OZDEMIR: EUROPE SHOULD BUILD ITS OWN ISLAMIC CULTURE MAHINUR OZDEMIR
Today’s Zaman
30 January 2010, Saturday
A Belgian deputy of Turkish origin in the Brussels Regional
Parliament has defined the absence of an Islamic culture containing
European elements as one of the main causes triggering xenophobia and
Islamophobia, especially against the Muslim minority living in Europe,
and has urged European authorities to take steps towards building up
a European Islam which she thinks will accelerate the integration of
Muslim immigrants in Europe.
According to Mahinur Ozdemir, the most effective way to tackle
religious radicalism in Europe and to fight extremism is to create
a European Islam.
"That would also pave the way for non-Muslim Europeans to have
a closer look at Islam and get to know European Muslims better,"
Ozdemir told Today’s Zaman in an exclusive interview.
She also expressed her hope that such an initiative accompanied by the
expansion of tolerance in Europe would decrease the risk of religious
confrontation "because it would result in providing people who have
prejudices against Islam with a greater knowledge of the subject,"
she emphasized.
Ozdemir underlined that just as Islamic principles have been introduced
into different societies, some cultural aspects of these societies
which do not contradict the basic pillars of the religion have also
had an effect on how Muslims interpret Islam.
The Turkish-Belgian deputy maintained that a European Islam would
definitely help European decision-makers and facilitate the integration
process of immigrants, most of whom are Muslim, into European society.
"It will be more beneficial for Europe to have an Islam with
a European approach rather than a Moroccan or Algerian-oriented
Islam or an extremist view of Islam that creates the opportunity for
radical organizations to attract more interest," she said. A Belgian
Muslim of Turkish origin, Ozdemir said that she has encountered many
Christian deputies in parliament who are keen to find answers to
their questions on Islam and has had several conversations with her
non-Muslim colleagues on the matter. "As a devout Muslim, which is
visible because of my headscarf, they ask me questions about Islam,"
she said, defining these conversations as a humble platform for
cultural and religious dialog.
Ozdemir was the first headscarved deputy of any of the parliaments in
Europe and was elected to the Brussels regional capital parliament
in June 2009, an event which kicked off a controversial debate on
secularism, the Muslim minority’s political rights and the political
engagement of European Turks.
Ozdemir, the youngest member of the Brussels Regional Parliament,
complained about the Turkish media’s increased interest in her after
the election and said she does not want to appear in the news just
because she wears a headscarf. "The media showed great interest in my
election. It was unprecedented that at the opening of parliament, there
were more reporters than deputies. This was because of my headscarf,
and it is disturbing because I want to be mentioned for my work in
parliament," she said.
The young politician voiced her criticism to Belgian reporters for
not accepting her as a Belgian citizen. "At my inaugural ceremony,
some of the local reporters in attendance told me that the headscarf
is banned in ‘your country,’ referring to the headscarf ban in Turkish
universities and Parliament. They were surprised when I told them
my country is Belgium. This is my country." She highlighted the
inconsistency of European attitudes towards Turkey, arguing that
most of the European secularists applauded the country’s critical
stance on the headscarf; however, they also accuse Turkey of not
being a democratic country, although secularism and democracy are
not separate things.
Commenting on the headscarf ban in Turkey’s universities she noted
that for her the ban is not ethical. "The headscarf cannot prevent
people from enjoying a human right — access to education. I hope
this problem will be resolved as soon as possible," she said.