Main focus of Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Islamisation of Europe is a red herring

The success of the right-wing populists in Sweden is being interpreted in public debate as a sign of growing xenophobia directed above all against Muslims. But commentators say fears of an Islamisation of Europe are unreasonable and distract from the issues at hand.

Consumption trumps Sharia

The right-wing populist Sweden Democrats were able to gain seats in parliament owing to the fear of Islamisation they propagate, writes columnist Henk Hofland in the liberal daily NRC Handelsblad. He points out that Europe has no intention of letting itself be Islamised: "Why do Muslims come to Europe? Primarily for the same reasons all immigrants come here. Their countries of origin offer no chance of a decent life. It's not that they receive secret orders from imperialist imams. ... It's ridiculous to believe that Europe would ever allow itself to be Islamised. In the past 50 years the West has attained an almost unprecedented secular force of attraction which no religion can match: consumption. This force offers endless possibilities for worldly pleasure. Naturally it has its disadvantages, but if handled astutely the next generation of Muslims will be consumers. Then it will have defeated Sharia." (23/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Migration, » Sweden
All available articles from » Henk Hofland

Right-wing populism en vogue

Politicians blame foreigners for everything when Europe is in crisis, writes the left-leaning daily Dnevnik with an eye to the success of right-wing populists in Sweden and elsewhere: "This applies to poor countries as well as rich. Only last year it was fashionable to look down one's nose at Switzerland after a referendum banned the construction of minarets there. ... Very interesting. Twenty percent of those living in Switzerland are immigrants. Switzerland, which does not belong to the EU, still seems liberal towards foreigners. In Italy, which has built up a modern political system on xenophobia, only six percent of the population are foreigners. In Britain it's just ten percent. In Sweden, the most recent country to have discovered this trend, nine percent of the population are of non-Scandinavian origin. Whenever the continent is in crisis, people blame and systematically lash out at foreigners. They're a handy target because there are so few of them." (23/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Europe
All available articles from » Ervin Hladnik-Milharcic

The older generations vote for the Right

The success of the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats is down to one central reason, writes political scientist Yohann Aucante in the daily Le Monde: "With the 31-year-old activist Jimmie Åkesson at its head, the party stems from the radical and xenophobic right wing that nourishes many splinter groups in Scandinavia. Nevertheless it has introduced a novelty by targeting the questions of immigration, security and social welfare which has allowed it to broaden its audience - notably among the aged. Already well established in the south of Sweden, the Sweden Democrats have now made considerable inroads - if not always at the same rate - into the rest of the country. ... In many ways this evolution finally situates Sweden in the European context where more or less xenophobic right-wing formations are part and parcel of political life." (22/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Sweden
All available articles from » Yohann Aucante

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