Muslims are the transformative power of Europe: Expert on Islam

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Monday 08 Feb 2016 - 10:22 Makkah mean time-29-4-1437 Istanbul, (IINA) - As rising far-right anti-Islam protests have shaken the European continent, European Muslims would be both a "deconstructive and transformative power" of Europe, prominent Turkish sociologist Nilüfer Göle said in her latest book launch organized by the Istanbul Policy Center, Daily Sabah Turkish news reported. "What would save Europe is to build public culture through patience, learning from one another and using the power of understanding," Göle wrote, stressing the importance of reciprocal communication and dialogue between Muslims and Europeans in the making of a new European society. Her book titled "European Muslims in Daily Life: Research on Muslim Controversies in the European Public Arena" reflects the findings of four years of field research in various European capitals, trying to seek an answer to her question if "it [is] possible to live in unity in Europe?" Göle considers "the issue of misunderstanding" and "the fallacy of interpretation" as two important problems in today's European society. According to Göle, ongoing discussions in European media and political leaders' discourse on Islam, Muslim communities, migrants and refugees have impoverished the European public space while making dialogue in the public arena impossible. Therefore, in her research, she centers on public space and individual voices by examining controversies concerning Islam and European culture. The increasing visibility of Islam in European public space like rising demand for halal foods and the architecture of mosques have led to the emergence of controversies between Europeans and Muslims in public spaces while also redefining it. Göle brought European Muslims and Europeans together for her research in order to lead them to talk and build a dialogue. However, this was not an easy task, as many were not open to dialogue. Intolerance and hatred toward Muslims and refugees increasingly prevails in Europe. The possibility of building social dialogue seems to be a remote possibility. European cities have become scenes of violence toward Muslims and migrants. Thousands of people took part in far-right anti-Islam protests last weekend and clashed with pro-immigration groups. Organized by the right-wing movement Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the Occident (PEGIDA), it was one of the biggest coordinated series of anti-Islam demonstrations in Europe. The Dresden-based far-right group became more prominent in Germany after it spread to other European cities in Denmark and Austria. The far-right groups' demonstrations started with small-scale, anti-Islam rallies in Germany, and it has gained social grounding in many European cities. Since October 2014, Germany has witnessed several anti-Islam demonstrations and racially motivated attacks organized by far-right extremist groups. SM/IINA