Islam, migration, and the West

We live in an integrated and interdependent world. While this does not mean that the world has become more harmonious, or even fairer, what we do increasingly see is events in one part of the world exerting evident influence well beyond their geographic or political borders. Consider, for instance, the impact of the ongoing turmoil in the Muslim world and what implications this situation has created within the West and its attempt to embrace multiculturalism.

We have seen the rise of ultra-nationalism, anti-immigrant and Islamophobic sentiments, coinciding with an influx of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and other conflict-ridden Muslim countries seeking refuge in Europe. This perceived Muslim onslaught has also fueled more Islamophobia, making the lives for Muslims who already live in Europe, more difficult.

Given this situation, Akbar Ahmed’s new book Journey into Europe: Islam, Immigration, and Identity makes for a fascinating read. Dr Ahmed has been working on Islam’s encounter with the West for several years now, and this latest work is based on intensive research and interaction with leaders, scholars, and intellectuals, as well as Muslim communities, across Europe. The resulting book builds the case that Islam is not a new phenomenon for Europe. Instead, Islam has been an integral part of the continent for nearly 14 centuries, and Islam has, in fact, contributed to European progress in multiple ways.

The European encounter with Islam did not begin and end in Spain. The Ottomans also ruled over much of Eastern Europe, including Greece, the cradle of Western civilisation. The 20^th century saw the arrival of millions of Muslim migrants to provide cheap labour for war-ravaged Europe. Many of these Muslims coming to Europe had also been the direct or indirect victims of eastern imperialism towards their home countries, which were also struggling to overcome the damage wreaked by colonialism.

Now, as our world continues to contract and change, the increasing movement of people in search of a better life and opportunities is probably going to increase. Instead of fighting this natural progression, the West and Muslim societies need to come together to find a way forward.

The current Muslim predicament of contemporary European society includes problems of ghettoisation, alienation, and anger amongst young Muslims, sporadic acts of “home-grown” terrorism, on the one hand, and the dangerous rhetoric of rampant Islamophobia, intolerance, and xenophobia, on the other.

However, rather than viewing the tensions between Muslims and white Europeans as an innate clash of cultures, Dr Ahmed suggests that Europe should reflect on its own homegrown example of medieval Andalusia, where people of multiple faiths enjoyed convivencia, a state of relative pluralism, peace, and prosperity under Muslim rule.

Dr Ahmed concedes that the Andalusian period was hardly utopian, and the accommodations it offered to people of other faiths are not standards that multicultural societies today should aim to emulate. However, at the time, Andalusia did enable multi-faith communities to coexist and cooperate to an extent that was inconceivable in the rest of Europe. Dr Ahmed thus hopes for a “new Andalusia” which could enable Europeans to form new, hybrid, identities that broaden the criteria for who belongs.

Of course, populism, nationalism, and xenophobia are not problems for European or other Western societies only. The state of minorities across much of the developing world is hardly enviable. Therefore, Dr Ahmed rightly notes how many Muslim refugees bring with them sectarian and ethnic rivalries that only enhance their isolation and undermine their prospects of integration.

The fundamental message of Journey into Europe is, however, one which should not be ignored within the West or in Muslim countries either. Throughout history, Islamic and Western civilisations have often been not just compatible, but complementary. It is vital to acknowledge this shared past to reject today’s resurgent tribalism and sense of deep-rooted mutual suspicion.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2018.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.