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Muslim alienation in the West
By Irfan HusainQuestions about identity and loyalty among the Muslims who have chosen to live in the West have been recurring themes since 9/11. As the number of suicide bombings and attempted attacks has mounted, so too has suspicion about the large and growing population of immigrants from the Muslim world. Especially among the working class and right-wing sections of the population, Muslims living in their midst are now seen as a fifth column, ready to wreak mayhem at the slightest pretext. As the only Muslim many of my English friends know socially, I often find myself being addressed as a sort of spokesman for the Islamic world, a role I do not exactly relish. This happens more often late in the evening when several drinks have dissolved notions of political correctness. "Why," I am asked earnestly. "Do Muslims come here if they hate our laws and lifestyle? Why do the ones living here not return to where they came from if they are not willing to make any attempt to get along with the rest of us? And why do they all stick together all the time?"Patiently, I explain that immigrants, whether Muslim or not, are forced to leave their homes due to political or economic conditions, so it is often not really a matter of choice. Many of them are from a conservative background, and are shocked by the easygoing attitudes and personal choices that have evolved in the West. As to Muslims who have been born and brought up in Europe, they find themselves caught between two cultures: exposed to a traditional home environment, they are expected to conform to a Western lifestyle at school and at work. This produces an identity crisis that leads some of them to choose extremism to resolve and simplify these dilemmas. In short, I mouth a bunch of clichés without being sure how many of them are really valid. Posted by: john frum 2008-08-01 |
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