The assimilation of Muslims is not taking place like the Europeans expected it to. Muslims are somehow continuing to practice their own beliefs. The way they dress, their awareness of what is halal and haram, the sacrifices they make, and their continuing practice of circumcision are all disappointing the Europeans. As Muslims bring their identities, which have been hidden for a long time, to the public sphere and as they become more and more visible, Islamophobia rises even more. Of course, the attacks of terrorist organizations like Daesh is fueling this fear too.There is now Islamophobia in addition to the rising racism and xenophobia among Europeans.
Today Europe is face to face with its own dilemma of Islam. Muslims constitute almost 15 percent of the population now. The third generation of Muslims is self-confident, they are demanding equality and pursuing a life in Europe with their own identities. Especially the Muslims of North African origins living in France and the Turks living in Germany are constituting homogenous communities. In order to solve their own dilemma of Islam and the relationship between Islam and Europe, Europeans started to discuss this issue by going back to its roots. “Is Islam a foreign element or is it European?” is the question on their minds. They are questioning Islam, meaning they are questioning the belief of Muslims. They are defining certain standards for being European and trying to impose these standards on Muslims.
A German minister and the president of the Christian Democrats have suggested the idea that Islam is not German. In France, a “French Islam” was proposed. Thus, they are labeling Islam as foreign and therefore also marginalizing it. They leave Muslims with two choices. Either to accept assimilation fearing that they might be ostracized or to leave Europe.
In the new period, Germany and France have started to manipulate the essence of Islam instead of resorting to assimilation policies. They have started to redefine Islam. German and French governments are going after to redesign Islam in accordance with their own political expectations. This is an engineering attempt. There appears a Europe that is imitating the Turkey of the single-party era. They actually expect that the same thing they did to Christianity with the reformation will happen to Islam as well. Christianity revolted against the church under Luther’s leadership and reformed the religion. They put an end to the singular and oppressive religious understanding of the church. Christians modernized. Christianity has had a run of bad luck. Today, even the Catholic church accepts homosexual marriages. There are gay churches being established.
The Islam Conference held in 2006 in Germany was also attempting to manipulate the essence of Islam. Another engineering project was being applied to Islam. States decided and invited certain Muslim groups that they think are thinking or acting in similar ways and tried to reform Islam. They are only considering their political and national concerns. They ate pork during this year’s conference. By reflecting the behavior Islam rejects the most in a conference held in the name of Islam, they are muddying the relations between Islam and Muslims. There are marginal groups that come to the fore with the names like “Secular Islam Initiative.” They are looking for a Martin Luther for Islam both in France (although a Catholic country) and in Germany. They are trying to develop an initiative that would trim Islam’s practices, which are contradicting modern European practices, and trying to weaken Islam.
Luther opposed the church with the help of German politicians. However, there was a sociology behind this. But we cannot say that they consider Muslim sociology in this case. Germany and France are acting so that they can overcome their fears. Of course, Muslims should respect the political existence of the states they live in or are passport-holders of. Their primary responsibility is to the sovereigns of the countries they live in and are a member of, rather than their countries of origin. However, they have the right to practice their religion without being subjected to any manipulation and tampering. Muslims states should also stop using European Muslims according to their political expectations as strategic means. Because no state would allow the masses within itself to become initiatives of other countries.
Europe has started to co-exist with Islam at a certain level. Similarly, Islam has started to co-exist with Europe… There are some people who want to bring this relationship to another level by tampering with Islam’s essence. That is why they try to say, “We are not against Islam, but we are against your interpretation of Islam.” They both try to relativize Islam and also tamper with it by trying to reform its essence. Thus, they try to implement the plan of “dragging Islam into a civil war,” which was practiced by the U.S. in the Middle East, this time in Europe once again. They are entrapping Muslims into deep disputes and conflicts. As a result, it would be a lot easier to assimilate the Muslims if they are segregated. However, Allah has his own plans made against the plans targeting His religion.
