In the Poldermosque in Amsterdam, a diverse audience gathered on 12 November 2010 for an ‘honest conversation’ with British imam Ajmal Masroor on the issue of Islam in Europe. The evening was hosted by the Dutch branch of the European Peacemaker Network (EPN), a movement of young Muslims motivated to spread a peaceful message about Islam. One of their activities is a biannual training themed ‘Learning to be a Peacemaker’, facilitated by Ajmal Masroor in Initiatives of Change’s conference centre in Caux, Switzerland. As a follow-up, Ajmal visited the Netherlands to deliver a ‘train-the-trainer’ course to some fifteen European young Muslims, which provided an ideal occasion for a wider discussion with him on the situation of Muslims in Britain as well as in the Netherlands.
Ajmal opened the evening with the claim that the multicultural model has worked very well in Britain. In the last forty years he has seen tremendous change happening: while during his childhood isolation and racism were common and accepted, at present Muslims are well-represented and well-respected in local politics and businesses. Britain now counts over a thousand mosques to provide for the needs of the Muslim communities, and the curries brought by Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants have in fact become Britain’s most-eaten food.
Nevertheless, the picture is not entirely rosy. The majority of those 1000 mosques do not offer adequate services for women and youth, ‘import-imams’ from small rural villages in the country of origin are still more common than well-integrated, English-speaking ones, and the older generation in some Muslim communities is loath to allow their offspring to take over (and adjust) the management of mosques and other social institutions.
For the British multicultural model to continue its success, Ajmal insists that integration must be viewed as a two-way process. It is not just the immigrants who must adapt, it is also the society itself that must make a harmonious life together possible for all its different constituents. For example, young delinquents from Muslim backgrounds must be helped by society, rather than punished. But the Muslim communities themselves should also take responsibility, Ajmal emphasised. Mosques should have youth clubs attached to them so the young generation will feel that their presence is valued and their voice is heard. To stimulate encounters between Muslim and non-Muslim youngsters, different places and ways of socialising should be available than merely alcohol-based bars and nightclubs. Moreover, a proportional participation in local and national politics, as well as visible role models in all walks of life, are vital to show Muslim youth that they have a contribution to make to their societies. Because, as Ajmal concluded the discussion with his predominantly youthful audience: where your parents came from is no longer the issue; one’s identity is determined by where one lives. As Islamic tradition itself points out, your neighbour is ‘the one whose door is nearest to yours’. And that is a motto that Muslims and non-Muslims alike, whether in Britain or the Netherlands, are well-advised to keep in mind.
Tessa Calkhoven
English