الإسلام والغرب: نحو عالم أفضل

Islam and the West… for a better world @

Those born in Europe and those Muslims who speak European languages - The original European Muslims (for example from the Balkans or Andalusia) - the growing number of Europeans who have converted to Islam. The latest figures from the Central Islam Archive Institute of Germany (Zentralinstituts Islam-Archiv Deutschland - ZIAD) show that in 2005 alone a total of 14,86 million Muslims lived in the 25 EU states. 1. The Significance of the European Muslims The very existence of the European Muslims is proof enough that Huntington’s Thesis of a clash of cultures is false. As a German Muslim one can love, for example, Goethe und Schiller – while remaining at the same time a Muslim. Moreover the example of the Muslims of Bosnia or Kosovo also clearly demonstrates the possibility of the unity of Europeans und Islamic culture. It is no coincidence that Huntington’s book “The Clash of Civilisations” on the supposedly imminent clash of cultures does not mention a single word about the phenomenon of Islam in the Balkans. God only knows, but one cannot claim that Islam was the aggressor in this case; still less can one claim that Islam embodies a foreign culture or religion. 2. Islam is not a Culture but Creates Cultures From a European point of view, the matter is clear: Islam is not a culture but it produces cultures. For this reason as a German or French person it is quite possible for me to become a Muslim without having to deny my cultural background. If we study the history of Cordoba or Sarajevo then this fact also quickly becomes obvious. Indeed it is clear that Islam brings forth cultures, but is not itself a culture. Indeed it is very important to reiterate this point: the reason for this is demonstrated by the following figures: the Allensbach Public Opinion Research Institute in its most recent monthly survey for the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” newspaper (FAZ) came to the conclusion that the majority of the Germans perceive there is a

-46-

Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter