Muslim Youth and Women in the West: Source of Concern or Source of Hope?

Appendix III: Mustapha Tlili’s Opening Statement

Madam Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Dr. Ursula Plassnik; Excellencies; Ladies and Gentlemen; Dear Colleagues and Friends:

What brings us here together today is a call for imaginative ideas, a call made urgent by events over the last few years, a call that would hasten the peaceful, harmonious, and more productive inclusion of Islam in the West, where communities of citizens ranging from 15 to 20 million in Europe and 4 to 6 million in the United States and Canada contribute daily to the welfare of their fellow citizens, but who regretfully often do not feel as appreciated as they should be — worse, they have become the object of increasing suspicion because of the misguided and most reprehensible activities of a few.

Let us not forget that the larger Muslim world is concerned about the fate of these communities.

Austria, where we gather today, has been, throughout its modern history, a link between the Muslim world and the West. It is a land in which the faith of citizens of Muslim origin is — by a law adopted in 1912 — established as equal to Christianity and Judaism in the eyes of the state and, consequently, entitled to the same privileges.

No wonder then, Madam Minister, that from the first day I was honored to meet with you to seek your support and the support of the Austrian government for this conference, you immediately came through. Since then, you and your colleagues in the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs have spared no effort to make this event, we hope, a successful undertaking.

Our success will be measured by the kind of policy recommendations that, if implemented by concerned actors, would further the integration of Western citizens of Muslim faith in the economic, social, cultural, and political fabric of their respective countries.

My thanks go also to the Danish Ministry of Refugee, Immigration, and Integration Affairs; The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Qatar Foundation; and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, as well as to Kronen Zeitung and its publisher, Herr Hans Dichand, for their financial and moral support. Nor should I forget our hosts, the staff of the Salzburg Global Seminar, for their marvelous facilities and services, and my staff who work tirelessly to make this conference possible.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, no one can ignore the truth of continuing misunderstandings and tensions that over the last few years have colored and framed the issue of Muslim communities in the West.

We at New York University Center for Dialogues: Islamic World–U.S.–The West, since the inception of the program in the aftermath of the tragic events of September 11, have focused on the Muslim–Western relationship in all its variations and diverse manifestations. The issue of Muslim communities in the West is part of the equation. Now, more than ever, as we have become, by a very recent decision of the leadership of NYU, a full–fledged center of the University under the name of the NYU Center for Dialogues: Islamic World–U.S.–The West, we recommit ourselves to the same focus. Our constant aim is to knock down the walls of misunderstanding and construct in their place bridges of communication based on reason and mutual respect. Our ultimate goal is to promote fruitful cooperation between civilizations and peace and security for all.

As we seek to provide the center with the necessary financial means to accomplish its task, we call on all governments, institutions, and individuals, Westerners and Muslims alike, who share our concerns and philosophy to lend us their support to help us accomplish our shared goals.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, the issues we are dealing with are complex issues weighed down by the heavy burden of historical memory, exacerbated by the distortions of globalization, often reduced to their most simplistic dimensions by the media and, unfortunately, often also instrumentalized for short–sighted gains by politicians heeding, sometimes cynically, the calls of electoral cycles. For these reasons, we have unfailingly sought to anchor our contribution to this challenging yet necessary conversation in the most current scholarship. We do so to provide a basis on which reasonable men and women can engage in the give–and–take of true dialogue based on facts. They can then agree or disagree on the interpretation of the facts and, in the end, maybe arrive at common ground that could lead to a better future for all.

Let me here express my gratitude to the group of very fine scholars, both American and European, who, over the last two years, assisted me in the preparations for this conference on “Muslim Youth and Women in the West: Source of Concern or Source of Hope?” All of them have been credited in the background paper that you have received.

We hope that you will find in the background material precisely the kind of springboard from which, in your diversity of backgrounds, professional expertise, faiths, and nationalities, you will, in the two days before us, come up with visionary policy recommendations. The goal of such recommendations should be to help all those concerned about these challenging questions — governments, parliaments, community leaders, faith leaders, security officials — to maximize the chances of citizens of Muslim faith to attain full and equal citizenship so that one would no longer be referred to first by faith and then by nationality, but rather would be seen, like all his or her fellow citizens of other faiths or without faith, simply as an Austrian citizen, a French citizen, a German citizen, or an American citizen — full stop.

As we state in the conclusions of the background paper, these are not easy times to determine the right terms for the integration of Muslim communities in the West, and in Europe, in particular. Tensions between the Muslim and Western worlds are reverberating within Muslim communities in the West. The search for identity as far as Europe is concerned (among individuals, states, and Europe as a whole) is exacerbated by internal factors, such as economic and social problems, and cultural clashes, as well as external factors, such as international conflicts and the struggle against transnational terrorism.

