Coexistence and multiculturalism

Mohammad  Reza  Qasemi                                                                                                                                                                 Nov  26,  2014       Coexistence  and  multiculturalism:  A  Brief  Analysis  of  David  Cameron  and   Angela  Merkel’s  Speech  on  the  Failure  of  Multiculturalism              After   the   WW2   and   during   the   cold   war,   many   terms   and   notions   started   to   emerge  such  as  human  rights,  fight  against  discrimination,  peaceful  coexistence;   which   in   some   western   and   most   developed   countries   like   Germany,   UK,   US,   Australia,   and   Canada   such   terms   and   values   tended   to   turn   out   in   a   much   broader   and   content   feature,   which   is   called   ‘’multiculturalism’’.   Hence,   multiculturalism   is   assumed   to   comprise   almost  all   of   the   values   that   mentioned   in  the  previous  sentences.  Although  countries  like  Germany,  UK  and  the  US  has   been   pioneer   to   opening   their   doors   to   the   rest   of   the   world,   cultures   and   religions   to   live   and   experience   peaceful   coexistence   as   well   as   to   absorb   new   human   capitals   through   relatively   skilled   immigrants,   but   this   is   Canada   that   is   assumed  as  the  most  successful  case  of  multiculturalism  among  them.1     Canada   has   been   enjoying   and   getting   benefit   of   its   multiculturalism   policy   (MCPs)   since   the   last   four   decades,   and   contrary   to   the   other   western   nations,   and   Canada   remains   the   only   country   that   enshrines   ‘multiculturalism’   in   its   constitution.   2  And   according   Adams   Michael   (2007),   immigrants   are   more   tended  to  live  as  real  citizens,  to  vote,  to  run  for  elections;  rather  than  living  as   labor  resources  as  many  other  western  societies,  because  we  might  face  with  less   sense   of   discrimination   in   Canada   than   the   other   developed   western   countries   (Adams,  2007).              Although   the   system   of   acceptance   of   immigrants   by   Canadian   government   (selective  policy)  might  be  a  little  different  than  other  western  democracies,  but   still   multiculturalism   has   been   accepted   and   even   institutionalized   by   the   Canadian   citizens.   Hence,   this   aspect   differentiates   the   level   of   success   of   Canada   in  terms  of  multiculturalism  from  its  other  counterparts.                  I   watched   the   Prime   Minister   David   Cameron’s   speech   at   a   security   conference   in   Munich   in   early   February   2011,   and   read   what   German   Chancellor   Angela   Merkel  expressed  at  the  congress  of  the  youth  wing  of  the  CDU,  Junge  Union,  in   Potsdam,  October  16,  2010 about  the  failure  of  multiculturalism  policies  in  their   societies.   What   I   have   got   from   their   speech   is   that   their   expressions   reflect   mainly  the  contemporary  security  problems  in  their  societies  as  well  as  beyond   their  countries’  borders,  and  their  assumption  is  both  based  on  the  shortages  of   multiculturalism   that   have   caused   them   insecurity   and   ‘’lack   of   a   pure   national   identity’’  in  both  countries.              I   do   not   display   that   Prime   Minister   David   Cameron’s   or   Angela   Merkel’s   expressions   are   inappropriate,   rather   what   I   desire   to   illustrate   is   that   Mr.   Cameron  as  a  conservative  and  Christian  politician  and  Mrs.  Merkel  as  the  head                                                                                                                   1  Kymlicka  W.  (2010)  ‘’Multiculturalism:  Success,  Failure,  and  the  Future’’,  Transatlantic  Council  

for  Migration  &  Migration  Policy  Institute,  Queen’s  University,  February,  2012,  Pp.  10     2  Ibid,  Pp.  10  

of   Christian   Democratic   Union   (CDU)   of   Germany,3  and   mainly   their   direct   and   indirect   accusation   against   Islamic   extremism   easily   show   their   intention   and   perception  of  coexistence  of  different  peoples  in  their  societies.  Mainly  both  have   tried   to   indirectly   express   their   dissatisfaction   regarding   the   coexistence   of   different  religions  with  each  other  particularly  the  Islam.  David  Cameron  argues   that   UK   needs   a   stronger   national   identity,   and   expresses   his   displeasure   specifically  of  Muslim  community.4  Also  Merkel  is  under  pressure  of  her  CDU  to   take   tougher   measures   against   immigrants   who   are   not   willing   to   adapt   to   German   culture   and   values,   and   in   order   to   satisfy   her   CDU   she   expressed   that   allowing   different   people   living   side   by   side   without   integrating   them   to   German   Society  has  not  worked  in  Germany.5            In   response   to   Prime   Minister   Cameron’s   expressions,   Inayat   Bunglawala   from   Muslims4Uk   says   that   ‘’  …  a  larger  number  of  Muslims  have  been  living  in  the   UK  since  1960s,  and  there  was  not  any  threat  to  UK  along  those  decades  until  the   end   of   20th   century,   but   what   happened   was   after   2001,   …   the   invasion   of   Afghanistan,   the   invasion   of   Iraq,   that   caused   a   wave   a   radicalization   among   some   Muslim  youths,  this  issue  should  be  addressed,  and  terrorism  or  radicalization  has   nothing   to   do   with   UK   Muslims   integration,   Muslims   are   happy   to   integrate   to   British  society,  ...  but  Prime  Minister  David  Cameron  firing  at  a  wrong  target.’’6              What   we   understand   from   the   above   expressions   by   UK   and   German   politicians   and   the   expression   of   a   UK   Muslim   young   man,   is   that   multiculturalism   has   had   its   contribution   to   a   more   peaceful   coexistence   of   different   cultures,   religions,   languages,   and   values   within   a   specific   national   identity  of  the  host  country  in  the  context  of  globalization  and  democratization   wave   in   many   western   countries.   The   issues   of   radicalization,   terrorism,   and   threat  to  security  need  to  be  distinguished  from  multiculturalism,  which  is  based   on   global   fight   against   discrimination,   human   rights,   peaceful   coexistence,   and   democratic  values.  

                                                                                                                3  Reuters:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/16/us-­‐germany-­‐merkel-­‐immigration-­‐ idUSTRE69F1K320101016  accessed  Nov  26,  2014   4  BBC:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-­‐politics-­‐12371994  accessed  Nov  26,  2014     5  Ibid,  Reuters   6  Ibid,  BBC