Muslims in Europe, bearers of pluralism

Further to a 2008 survey by the Berlin Research Agency for Social Research indicating high levels of distrust or discomfort among European Muslims with Jews and gays, and high levels of support for religious law,  Jan Jaap de Ruiter provides some context and analysis of the survey.

A valid and justified conclusion to be drawn from the survey carried out by WZB should have been that there is indeed a lot of work to be done when it comes to fundamentalist tendencies among Muslims in Europe. An equally valid and justified conclusion, however, is that Muslims are no exception in a Europe in which many  ”native” populations are contending with dislike of Jews, hatred against gay people and all kinds of undemocratic tendencies. Furthermore, it shows that, in spite of everything, Muslims in Europe seem to be doing better when it comes to embracing diversity and democratic values ​​than Muslims in Islamic countries. In the U.S., it is Muslims that show less support for the law of God than the general American public.What all of this shows, if anything, is that Muslims can apparently be different and that they are able to change. So let that be the new frame.

Muslims in Europe, bearers of pluralism.