The year I spent in Copenhagen, I unintentionally learned more than I ever thought I could on the Muslim experience in the West. Through several of my courses, the topic of the "great Muslim migration" from the Middle East and Africa was the main focus. It was, I will admit, an entirely new experience for me. It often struck me as funny that an American girl, from what is supposed to be one of the most diverse countries in the world had to go to Denmark to learn about and encounter Muslims. But, such is the world, I suppose.
I remember being very surprised by the amount of head-scarf wearing I saw in Denmark. Why, I couldn't think of a time I had seen a woman in the US wearing the hijab or niqab. All of this became clear to me once I started to study the Muslim experience in Europe a little further. As a disclaimer, I'm not trying to make any blanket statements here about what does or doesn't cause radicalism or extremism. That is far too complex of a topic. What I will say, however, is that it became clear to me that the majority of Muslims (in Denmark) feel very persecuted and marginalized. Those who are the most successful are the ones who learn Danish quickly, who get a good job, and who appear as Danish in look and custom as possible. What has unfortunately happened in Denmark is the prevalence of a growing right-wing, nationalistic movement. As a result of this movement, the already xenophobic Danes have become more and more inward-looking. And what they have seen are people who don't look like them.
There has been a correlation made between the amount of persecution in a society and the level of religious fundamentalism that comes out of it. If you're interested, you can read Ian Buruma's book "Murder in Amsterdam" for a picture of what I'm talking about. Let me be clear - Religious fundamentalism will be present in any society. What is different about what Denmark is experiencing is the underlying cause of this fundamentalist turn. Denmark has instituted many policies over the past few years that severely limit immigration, asylum, and refugee freedoms within its borders. The Danish language has been elevated to a status higher than God. In order to achieve salvation in Danish society, you must fit into the Danish cookie cutter mold - and that is one that doesn't wear a headscarf, and doesn't speak Arabic.
Back to my comment about not having seen head scarf wearing in the US. I, arrogantly, thought that this must mean that Americans are more open to religious diversity, therefore our minority religions don't feel as persecuted as they do in Denmark, therefore they don't feel the need to retreat to fundamentalist traditions. This, as I learned, is not the case. I have been thinking a lot about this issue lately, especially with the Mosque debacle that has been raging in New York City. I, as an American, can safely say that I am concerned about where our country is heading.
I am concerned that we are becoming more and more xenophobic. Thank the recession, thank the right, thank whoever you may, but I believe that we are experiencing something very similar to what has happened in Denmark in the past. Our heavy-handed disapproval of those from different backgrounds is not only inappropriate, it is un-American. We are not talking about illegal immigrants, we are not talking about those not paying into our system. We are talking about people who are here legally, working diligently. And we are denying these people the privilege and freedom to practice their religion. I have full freedom to practice my religion here, but somehow, because nineteen hijackers spewed out hate on September 11, the 2,500,000 people living here practicing Islam are persecuted. How is that fair?
I just moved to Houston, and this morning I saw a woman returning to our apartment complex this morning from a walk. She was wearing a Susan G. Komen walk for the cure T-Shirt. And a headscarf. And I thought to myself, how much ridicule will this woman have to take on in her daily life? How many people will curse at her and tell her she isn't worthy to be here? How many times will she have to hear she is nothing before a hate and resentment of this country starts to brew under the surface? When it does, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.
