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Somehow different

Cultural differences are often regarded as the reason why integration processes fail. The European press has been considering what role issues like headscarves, the sharia, polygamy and of course religion play in understanding between different cultures.

Inside western Europe's largest mosque in Morden, London. The mosque
can accommodate up to 10,000 people. Photo: AP/Dave Caulkin

From the headscarf to Ramadan

Only a strong woman has the nerve to wear a headscarf nowadays, according to the cultural sociologist Brigitte Rahbek writing in the Danish daily Politiken. She put the headscarf debate in a historic context, tracing developments from the time of the prophet Mohammed, when only women from the higher classes were allowed to wear headscarves, to the present day. She also said that the number of girls wearing headscarves increased in proportion to the amount of negative propaganda there was against headscarves 04.07.2008
» Politiken (Danish)

"Integration” is the motto of the Justice Ministry, "provocation” the reaction of the right wing, wrote the daily Berlingske Tidene. While the ministry was looking for more volunteers to serve as jurors, the right-wing Danish People's Party had called in autumn 2008 for a law banning women from wearing headscarves in court. 06.06.2008
» Berlingske Tidene (Danish)

After a young woman was stoned to death in Somalia, the daily Jyllands-Posten drew attention to the conspicuous absence of protests by Muslims. 30.10.2008
» Jyllands-Posten (Danish)

The Danish daily Information asked in its weekend edition whether in Europe, where serial monogamy and patchwork families were quite usual, Muslim polygamous marriages shouldn't be acceptable as well. The issue arose in the context of an application for asylum by an Iraqi whose life was in danger in Iraq because he had worked for the Danish military and had therefore come to Denmark (where polygamy is illegal) with his two wives and three children. 30.05.2008
» Information (Danish)

In Ljubljana discussions were held about whether a mosque should be built in the city centre. In the course of the debate the Slovenian Večer carried a commentary citing the equality of religions laid down in the Slovenian Constitution. 23.12.2008
» Večer (Slovenian)

Cultural roots were a nostalgic metaphor in an increasingly globalised world, the Spanish writer José Luis Rodríguez del Corral commented in the Spanish daily Diario de Sevilla: "As the object of our affection or certain traditions there is nothing bad about them. But they can become dangerous when they are transformed into historical or cultural values that are considered imperative.” 03.04.2008
» Diario de Sevilla (Spanish)

In northern France a court postponed the trial of a burglar until after the Muslim month of fasting Ramadan. The French newspaper Le Figaro thought the court had acted wrongly: "Here the foundations of a united, secular France are being threatened ... and its values betrayed.” 08.09.2008
» Le Figaro (French)

Tolerance and intolerance:

The Portuguese daily Jornal de Notícias criticised as a sign of intolerance Cardinal D. José Policarpo's warning to Portuguese women that they should avoid marrying Muslims. "The Catholic Church cannot be intolerant towards other religions and expect them to respect it for its tolerance.” 16.01.2009
» Jornal de Notícias (Portuguese)

In a guest commentary in the Austrian daily Die Presse the journalist Detlef Kleinert pondered the limits of western tolerance towards Islam. "For Islamists – and here I stress that I don't mean all followers of Islam – integration means that western culture must become integrated in Islam." 06.06.2008
» Die Presse (German)

In Berlin a debate was held at the end of 2008 about whether religion should become an optional subject at state schools. The German daily die tageszeitung called instead for "lively ethics classes for everyone about how to live well.” A school that is fair to everyone could be one place where people get talking to one another, it said. 15.01.2009
» die tageszeitung (German)

Further articles on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Religion, » Integration, » Europe
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Religion, » Integration, » Europe