What Can Multicultural Theory Tell Us about Integrating Muslims in Europe?
| Author | Patti Tamara Lenard |
| Published date | 01 September 2010 |
| Date | 01 September 2010 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-9302.2010.00219.x |
| Subject Matter | Article |
What Can Multicultural Theory Tell Us about
Integrating Muslims in Europe?psr_219308..321
Patti Tamara Lenard
University of Ottawa
Across Europe and elsewhere we are witnessing a series of decisions, including attempts (successful and otherwise)
to ban the burka or the building of minarets on mosques, which seem to be made from a fear of ‘politicised
Muslims’ – Muslim residents and citizens in European countries – who are alleged to be irredeemably and
unambiguously anti-European and therefore anti-democratic.They are, additionally, frequently portrayed as taking
orders from fundamentalist regimes, or organisations, which operate from outside Europe and aim to destabilise
European political life. The debates and conflicts portrayed in the Swiss media in the week before the vote on
whether to ban the construction of minarets, for example, and in the days just afterwards, mirror those that have
been occupying European countries for the past several years. As I shall suggest in this article, these debates are
familiar to theorists of multiculturalism, and of liberal democracy more generally, and they press us to consider
whether the challenges (apparently) posed by Muslim integration are distinct from the challenges that have occupied
the attention of multicultural theorists in the past. Underpinning the analysis in this article is my view that the
principles that underpin multicultural theorising, principles that were developed in response to previous waves of
immigration, are able to guide us in developing fair terms of integration for Muslim citizens.
In November 2009, Swiss voters surprised those who were paying attention by unex-
pectedly voting in favour of a policy banning the construction of minarets on mosques.
In spite of the Swiss government’s best efforts to encourage citizens to reject the ban, a
last-minute ‘publicity’ campaign by the sponsoring party, portraying the apparent dangers
of political Islam, persuaded Swiss citizens of the importance of voting in its favour.This
unfortunate decision is another in a long line of decisions, in Europe and elsewhere,
which seem to be made from a fear of ‘politicised Muslims’, who are alleged to be
irredeemably and unambiguously anti-European and therefore anti-democratic.1They are,
additionally, frequently portrayed as taking orders from fundamentalist regimes, or organi-
sations, which operate from outside Europe and aim to destabilise European political life.
The debates and conflicts portrayed in the Swiss media in the week before the vote, and
in the days just afterwards, mirror those that have been occupying European countries for
the past several years.2As I shall suggest in this article, these debates are familiar to
theorists of multiculturalism, and of liberal democracy more generally, and they press us
to consider whether the challenges (apparently) posed by Muslim integration are distinct
from the challenges that have occupied the attention of multicultural theorists in the past.3
Underpinning the analysis in this article is my view that the principles that underpin
multicultural theorising, principles that were developed in response to previous waves of
immigration, are able to guide us in developing fair terms of integration for Muslim
citizens.
Before I begin, let me make a few observations about ‘multicultural theory’, which is a
rich literature, the depth of which I cannot do justice to here. First, I take it that the
POLITICAL STUDIES REVIEW: 2010 VOL 8, 308–321
doi: 10.1111/j.1478-9302.2010.00219.x
© 2010 TheAuthor. Journal compilation © 2010 Political Studies Association
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