State of Fear

One thing that I never have had the chance to explore in my life is Arab culture. In Belgium, like many other places in Europe there is a very strong influence from that part of the world. However, it brings a lot of dispute when the question of integration into society is brought up. One of the things that Belgian citizens are concerned about is having people from the middle east and northern Africa come into their county to "exploit" their system and refuse to integrate into their society at the same time. Because of the high number of people from these parts of the world it is easy for them to come and not even have to learn the language of the area. In certain parts of Charleroi, one can stumble upon neighborhoods where the signs are no longer in French; only Arabic can be found. Another element that frightens the Belgian community is that they worry that this lack of commitment to their way of life from these immigrants is a push to impose their way on the already established society. It is not even specifically the "Arab" way of life, which frightens them, but more so the religion brought with them.

In today society Islam is perhaps the most feared religion in the world. In countries that were formed by predominately Catholics it is not hard to imagine why this contrast in beliefs would cause a problem. Although countries in the European Union cannot discriminate based on religion, they still have difficulties permitting certain acts. For example the wearing of a head scarf in schools is forbidden in some places despite the fact that it is written in the Qur'an that it must be worn. As one Muslim girl in my class pointed out. "that is discrimination because it is written that they (head scarves) are to be worn. It is covering your whole body that is a choice." She thought that it was alright for schools and public spaces to say that the burka was not allowed because it was a personal choice by a family. However by forbidding the head scarf, they are talking away their right to practice their religion. Another boy in my class responded that he felt it unfair that when he takes his vacations to Muslim countries, his mother and sisters are forced to cover themselves even at the beach because they have to respect the Muslim practices and beliefs, which are practiced there. "If we have to follow their rules in there country, they must do the same thing !"

On a governmental level there is the situation of Turkey. Turkey is a long standing applicant for joining the EU, however due to many different reasons, they have been kept on hold. One of the reasons against having this country part of the European super power is that it is a Muslim run state. The EU offers religious freedom and does not "favor" one religion. In Turkey, the government gives money to  practitioners of one branch of Islam. It is a crime to be a Muslim and change your mind. In addition to other restrictions brought onto every day life by the prevalence of religion in the Turkish government, the EU is extra hesitant to adding a country such as this. Turkey would become one of the most populated countries in the union, which would give the Muslim population a very large say in proceedings. They are afraid to give this much control to this group of people, and therefore Turkey remains on the waiting list.

Islam is a very sensitive topic in both the U.S. and in the E.U. and with so many strong opinions on the subject, it can be difficult to find what things are true and which ones are simply rooted in fear. Though at it's base Islam is one of the most peaceful religions, it is sad to me that a group of extremists and corrupted it's image. I hope that I can learn more about this religion before returning home.