18 November 2011

‘Antagonism towards icons of Islam spreading in Europe’

European women see the Hijab as a threat to their emancipation and the icons of Islam are equated with terrorism in Europe.

These views were expressed by Anwar Shaheen, Assistant Professor at the Pakistan Studies Centre, University of Karachi (KU), on the final day of the two-day seminar, “Islam in Europe” ....

Both cultures, she said, were colliding and what was even more undesirable was that they were donning a religious garb. Actually, she said, the matter was more cultural than religious. She said that it was generally felt in those European countries where there were large Muslim populations that the Muslims were enforcing their “fundamentalism” on Europe.

Muslims in Europe, she said, may be multicultural but only to the extent that they were accepting of other cultures. “They could never think of taking up aspects of the host culture. They shy away from assimilation which creates misgivings among the host populations.” [The News International] Read more