Islam, Immigration and Group Recognition
In: Citizenship studies, Band 2, Heft 3, S. 475-500
ISSN: 1362-1025
Islam generally, & Muslim immigrant communities in particular, have recently been targeted for criticism by Western academics & in popular Western media. Here, the substance of these criticisms is explored, weighing them against the beliefs & practices of Muslim immigrants in Western liberal democracies. Three distinct questions are addressed: (1) What sort of cultural adaptations is it reasonable for liberal democratic states & societies to expect immigrants to make, & what kinds of adaptation is it unreasonable to demand from them? (2) How vulnerable are Islamic beliefs & practices to the criticisms commonly leveled against them in the name of liberal democracy & gender equality? (3) How strong are the parallels between the claims for political recognition & accommodation that issue from immigrant cultural communities & the claims for recognition & inclusion that issue from groups that have historically been marginalized in liberal democratic societies? Although tensions may exist between the core commitments of liberal democratic societies & some Islamic practices, it is concluded that Western writers exaggerate these tensions. Muslim communities generally pose no greater challenge to liberal societies than do other religious & immigrant communities. Western writers should be chary of rejecting their claims to toleration & accommodation too swiftly. 65 References. Adapted from the source document.