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Terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo tabloid offices, in Paris, Wednesday (7/1), which killed 10 journalists and two police would indeed have raised concerns about increasing Islamophobia in Europe. Muslims in Europe, especially in Germany, who watched the news media from day to day on the increasingly widespread anti-Islamic demonstrations in major cities in Germany, organized by PEGIDA (Patriotische Europer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes / European Nations Patriotic Against Islamization of the West ), no doubt more concerned when a wave of Islamophobia strengthened and impact on them.
Regardless of whether or not valid debate linking the shooting to Islam, their concerns are reasonable because the counter-attack was launched. The day after the shooting, a mosque in Le Mans, in the northwest of Paris had been fired and thrown grenades, and a kebab shop near the mosque in Villefrance-sur-Saone detonated.
A small mosque in the southern Port-la-Nouvelle also trying burned. Can not be denied, that the terrorist attack was vicious, but anger the people of Europe if not expressed correctly can further increase the polarization between the Muslim and non-Muslim and can even shed blood. Remember grisly Anders Breivik in Norway in 2011?
France has shown that because of the progressive symptoms even now already symptomatic support those who stigmatize the Muslim community in the name of freedom of speech, which if not controlled will make Samuel Huntington applauded due to a clash of cultures such as the unforeseen.
Excessive? May not be due to the existing trigger. In Sweden the mosque began to be attacked, In Germany, PEGIDA diligently demonstrating every Monday against what they called the Muslim invasion of their country despite demonstrations and churches that oppose them.
In France too, right party (far-right) National Front anti construction of mosques, won for the first time in the Senate, in September last year. Last week, Michel Houllebecq novel titled soumission (surrender) which tells the French ruled by an Islamic party in 2022, selling well, indicating increasing Islamophobia.
Islamophobia is now in the context of increasing racism in France and Europe also indicate indifferently Europe on paper Charlie Hebdo and other media in the name of freedom of opinion are racist provocation and lately more addressed to the Muslim community.
Tolerance or even impunity for it to be easy questionable pretext of secularism. The concept lacit (secularization) since the beginning intended as a defense of the right of every people to run freely France belief, but now it is used for stigmatization understanding religion in public spaces such as the problem of Muslim hijab. This leads to the paradoxical situation, in which racist discourse uiversalisme and permissible in the name of tolerance.
Indeed, it has long intolerance. Although it feels bitter, Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights Council in 2010. The European Union has stated that: European countries seem to face another crisis in addition to the budget deficit problem is the disintegration of human values. One symptom is the increasing expression of intolerance to the Muslim community. The results of opinion polls in several European countries reflect fear, suspicion and negative opinions about Muslim societies and their Islamic culture.
Hammarberg not alone in thought so. Amnesty International said in a report in April 2012 that called Choice and Prejudice: Discrimination against Muslims In Europe mentions, among others, that the Muslim is rejected when applying for a job and go to class just because they wear headscarves. Muslims can be thrown out of work because of a long beard.
These moments are indeed serious and worrying time for Muslims in Europe. But they do not need to fear and isolate themselves which would strengthen polarization with other European societies. They just have to show that the terrorists do not represent them and also contribute positively to the development and integration in their respective countries.
Fear without understanding what they fear is a way of thinking that is scary.
And what about your own faith?
See also:
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