Islamophobia In Europe: Quran Burning And Hijab Ban Become Political Tools For Winning Elections
40
People Are Injured In Riots Over Quran Burning In Sweden
Main
Points:
1. Right Wing
politician Rasmus Paludan burns Quran and triggers riots.
2. Paludan is
to stand for elections in September.
3. Marine Le
Pen declares she will ban Hijab if she wins French Presidential elections.
4. French
elections are going to be held next week.
5. Paludan 's
party Stram Kurs is based on Islamophobia.
----
By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
20 April
2022
Sweden has been rocked by days of
violence triggered by far-right Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan/
Photo: DW Made for Minds
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On Friday
the 16th April, an otherwise peaceful country Sweden in Northern Europe witnessed
the worst communal riots that continued till Sunday. More than 40 people were
injured in clashes with police in Linkoping, Norkoping and Malmo. The cause of
the riots was anti-Muslim rallies by right wing politician Rasmus Paludan and
his plan to burn the Quran. He posted a picture of himself with a burning
Quran.
Paludan is
a Danish politician who has recently been granted Swedish citizenship and plans
to run for the 2022 general elections of Sweden to be held September. He
founded his own party Stram Kurs which means Extremist in 2017. His party is
based on Islamophobia and anti-immigrant ideology. He has been regularly
organising anti-Muslim rallies spreading Islamophobia.
Paludan had
represented Stram Kurs Party in the 2018 general elections but his party got
only 1.8 per cent votes. Therefore, this time he has intensified his campaign
against Muslims and immigrants and what better issue than Qran burning to
garner votes.
Rasmus
Paludan had been jailed for racism and other offences in 2020. In April 2020,
he had sparked riots by burning the Quran. This shows that he has a racist
mindset and does not respect other religions.
Smoke billows from burning tyres and
pallets and fireworks as a few hundred protesters riot in the Rosengard neighbourhood
of Malmo, Sweden, Friday. (TT news agency via AP)
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The Islamic
world has strongly condemned Rasmus Paludan's act and has blamed him for
provoking and hurting the sentiments of Muslims. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran,
Egypt and Jordan are some of the countries that have issued strongly worded
statements against Paludan.
But the
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson defended Paludan by saying that in
Sweden, people are allowed to express their opinions, whether they are good or
bad in taste and termed it a part of their democracy. She said that no matter
what the Muslims thought about Quran burning, they must never resort to
violence as it will not be accepted.
This puts a
challenge to the Muslims. The majority of the Muslims in Sweden are immigrants
from South Asian or African countries where showing disrespect to religious
figures or signs tantamount to blasphemy or an attempt at causing enmity or
hatred between religious communities. Even in India, such acts are booked under
blasphemy. Indian artist M.F. Hussain had to leave India after he committed
blasphemy against the Hindu goddesses. But in the western countries, Quran
burning or cartoons of the prophet are considered expression of opinion. This
cultural gap is at the root of the problem.
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Also
Read: Burning the Quran in Sweden: How Should Muslims Respond?
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The western
values are insensitive to the religious sentiments of the Muslims and the
Muslims do not know how to react to blasphemy in new cultural milieu. They do
what they did in India, Pakistan, Egypt or Nigeria: kill and be killed for
religion. More so because, the immigrant population is largely illiterate or
semi literate, unemployed and frustrated lot. They dont understand that by
indulging in violence, they only benefit politicians like Paludan as the
Swedish Prime Minister said. Every time Paludan organises an anti -Muslim and
Quran burning ceremony, the Muslims run riot, clash with police and burn and
damage public property. This only vindicates Paludan's position on Muslims and
more people support his ideology. It would be better if in response to
Paludan's 'burn a Quran' ceremony, Muslims held 'Kiss a Bible' ceremony. The
common Christians of Sweden do not support Paludan's ideology demonstrated in
1.8 per cent votes but they also don't support violence and rioting by Muslims.
One priest of a local chrch rang church bell continuously during an anti-Muslim
rally organised by Paludan to disrupt his speech. By doing so the priest showed
his disagreement with Paludan's views.
A similar
Islamophobic atmosphere is being created in France, the home to biggest Muslim
population in Western Europe. There, Hijab along with immigration is also a
political tool which is being used to garner votes in the forthcoming
Presidential elections to be held next week. Macron had used Islamophobia last
year by stirring a controversy with his 'Islam in crisis' remark and then
taking a number of steps against French Muslims including closure of a number
of mosques. This was done with an eye on the elections. However, he has
softened his stand on Islam and Muslims, mosques and hijab and has stressed on
climate change.
On the
other hand, his rival candidate Marine Le Pen has made hijab an election issue
and has declared that if she wins the elections, wearing hijab will be made a
criminal offence. She has said that Muslim women wear hijab as an Islamist
uniform and it should be banned in public space.
This evoked
reaction not only from Muslim women but also from intellectuals and lawyers of
France. They said that banning hijab totally is against the constitution of
France. A Muslim hijab wearing lady confronted Le Pen during an election
campaign in a fish market in Pertuis. Here is the conversation :
Muslim
lady: What is the headscarf doing in politics ? Please leave us alone. We are
French. We love our country.
Le Pen: Headscarf is a uniform imposed
overtime by people who have a radical vision of Islam.
Muslim
Lady: That's not
true. I started to wear the veil when I was an older woman. For me, it is a
sign of being a grandmother.
Similarly,
a Muslim lady confronted Macron who had earlier said that hijab destabilised
male-female relationship. Macron told her that the issue of hijab was not an
obsession for him.
Protesters hold a placard reading
'Veiled or not veiled, we want equality' as they take part in a demonstration
in Perpignan, Southwestern France [File: Raymond Roig/AFP]
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The entire
issue of hijab or Quran burning or reacting to Quran burning, therefore, seems
to be a case of cultural gap, individual perception and Islamophobia. The
western people are not aware of cultural traditions and values of Muslims or
Asians and look at Muslims from the prism of their own cultural values. Muslims
every where have their own traditional way of reacting to religious provocation
and that is violence.
The problem
will persist if both the cultural entities do not find a middle path by
understanding the cultural and religious sensitivities of each other and
respecting each other. At the least, religious symbols and signs should not be
made a political tool to win an election.
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