when in reality everything they stand for runs counter to the concept of
multiculturalism.
Religious tensions are on the rise throughout Europe. Not all, but most of
these cases, are about issues surrounding the accommodation of Muslim
beliefs. In France, there have been riots and anti-semitic attacks on Jewish
communities, as well as conflicts over headscarves and face coverings. In
the UK there are Muslim patrols illegally enforcing sharia law on the streets
of London. In Germany, backlash from both Jewish communities and Muslim
communities are influencing policies that intended to ban the practice of
genital mutilation. There are countless examples of the difficulties Western
governments are facing. In recent years Angela Merkel, David Cameron, and
Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as other leaders and political figures, declared in
varying degrees of severity that multiculturalism in Europe was an abject
failure. They are wrong; it was not multiculturalism that failed, it was
freedom of religion.
Fear and Intimidation
On November 02 2004, Theo Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death by
Mohammed Bouyeri while bicycling to work. Bouyeri was a Muslim
fundamentalist. He killed Van Gogh for producing a film that was critical of
Islam’s treatment of women. Bouyeri attached a note to Van Gogh’s body
with a knife that also threatened Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim turned
Atheist and Dutch politician, who had assisted Van Gogh with his film. Hirsi
Ali went into hiding and eventually had to leave the country briefly. When
she returned she was given secure housing, but was eventually forced to
vacate because her neighbors were afraid she would attract terrorists.
A campaign was enacted to discredit Hirsi Ali and shed doubt on her
citizenship. In many cases people were afraid to be associated with her.
Some people, such as Christopher Hitchens, accused the Government of the
Netherlands of cowardice, saying it was shameful that they appeased
Muslims rather than defending freedom of speech in a country historically
known as a safe haven from religious persecution. Hitchens characterized
this as an example of “a supposedly liberal society collaborating in its own
destruction.” Hirsi Ali has been forced out of the Netherlands and is now a
citizen of the United States.
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