An upcoming conference to be held in Germany this weekend seeks to discuss the possibility of an EU-wide minaret ban. The conference, hosted by the German right-wing group called Pro-NRW, will be attended by other conservative parties from throughout Europe as they gather to “discuss the dangers of Islam.” Members of such parties see minarets as “symbols of radical Islam” and aggression, and Islam itself as something completely foreign and incompatible with Western life.
It’s interesting how people like Filip Dewinter, a member of the Flemish parliament, are attempting to paint Europe as the victim and Islam as the encroaching aggressor. Dewinter states, “We have a problem with our demography; we have a problem with our identity; we are embracing multi-culturalism.” Dewinter, referring to what he believes to be a continent-wide issue, sees the acceptance of multiculturalism as profoundly negative, and yet Europe is already moving in that direction. His words reflect an individual who has been unable to come to terms with the changing faces of increasingly globalized European countries.