Clearly the path of full inclusion is a challenging path, but both the United States and Europe in their modern history have successfully taken up similar challenges. Until the 1960s, most European states were countries of temporary migration, and governments and the public were ill–prepared for the challenges of long–term immigration. After decades of uninterrupted residence, immigrants and their descendants became citizens and the idea that settlement is temporary became an illusion. Ethnic and religious pluralism is a new social fact. It compels governments and social partners to take the lead in rethinking the obligations that tie citizens to the state and citizens to each other.

A new social pact — indeed, a new “citizenship pact” — must be formed that allows for pluralism and diversity. Social equality became possible after World War II because reciprocity subsumed the class divide. The pact of reciprocal obligation must now be rewritten to include Muslims and other groups of immigrants who do not seamlessly blend into the national community as it was defined in the past.

Indeed, throughout Europe, large and growing Muslim communities are experiencing a set of challenges that are similar between these communities and among their adopted countries. Generally referred to as problems of integration, these challenges can be broadly divided into two categories: those concerning the private sphere, which includes personal faith and moral values, and those concerning the public sphere, which includes education, employment, political participation, and what might be called the civic culture — i.e., the ideological and cultural norms generally accepted by most citizens.

As the conference’s background paper clearly indicates, American Muslims are far better integrated, at least economically and socially, than European Muslims. Concerning Europe, the time has come, we believe, for all stakeholders — governments, ethnic associations, employers, educational institutions, faith leaders, and others — to develop and define what might become a “citizenship pact.” This might best be initiated at the European Union level. As a set of institutions with binding decision–making powers, the EU is capable of providing guidance and leadership beyond the limitations of sovereign states.

As I envision it, this citizenship pact would be an understanding — a set of principles — of what is expected from Muslim citizens as well as from all citizens, spelling out obligations and rights in a clear way. Obligations incumbent upon both citizens and the state should include adherence to the law; respect for faith and private beliefs — belief (religious or moral) should not be a litmus test for citizenship; acceptance of the duties required of citizens (military service, for example), even if these might put one in conflict with personal faith; and sole allegiance to the country of citizenship, its interests, and above all, its security. Rights should include freedom from state interference in private belief, as well as a recommitment to social citizenship by the state in the fields of education, employment, and security for citizens; economic and social opportunity; legal justice without discrimination; and a commitment by the state to combat discrimination in employment, housing, and education. Such a mutual commitment, particularly as it concerns youth, would mirror the social citizenship understandings of the period after the Second World War — the so–called “postwar settlement” — that served to bridge the class gap that had deeply divided Europe since the 19th century.

Muslim women’s right to choose for themselves if they want to wear the headscarf or not, as well as to work and have careers or to observe their interpretation of what Islam requires of them, is a particularly difficult issue. Full gender equality, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally binding instruments, should, in all circumstances, supersede any other consideration.

The process of defining and developing a citizenship pact at the European level might include

parliamentary hearings in European countries with significant Muslim populations in order for employers, educators, experts, associational representatives, and others to gather information on grievances and suggested remedies;
an open process at the EU level, modeled after the European “Constitutional Convention,” that would include studies and surveys to provide factual background on the current situation; and
an eminent persons committee to make policy recommendations and draft a fair, objective, and forward–looking citizenship pact that would undercut the basis of support for extremism.

What I am proposing is undoubtedly an ambitious program that might take years to articulate and carry out. We will explore together these challenges, including in the roundtable this morning, in the general debate of this afternoon, and tomorrow in the three working groups on security, integration best practices, and religious practice.

In conclusion — are the challenges worth our effort? As Bob Dylan would say, times are changin’. But, unfortunately, we have to admit that they are not on the whole changing for the best. In order to prevent rejection and alienation, which surveys have shown to lead to radicalization and sometimes violence, all those concerned — and I repeat: governments, ethnic associations, employers, educational institutions, faith leaders, and others — would need to exert a concerted effort to develop the new citizenship pact that I am proposing. Times will still be changing, but for the best, one might hope. As we conclude in the background paper, “As citizens, reassured in the integrity of their private values but in full agreement with the encompassing legal system of their adopted countries and their civic cultures, Western Muslims could become an inspiration for the larger Muslim world as it struggles to strike a balance between faith, tradition, and modernity. The harmonious integration of Muslim communities in the West could also lead to a more peaceful and productive relationship between the West and the Muslim world.”

You, Madam Minister, have worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between the two worlds. I am honored to give you the floor.

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