ISLAM AND THE WEST - 2

 As the title may suggest, I decided to write this series following the recent French government proposals to end ‘separatism’ in France. When I read the proposals on The Guardian, it included items like; ban Halal food in schools, ban swimming pools from offering separate times for men and women, spread the ban on headscarf from public to private sector, etc. However, there was almost nothing about how to get first and second generation immigrant populations out of ghettos, and how to improve their access to better housing, better education and better employment opportunities, steps which are realistically much more likely to end separatism.

 

When nations previously colonised other countries they often forced the native populations to give up their own culture and adopt the occupying power’s culture. Unfortunately, the practice still continues though in reverse order, previous colonial powers now expecting immigrants to give up their own culture and norms and adopt the host country’s ones.

The purpose of this write-up is to provide information about Islamic and Muslim cultural norms, about what is negotiable and what is not, and how an understanding of these can lead to much better integration between cultures that some countries have been able to achieve, NZ being a shining example of ‘how to’ in that regard.