The End of Multicultural Europe? An Indian writer wonders whether Europe’s façade of tolerance is disappearing. By Jasmeet Singh To many, it seems that the garb of multiculturalism under which Europe has been living since the 1960s is being unmasked today. More and more national governments, while reiterating that they are multicultural, are banning conspicuously religious symbols in what many say is an attempt to suppress the freedom of faiths viewed as “barbarian” in Europe, particularly Islam. The prohibition of headscarves in France and of the Burqa in the Netherlands comes to mind. An increasing number of Muslims feel that Europe is experiencing a wave of Islamophobia unseen in the past. Everybody knows that the Christian cross these days is more a fashion accessory (and at times a way to show rebellion against the state) than a show of faith in the religion. So the moment the government makes the cross illegal, it will also become trendy. I sometimes wonder whether the real face of Europe is being exposed (here I’m speaking of the politics of pseudo-secularism and not the people in general). When the policy of multiculturalism was introduced in Europe in the 1960s, it was thrust upon a society that saw it as a way to show its liberalism and distance itself from the repressive ideologies of fascism, Nazism and even colonialism. But I always wondered whether the implementation of multiculturalism came about in reaction to the prevailing situation at the time (the influx of immigrants, mainly unskilled laborers from former colonies like India and Pakistan in the case of Britain or Algeria and Morocco in that of France, in the post-war years and the fact that Europe needed them to fill vacant jobs) or whether it really reflected what European values stood for. First in France, then Britain and now the Netherlands, the multicultural mask appears to be coming off. The directive clearly seems aimed at discouraging more immigration. This has caused anger among those Muslims who have successfully embraced Western liberalism after coming to Europe. For example, Tiriq Ramadan, regarded as a leading European Islamic scholar and an authority on Western Islam, has criticized the French move to forbid headscarves in schools. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– First in France, then Britain and now the Netherlands, the multicultural mask appears to be coming off. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– During a conversation with a right-wing trader from Poona, India on a trip from Delhi to Bombay we started discussing religion and Indian nationhood. The trader said, “We Indians always have had a very compatible approach to immigrants. Foreigners have invaded us again and again, looting our money, strength, resources while raping our daughters and sisters, but we have never been aggressive. Our approach has always been ‘You can come and live in our neighborhood. We won’t have any problems as long as you don’t interfere in our affairs.’” While his political ideology never appealed to me (apparently he justified the anti-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002), some of his words did. Most Indians hardly take pride in calling themselves multicultural. Even liberal Hindus are not inhibited in voicing disapproval of their family members marrying Muslims or in proclaiming their differences from them. It’s a rather more pragmatic approach than being pseudo-secular, which is the approach taken by Europe today: multicultural on the outside and xenophobic on the inside. Here is the reality that Europe must come to terms with, today or tomorrow, by hook or by crook. Immigrants, Muslims being the ones who cause the most concern, are now an inseparable part of modern-day Europe. A large number of them work in European industry. The typical clash of civilization theory is becoming a reality. One can either deny its existence and ignore it or accept it as a reality and make sure that the clash does not get out of hand. As they say, it is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. Jasmeet Singh is a student of Journalism at the University of Pune in India. He also publishes a blog about New Delhi, his home town at http://picturepuurfectdelhi.blogspot.com. This essay has been modified from one of his posts on the same blog This website: Copyright © 2007 Dream World Media, LLC. / Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed in Urban Mozaik Magazine are not necessarily those of Urban Mozaik Magazine and the publisher cannot be held responsible for them. This website/publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.