Op-ed: The distorted mutation that is Islamic fundamentalism has to be acknowledged; many Muslims recognize there is a problem, which is not just a handful of Jihadists involved in terrorism.
Any debate on Islam in Muslim countries and among Muslim communities in the West is like stepping into a minefield. When it comes to the media outlets and academe, for the most part, the subject of Islam sparks a convoluted and apologetic discourse; on the social networks, on the other hand, the discourse it prompts is a racist one.
The thing is there’s a problem. It’s hissing and bubbling. Many Muslims realize there’s a problem. The Egyptian president spoke recently of “a need to effect a substantial change in Islam.” And in 2004, Abdulrahman al-Rashed, the former general manager of the al-Arabiya television news channel, said: “It is a certain fact that not all Muslims are terrorists, but it is equally certain, and exceptionally painful, that almost all terrorists are Muslims.”
The problem is not a handful of Jihadists involved in terrorism. The problem is that the Muslim world in recent years has produced most of the high-casualty conflicts across the globe. The Muslim world struggles to embrace universal values, such as the status of women. And the problem extends to the free world. Entire neighborhoods in Europe are becoming “no-go zones” for veteran residents, and the police too in some cases.
… many of the world’s Muslims, even those who live in the West, want to see Sharia law in effect, not only for themselves, but also forcibly for others.
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb stated that the major problem was resistance to integration. The percentage of social misfits and individuals opposed to integration is higher among the Muslim communities than among the other minorities. In addition, many of the world’s Muslims, even those who live in the West, want to see Sharia law in effect, not only for themselves, but also forcibly for others. They are basically saying in the clearest of terms: We have come here to impose our values on you.
According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 71 percent of Jordanians, 74 percent of Egyptians and 89 percent of the residents of the Palestinian Authority support enforcing Sharia law – with the emphasis on the enforcement. The WZB Berlin Social Science Center conducted a similar survey on the viewpoints of Muslims in Western Europe. The findings show that 65 percent support the implementation of Sharia law, with 75 percent stating that Sharia has only one interpretation. And there are numerous and various surveys that reveal far more worrying data. One such poll, which made waves recently, determined that 27 percent of the Muslims in France support Islamic State. OK, so some surveys may be a little suspect; but the serious ones clearly show that the picture is bleak even without the need for any exaggeration.
Most polls reveal another alarming finding – support for fundamentalism, Islamic State or terrorism is higher among second and third-generation Muslims. The trend, thus, is not one of integration, but of radicalization and Islamization instead. True, we’re talking about a minority; nevertheless, the bottom line is that millions in Europe support, at some level or another, the fundamental notion of the global Jihad – the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. They fall into the same ideological expanse as the Taliban, Hamas, Islamic State and Boko Haram.
Islamic State or terrorism is higher among second and third-generation Muslims. The trend, thus, is not one of integration, but of radicalization and Islamization instead.
Christian – or non-Muslim rather – Western Europe is not free of discrimination against Muslims. Studies conducted in almost every country in Western Europe show that an individual with a Muslim name has less chance of securing a job than someone with a local name. Fear of Muslims and Islam is on the rise. A survey conducted in Germany reveals that 70 percent of Germans believe that there is a clash between Islam and the values of the West. A similar survey reveals that 74 percent of French citizens think that “Islam is not compatible with the values of French society,” with some 76 percent of Brits expressing the same sentiment.
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