Racism normalizing in Europe

Turkish Presidency Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın commented on AA-Analysis in the context of increasing Islamophobia and "other" discussions in Europe.

In the racist terrorist attack on two cafes operated by foreigners on February 19, 2020 in Hanau, Germany, 9 innocent people, including 4 Turks, lost their lives. The perpetrator, on the other hand, went to his father's house and killed his mother and then himself. This grim attack is just one of many hate crimes that have targeted Muslims in particular in recent years. In order to prevent greater disasters, it is necessary to draw attention to the speed at which racism, which has become a collective cancer, spreads in Western countries, and to encourage conscientious majorities who see diversity as richness.

The infrastructure of racist terrorist acts has been created over many years. While mosques and synagogues have been damaged in dozens of racist terrorist acts in Western countries in recent years that have been classified as individual crimes, Muslims and refugees are also subjected to physical violence in the public sphere. Unfortunately, in the last five years, there has been a 320 percent increase in racist terrorist acts in Western countries. Despite the fact that racist acts in different countries appear to be unrelated, the political and ideological infrastructure of hate speech and racist actions reverberated on the streets has developed through time. It is not a coincidence that the increase in racist attacks coincided with the strengthening of racist parties, especially in Europe, and the greater visibility of racist rhetoric in the media and public opinion. The case files, which are categorized as individual crimes and which are decided not to be prosecuted, unfortunately encourage people and groups who are preparing for such action.

We are witnessing that the immigration movement, which has resulted in an increase in the Muslim population in Europe, and racist ideology, which has a long history in Europe, are regaining popularity. Especially after the events of September 11, it can be said that racism experienced its renaissance through the religion of Islam in Europe.

"Europe will not be able to build a better future for itself by fighting Islam."

Islamophobia is also on the rise in the European intelligentsia

Calling today's racism and anti-Muslim animosity a temporary ideological distortion directed by enraged masses of low-income group, as some have suggested in the past, is a dangerous approach that underestimates the problem. We observe that Islam and xenophobia are rapidly rising among the European intelligentsia, middle and upper class, and even used in shaping and legitimizing international policies as an instrument suitable for populism in politics.

The religion of Islam, which is claimed to be incompatible with the "European" identity, is used as the strongest othering tool. On this occasion, a distinction is made between immigrants, and those of foreign origin are classified within themselves, whether they are acceptable or not. The word West and the concept of Europeanness may lead us to a uniformist thought, however, it is necessary to be cautious. When it comes to Western societies, it should be kept in mind that there are nuances in it. European countries are not homogeneous in terms of religion, culture and politics, and Muslims living in European countries do not have a homogeneous lifestyle. Muslims, who are excluded by generalization, have linguistic, sectarian and cultural differences within themselves, and they are trying to adapt to the majority society by preserving this cultural richness.

"The end of the process of marginalizing Islam and Muslims can be considered as a test of sincerity in terms of the values defended by Western countries."

The "other" in the West from past to present

Islamophobia in Europe emerges as an extension of a historical conflict. This fight sees Islam as a powerful obstacle to "Europeanisation". The increasing integration and assimilation debates in Europe gain meaning in this context. Those who insist on preserving their Muslim identity and making it visible are marginalized as "undesirable immigrants".

The "other", as an element that establishes the European identity, has always been in Western thought. Emphasizing common features through religion, race and culture and separating the "other" has a deep-rooted tradition in the creation of a collective identity in Europe. In European history, establishing an identity through the other, viewing minorities as a threat, and discriminating on different ideological grounds have all been common behaviors. The “other” was defined as barbarians in ancient Greece, became pagans when Christianity came, and as backward and uncivilized societies in the modern period. During the Cold War, the Communist was the other, in the following years the Islamic world was fictionalized as the other.

If racism and hate crimes are not effectively addressed in Europe, racism and xenophobia will be one of the most serious threats to social peace and welfare in the next decades. Unfortunately, in a framework that works for the international system, Islamophobia is gaining power on political and social grounds.

Politicians have a big role to play in the fight against racism

Demographic change and the aging population in developed countries make the fight against racism inevitable. According to the Pew Research Center study, while the population of Europe will decrease by 6 percent by 2050, the Muslim population living in Europe is expected to increase by 63 percent. Despite this numerical increase, it is observed that the threat perception posed by Europeans over Muslims is artificial and exaggerated. Today, the proportion of Muslims in countries with the largest Muslim population varies between 5 and 10 percent of the total population.

The gap between fact and perception deepens when it comes to Muslims living in Europe. According to the results of the IPSOS research conducted in 14 European countries, it is seen that the number of Muslims living in the society and the number of Muslims that the majority society thinks live in their country have increased fourfold. In the majority society, the feeling that European culture and Christian values are being invaded is increasing day by day.

It's only a matter of time before artificially fabricated fear turns into hatred, hatred into hostility and violence. Undoubtedly, politicians bear the greatest responsibility in the fight against racism. We observe that Europe's mainstream politics is increasingly accepting Islamophobia as an ordinary situation. Although anti- Immigrant and anti-Islamic groups such as AfD in Germany, Austrian People's Party (FPÖ) in Austria, Front National (FN) in France, Lega Nord in Italy, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) in England, Golden Dawn in Greece do not win the majority in parliaments, they play a decisive role in the cultural and political power of the country.

Popularization of Islamophobia

On the other hand, we witness that Islamophobia is popularized by some well-known writers and journalists. Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci's polemic book fueling Islamophobia, the novels of French writer Michel Houellebeq who feeds artificial fears, the best-selling book by Thilo Sarrazin, Member of the Board of the German Central Bank and politician, who humiliates immigrants and sees them as humpbacks on Germany's back are some of the books that stood on best-seller lists for months and read by millions and sowing seeds of hatred. What these three European writers have in common is their normalization of hate crimes and discrimination against Muslims, whom they have positioned as the "other" with Islamophobia and xenophobia.

However, Europe will not be able to build a better future for itself by fighting with Islam. Islamic and Western societies need to understand each other better. It is not possible for Europe to define itself as pluralist by marginalizing Islam and as libertarian by discriminating against Muslims. The end of the process of marginalizing Islam and Muslims can be considered as a test of sincerity in terms of the values advocated by Western countries.

{Prof. İbrahim Kalın having completed his doctoral studies at Georgetown University, has many books and articles published on Islamic philosophy, Islamic and Western relations, and Turkish foreign policy. Prof. İbrahim Kalın is also the Spokesperson of the Presidency of Turkey, Ambassador, Special Advisor to the President and Deputy Secretary General of the Presidency.}