 The issue of integration is an overriding priority for the Muslim minorities in Europe which should strike a balance between their identity and the cultures of their new societies, a leading European Muslim activist said. "Muslims in Europe cannot make a difference unless they wholeheartedly integrate into their new societies," Ahmad Al-Rawi, Chairman of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), told IslamOnline.net Monday, April 4, over the phone from London. "But they have to strike the right balance between their identity and their contributions to their society at all political, economic and cultural levels."
| So far they haven't done a real good job of becoming Germans or Frenchies or Dutchmen or Danes. They've been concentrating real hard on being Moose limbs, though... |
He said that the 15 million Muslims in Europe "are part and parcel of their societies," adding that the term "integration" has become the rallying cry for this juncture.
| I'm sure that "integration" means something different to the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe than it does to us. I think that rather than implying that Mahmoud goes out and buys lederhosen and Fatima a dirndl, it has something to do with putting together a power bloc and changing the nature of their Eurohomelands. |
Al-Rawi said the issue is high on the agenda of an FIOE delegation attending an EU interfaith committee meeting later in the day. "Brussels will also likely host a seminar on the recognition of Islam in Europe later this month," he added.
| Yep. That'd be the place I'd expect it. |
 The prominent Muslim activist said Europe is no longer a "mono-cultural" continent. "Europe, though dominated by Christians and white complexions, has become increasingly multi-ethnic," he noted. "True that there are some countries that want Muslims to melt away into their pots, but there are others which boost positive integration."
| I think the number of countries that are enthusiastic about that idea is declining. I note that my suspicions about the definition of integration are confirmed... |
The Muslim activist, however, admitted that the integration process is not that easy and needs a great deal of persistence in view of incidents resurfacing every now and then, which tarnish the image of Islam.
| Little things like explosions and the occasional headless body... |
He said the Netherlands, for instance, was one of the most receptive European countries to Muslims and used to spend millions every year on their organizations. The government used to encourage Muslims to play a key role on the political spectrum, he added, recalling that 50 municipal members were Muslims. "But the killing of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh at the hands of a mad boy has changed every thing and made Muslims there back to square one," Rawi stressed.
| That's because the mad boy is becoming much more typical than Mahmoud in lederhosen. |
"No doubt that we all as Muslims feel jealous for our religion and our Prophet (PBUH), but there are legal channels through which we can protest and not by such a barbaric way that did more harm than good to Islam."
| If you were to actually integrate there wouldn't be anything to protest against. "To each his own" is kind of the essence of individual liberty. |
The Muslim activist offered a piece of advice to all Muslim minorities in the West: "Perform your duties before asking for your rights. Muslims who abide by their religion should, by the same token, abide by the laws of their European countries."
| That'd be a step in the right direction. If you wanted shariah you should have stayed back home in Uglystan. The reason Europe works at all is precisely because it doesn't have shariah. Europe's attempts at religiously ruled states were as big failures as are those in the Islamic world. Ask anybody from the Papal States. |
"Integrate positively into your society, keep you non-Muslim fellows acquainted with the precious values of your religion, and I guarantee that your society will, sooner or later, warmly welcome you."
| "Oh, yeah. And don't kill nobody." |
On problems facing some Muslims in the Netherlands over refusing to shake hands with women, Rawi said such issues should not be given priority. He said shaking women's hands "is by no means a major sin but rather a minor one and a controversial issue on which scholars are divided." The Muslim activist asserted that refraining from handshaking is interpreted differently in European countries.
| Only in Islam, as far as I know, is elementary good manners a matter of religious controversy. If hand kissing ever makes a comeback I'm sure they'll riot. |
"Some countries see it as a sign of disrespect for women, and others, like Britain, understand it," he said.
| ... but view it with the contempt it deserves. |
Rawi continued: "We should not give heed to such issues and should focus rather on important issues on which we should make no compromise, and this is our approach at international conferences like the Le Bourget conference in France." He recalled that the European Council for Fatwa and Research has issued several statements guiding Muslims on how they can adapt to the values of their Western societies and overcome problems like this.
| Had to look up what the Prophet (PTUI) would have done, huh? |
Some Dutch Muslims have found themselves between a rock and a hard place over the issue of handshaking. The Hague Municipality deprived last month a Muslim citizen of government social assistance after he refused to shake hands with a female civil servant. The man tried in vain to justify his position as being purely religious and in no way derogatory. His lawyer defended him as a victim of racism, asserting that such a behavior was not deemed as disapproving before the November killing of Van Gogh.
| That was before Theo was slaughtered like a sheep. Now it's viewed as ill-mannered and ignorant, which I consider an accurate interpretation... |
Another Dutch Muslim, F. Aniat, could have faced the same punishment if it hand not been for the staunch defense of his non-Muslim work colleagues, Rotterdam newspaper reported on Friday, April 1. Aniat, who works for the council of social affairs in Rotterdam, was reprimanded by a legal committee for refusing to shake hands with two female members at Rotterdam municipality. In his defense, Aniat said that the council should understand the cultures of Dutch citizens of different backgrounds.
| "Yeah. In our culture, we revile you guys as infidels and we cut your heads off when we get the chance. That's our culture, so youse gotta honor it." |
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