Panel discusses the place of Islam in Europe
CAIRO: It’s the year 2106, and England’s first Muslim Prime Minister sets up shop at 10 Downing St., where he meets regularly with Islamic scholars to make policy decisions.
On the continent, children at public schools in France take time out of history lectures to learn scriptures from the Quran, and in Cologne, German women shop for the latest in headscarf fashions at upscale shops.
Meanwhile, Spanish legislators vote on implementing Sharia as the law of the land and Dutch businessmen hold all calls for the afternoon prayer break. While it might seem far-fetched in today’s climate, the prospect of an Islamic Europe was one of the scenarios touched upon by experts at a panel discussion held at the British Council Sunday night.
According to Mark Sedgwick, a scholar specializing in modern Islamic history, Europe has entered a “post-religious society era, whereas the rest of the world has been swept by religious revival in the past few decades.
And as Muslim immigrants continue to pour into countries like Germany, France and England to make up for falling birthrates, Europeans are being forced to confront serious questions about their own spirituality.
Some statistics estimate that Europe could be 25 percent Muslim by 2050.
Sedgwick, an associate professor at the American University in Cairo, says another scenario is also likely: Islam as yet another flavor in what he calls Europe’s “spiritual supermarket.
Pointing to the example of traditionally Hindu practices like Yoga and a growing interest of Sufi mysticism, Sedgwick says that while the Europeans have lost interest in organized religion, they have created a “new paganism whereby remnants of different religions are pieced together to create something new.
“This is remarkable and quintessentially European, he says.
In the short run, however, the “search for Europe’s soul is creating some serious tensions, says Hisham Hellyer, an expert on European-Islamic relations.
And as Europeans struggle to cope with years of secularization and the decline of the Christian church, the urge is to demonize “the problematic Muslim, he says.
Examples of these demonizing tendencies include the legal crackdown on veils in French schools, the plan to completely ban the niqab (face veil) in the Netherlands, and the recent comments of politicians like Jack Straw, who asked that veiled women coming to visit him should remove the niqab before doing so.
“In a crisis, many people look for the easy way out, says Hellyer, who in the aftermath of the London July 7/7 bombings has worked closely with British authorities as a consultant.
“In some ways, you could explain this as growing pains, he says.
Since 9/11 moderates have been forced to sit on the sidelines and watch with horror while extreme elements on both sides of the debate have thrown fuel on the fires of intolerance and misunderstanding.
While some would like to characterize the tensions in Europe as a “clash of civilizations, Sedgwick strives to take a more balanced approach.
“That’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, he says.
Summing up the sensationalist media discourse, Sedgwick says: “Muslim man beats his wife? That’s a story. Muslim man buys flowers for his wife, that’s not a story.
While the relationship has been thus far characterized by misunderstanding and intolerance, Talal Malik, a journalist working for Reuters in Cairo who spent his formative years in the United Kingdom, notes there have been positive developments.
He points to development of new art forms like Islamic graffiti and the growth of Islamic banking in European financial markets as proof that greater integration is possible.
