Europe and Islam

The New York Times reports on Europe's growing concern over Islam.

"Multiculturalism has failed, big time," Angela Merkel, the almost certain conservative candidate for chancellor in the next national elections, said recently. Many political figures and commentators have been saying that immigrants should accept what the Germans call the leitkultur, the dominant culture, as their own, or they should leave.

"We cannot allow foreigners to destroy this common basis," warned Jörg Schönbohm, the interior minister of the state of Brandenburg.

The Times contrasts Europe's position with the US.

But, of course, the Americans suffered a vastly greater attack than the Dutch did, and that has not led to strong anti-diversity sentiment. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, there were deep new suspicions, and widespread roundups of Muslims suspected of connections to terrorism. About the only area where the United States approaches the European debate on assimilation is in bilingual education, an issue that waxes and wanes. But there is no anti-immigrant political party in America, not even the constituency for one.

The difference, many here say, is that the United States was basically created by immigrants, and Europe was not. Therefore, especially after the civil rights movement, diversity in the United States has come to be seen as a value in itself, while Europe sees it as threatening.

The Times contends that Europe has a different problem howerver.

Specifically, in Europe the immigration is largely Muslim, and that has brought into the heart of the Continent a large population that resists integration and includes a proportion of people who are like the suspect in the Van Gogh killing: angry religious militants carrying on a war to the death with the West.

The article ends with this observation.

The view that Muslims are a threat seems to lie behind one of the most discussed of the recent statements made after the van Gogh killing, by Annette Schavan, minister for culture in the state of Baden-Württemberg, who called for a law requiring all sermons in mosques to be in German.

"In America," Mr. Yoldas said, referring not just to proposals like that but to what he feels is the broad attitude underlying it, "immigrants are proud to be immigrants, but in Germany we are being endured."

It will be interesting to see if the EU votes to let Turkey in.

Things like, Turkey threatens EU over membership and Returning jihadis new risk for Europe do not help.
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