Muslim Integration Into Western Cultures

One of my goals as a blogger is to occasionally step away from my comfort zone and tackle an issue with unclear answers. It's a strenuous and soul-searching excercise which often leaves me only slightly less-confused than when I began. Such is the case with immigration -- particularly immigrants who are Muslim. Clearly, many Muslims -- especially women -- have come to the U.S. and other western nations to escape religious persecution. Others come here steadfastly clingling to their religious beliefs from which others seek to escape.

I have been grappling with this issue for a long time -- at least since the murder of Theo Van Gogh in Holland over his film critical of the treatment of women under Islam. Just how much responsibility do immigrants have to acclimate themselves into a vastly different culture from whence they came -- especially if that culture is accustomed to being free to speak out about religious injustices?

If I were to move to Spain or Mexico (depending on the outcome of the 2008 elections) I would certainly make an effort to become a viable part of the culture I was living in, including speaking the language of those with whom I live. However, I would not become a Catholic or adopt the official state religion of whatever country I decided to inhabit. I would continue to maintain my own belief system even if it ran contrary to the official government position. And that's where things can -- and have -- gotten rather sticky.

Let's discuss the influx of immigrants who are Muslim and what responsibility they bear for assimilation, if any. I am certainly not advocating that we restrict Muslim immigrants; we are (the last time I checked) a nation where people are free to practice their religions beliefs (with a few exceptions) and I welcome anyone to our shores who seeks a better life for themselves and their families.

I read a short blurb in the New York Times recently about Muslim taxi drivers serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport and refusing to provide service to those who were carrying liquor. Here's a link to the story in the Minneapolis StarTribune.

About three-quarters of the 900 taxi drivers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are Somalis, many of them Muslim. And about three times each day, would-be customers are refused taxi service when a driver sees they're carrying alcohol.

"It's become a significant customer-service issue," said Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, on Thursday.

The airports commission has devised a plan to utilize color-coded lights on the taxis which refuse service to those carrying alcohol. This is rather admirable given most Americans' knee-jerk reaction to immigrants with different ways and beliefs. Even I was initially angry until I analyzed the information.

There was a time in my early adulthood when my views on alcohol were not so different from Muslim beliefs. The color-coded lights may very well solve the issue. The immigrants will not risk losing a much-needed source of income (although they may lose a few fares) nor will they be required to sacrifice an important religious belief.

Alcohol is a serious concern for devout Muslims, said Hassan Mohamud, an imam and vice president of the society. The Qur'an, Islam's holy book, strictly forbids buying, selling, drinking or carrying alcohol.

The observant drivers object only to transporting openly displayed alcohol, said Ali Culed, a Somali Muslim who's been driving an airport cab for eight years. They won't search passengers or quiz them about what's in their bags.

Fair enough. While I may not agree with someone else's religious beliefs I respect their right to believe what they wish and to practice their religion peacefully. It's not as if the taxi drivers are threatening to chop off my hand which holds the shot glass. What does continue to disturb me is the propensity for violent flare-ups by people (of any religion) who think their beliefs trump the law, as with the murder of Theo Van Gogh in Holland. We also witnessed the violent uproar over the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in Denmark, and most recently, the Pope's inflammatory comments about Islam as well as the cancellation of the Mozart opera Idomeneo by the Deutsche Opera in Berlin due to "incalculable" security risks. (Read what Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald has to say.)

What is important to remember, and I sincerely hope this is factual, is that people prone to violent outbursts are minority extremists rather than a majority. We don't (or shouldn't) judge all Christians based on the behavior of Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church clan. I frequently see Muslims around Austin. I don't freak out by a woman in a hijab or a burqa. I don't fear for my life and honestly, I don't care what people wear (unless it's that Greg Norman golf attire crap coupled with an overuse of shitty cologne which can send me into a projectile vomiting frenzy).

Much of the problem is due to stereotypes and reactions by extremely vocal (usually right-wing) groups who feel threatened by an influx of people adhering to what they perceive to be a strange religion.

Many Europeans nations are undergoing what I'd consider to be an immigration cultural crisis related to Muslims who number at least 4% in many nations. Germany has 3+ million Muslims representing about 4% of the total population, and clearly problems are brewing which urgently need to be addressed. France has also been busy dealing (ineffectively) with its huge Muslim population which numbers between 8% and 10%.

...the growth of the [Muslim] community has challenged the French ideal of strict separation of religion and public life. There has been criticism that Muslims face high unemployment and often live in poor suburbs. A ban on religious symbols in public schools provoked a major national row as it was widely regarded as being a ban on the Islamic headscarf. Late 2005 saw widespread and prolonged rioting among mainly immigrant communities across France.

The BBC has an excellent summary of Muslims in Europe by country from which the above excerpt and the following map were taken:



There is widespread disagreement over the number of Muslims living in the United States and the census bureau does not track religious affiliation. The number is likely to be between 3 million and 9 million. In either case, the percentage of Muslims is somewhat less than in many western European nations.

There are far fewer Muslims in Canada. According to Wikipedia, as of 2001, there were 580,000 Muslims in Canada, about 1.8 percent of Canada's population. That number has probably doubled in the last 5 years. Many Muslim immigrants to North America have chosen Canada rather than the U.S. due to a spike in anti-Muslim attitudes post 9/11.

The last couple of years have seen a great deal of controversy in Canada after the province of Ontario decided to allow the use of Shariah to settle disputes among the Muslim population. More here.

The province of Ontario decided recently that it would allow the use of Shariah (Islamic law) to settle family disputes among Canadian Muslims. The decision – which in September came after a year long raging controversy – has done little to absolve the social conflict in the Canadian Muslim community. It has also further widened the rift between those who follow Shariah and those who oppose it.

[Some] say that by not making Shariah legal, Ontario has helped helpless Muslim women from being abused by their partners in the name of religion.

One of the major concerns of people critical of Shariah law is that it is subject to interpretation and evolution. There is virtually no formal certification process to designate someone as being qualified to interpret Islamic law.

As it stands today, almost anyone can make rulings as long as they have the appearance of piety and a group of followers.

The Progressive Muslim Union of North America is one group opposed to the use of religious laws tailored for specific groups.

Update: Thanks to Chet Scoville for this link:Ontario subsequently passed a law to prohibit shariah.

I can't imagine very many immigrants coming to the U.S., Canada, or any other secular nation, and having no idea what they are getting themselves into. We supposedly have a free and open society. Western morals are definitely more relaxed than in many parts of the world and virtually all immigrants are aware of this. The fact that Muslim immigrants still seek a new life on our shores indicates a willingness to, at the very least, co-exist with those who have starkly different belief systems.

Will the U.S. and Canada successfully avoid the cultural crises we're seeing unfold in Europe? We should observe the situation there closely. But knowing how Americans have handled our own internal cultural battles over the past decade, I have my doubts that we're capable of handling a much bigger genuine crisis.

As with any other group, it is impossible to categorize all Muslims into one simple box. As we can see in Canada, there are Muslims in favor of Shariah and some adamantly opposed to it. As with any other complex issue, our first responsibility is to educate ourselves with regard to the religion of Islam and get to know those who are here. Otherwise, an intelligent solution to the issues confronting us will never be achieved.

Whatever allure America presents for immigrants around the world, including Muslims, is hopefully the same allure that makes those of us lucky enough to have been born here proud to have it, and proud to share it with newcomers. How we'll deal with issues of religious differences remains to be seen.

Any comments are appreciated. I'm not lecturing and I do not have all the facts or all the answers. I bring this up to explore.

crossposted at B3