respected organs, like the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, European Union, and Council of Europe.
Strong legislation against hate speech and incitement to religious hatred and propaganda. A monitoring system would be of great help.
An ongoing dialogue with the media as to how to balance freedom of speech, covering events without prejudice, and being sensitive to the rights of minorities.
Seminars and workshops for the journalistic community and resource persons among diverse Muslim groups.
More transparency among Muslim communities, and quick response to wrong information in the media.
Inviting mainstream journalists to the Muslim community arrangements so that they can see from close quarters what they are writing about.
Inclusion of Islam in the religious studies at the primary- and middle-school levels. It should be done on a par with other faiths.
Provision of information concerning Islam and Muslim cultures for the employees of diverse sectors of the society who normally come in contact with Muslim communities in daily life (e.g. health, education, and social and other public services).

We should be visionary and practical. Instead of a constant mention of "evil ideology versus the democratic values of the West," we have to look at the Muslim communities as co-citizens, not as a fifth column or foreign culture. Muslim communities are here to stay, and we have to integrate them in an inclusive way, not as a cultural or religious entity that should be "Europeanized" or looked at as a cultural threat. We should involve people in the whole fabric of the society.

At the same time, Muslim communities must act as true ambassadors of classical Islam, which teaches kindness, beautiful language, and forgiveness. As the Muslim communities came from outside the Western World and decided to make this part of the globe their home, they have to be mindful of many local concerns.

Do not impose your wishes or demand your rights using unpleasant manners. It is always helpful to negotiate and go halfway.
Be a good example of your community so that the host society appreciates your efforts.
Face the level of prejudice that some misguided Muslim people have about the Western lifestyle, traditions, or gender equality.
Show respect for the society; one lives in and contributes to its well-being as much as one wishes the society to help the individual.
Consider the country; live in it as your home. The sense of belonging is difficult to achieve, but one must show loyalty, solidarity, and care for the surroundings.
A change in the attitudes toward the Muslim communities would only come when the society notices a common bond. Muslims have to work internally on their own prejudices toward other groups.
Muslims do have tools and resources to conceptualize; think positively and live peacefully and be respectful to diversity.
Religious observance and traditional practices must be acted upon with sensitivity to one's fellow human being.
Both Islam and Christianity wish to fulfill the spiritual void in one's life. Every one can choose his or her own way.
Last but not least, violence, death threats, and force are very un-Islamic. Muslim communities should follow the path of righteousness, not of despair.

With all the complexity of the situation, I believe that human beings are adaptable to circumstances and necessity. This can be made easy if the politicians and media stop fanning the flames of prejudices and hatred and let people live their lives as they see fit.

Now that you have perceived Quraishy's views on the topic, what are yours?