Multiculturalism: A Demise Greatly Exaggerated
By - Blake Ross
Free and Democratic
Freedom of speech is an important component of any free democratic
society. For the most part you can say whatever you want, not necessarily
without repercussions, but at least without being persecuted by the state.
However, we limit free speech when it infringes on other peoples freedoms;
you can possibly face legal consequences for hate speech or libelous
statements in certain specific situations. Most people probably consider
these limitations to be reasonable. A closely related issue is religious
freedom.
Usually in contemporary, free democratic countries religion is separate from
the state and individuals are free to practice whatever religion they choose.
This however leads to some significant conflicts, particularly when a religion
includes beliefs that are contrary to the principles that allow them to exist
within free democratic societies. Many governments are currently struggling
with the problems that have come with implementing policies that have
facilitated the establishment of insular religious communities in their midst.
The Progressives
Striving to keep themselves on the correct side of history, many
governments embraced not only freedom of religion but also the progressive
idea of multiculturalism. France, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom
among others declared themselves to be multicultural societies. They put in
place policies that promoted multiculturalism, and encouraged their
immigrant populations to maintain their unique cultural practices. For some
countries the concept of multiculturalism became an important component of
their identity.
Multiculturalism is a really good idea. In the aftermath of Nazi Germany and
the holocaust, governments saw what evil could be wrought through
intolerance and xenophobia. How could anyone object to policies that did
away with prejudice and promoted tolerance for everyone? But, what these
governments did not realize was that their promotion of multiculturalism had
opened the door to religious extremists that use multiculturalism as a shield,
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