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

Appendix IV: Address of Dr. Ursula Plassnik, Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs

Secretary General of the OSCE Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, UN Special Envoy Iqbal Riza, Director Mustapha Tlili, Senior Vice President of the Salzburg Global Seminar Edward Mortimer, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I cordially welcome you to Salzburg.

Muslim youth and women in particular are often in the forefront of discussion over integration and the relationship between Islam and the West.

Often they become the “yardsticks” for successful or failed integration policy, and often they are styled as “victims” and see themselves as “discriminated against.” At the same time, however, young Muslim men and women partly change the old hierarchies in gender relationships and are thus agents of change in the transformation of Muslim families and communities.

Quite apart from the religious background aspect of the debate, it is generally accepted that in today’s world the great theme “identity and integration” poses many new and sophisticated challenges particularly for women and young people.

This is reason enough to look into their basic situation, concerns, threats, problems, expectations, and opportunities and to devote due attention to them.

Often we lack—and I say this with self–criticism — a differentiating approach, and we must look behind reproaches and stereotypes if we want to develop concrete solutions to current problems.

After all, we want to talk frankly about problem areas and approaches to solutions at this event.

Too many young people with immigrant backgrounds have no education, no job, little or no prospects for economic independence and social ascendancy, or to put it concisely — for a life as they would like to envision it. And — if you believe in statistical data — this applies to a greater extent to male youths than to female youths.

We know that a lack of future prospects and a feeling of exclusion or of being deliberately excluded leads to a propensity for religious and political radicalization.

In the diversity “of forming an Islamic identity,” there are many young people and women who consciously and actively develop a European — Islamic identity.

Muslim women and the way they dress, the question of whether this is a visual sign of nonintegration and nonacceptance of European values, have been discussed for years. The fact that even clothing is a delicate subject, and one which is not strictly private but involves aspects of legal and social policy, has already been appreciated prior to the Sahin vs. Turkey case and the respective judgment set down in 2005 by the European Court of Human Rights, which dealt with the subject in a very careful and conscientious manner.

At the same time, Muslim women are increasingly successful in their striving for equal education and professional training, as well as equal opportunities in the labor market.

Ladies and Gentlemen, a few words on Europe.

In modern Europe, diversity is a reality that had been ferociously pursued and contested at the same time until it was finally achieved. Meanwhile, it has become the recognized — even the energizing — core of our European self — conception. The daily application of pluralism is the truly successful “management concept” of our specific European life model. Europeans are turning out to be masters in the management of diversity.

The European Union is home to over 15 million Muslims. Estimates reveal astonishing numerical differences: sometimes the figure is set at 20 to 30 million. This number includes both fellow citizens who represent Europe’s autochthonous Islam, or they are people who have come to us as refugees or migrants since the second half of the last century.

Europe, its politics, and decision makers are committed to diversity. This holds true for both the people and their countries: each single state, each community should recognize itself in this new European amalgam. And the final goal is that each individual man and woman, each human being, contributes their roots, head and heart, and that they recognize themselves in this new Europe.

In this endeavor, the European Union stands — and this is the very starting point for me — on the firm foundations of the Enlightenment: reason, the separation of church and state, individual and political rights and freedoms, self — determination of the person, and equal rights for men and women. The core of this life model is to impart pluralism, to live pluralism. By the way, Article I of the European Union’s constitutional draft contains a good summary of this objective.¹

To this quotation on the foundation of values, I should like to add another remarkable quotation from the final declaration of the Conference of Leaders of Islamic Centres and Imams in Europe held in Graz in 2003: “European Muslims are equally aware of their religious identity as Muslims as they are of their social identity as Europeans.” ²

Diversity is based on a firm foundation of values. Europe has a carefully formulated acquis communautaire for the protection and promotion of this diversity, for the furthering of equal opportunities and as a foil against discrimination.

But have we also known how to make the best of diversity in our actual daily lives? Looking more closely, do we detect cracks and gaps? Are there vague areas? If yes, what are we doing about them?

Ladies and Gentlemen, integration is an ever–new challenge.

Integration is a sophisticated social policy management task requiring a great deal of creativity. The new home country provides the framework conditions, although — and this is something I should like to emphasize — a lot remains to be done on all sides.

Integration is not a one–way street laid out by a majority society. On the contrary, integration means not being a guest in a society but rather living in this society to the full, leading a life where everything revolves around participating in and coshaping this society, having rights and obligations, and — in emotional terms — sharing in its happiness and sorrows. And finally, finding a home.

Integration is not a process that aims to endanger or make people lose their religious or cultural identity. A precondition for successful integration is also to deal honestly with the lives of Muslim women and youth — their life in our society, their concerns and objectives, and also their problems — in order to find solutions together.

Many themes raised at the Conference — including Muslim identity and European Islam — relate to Muslim communities themselves, constituting a challenge for the internal dialogue among Muslims. In this effort, Muslim organizations and religious authorities have an important orientation function to fulfill.

At the same time, we must aim for precision at the political level: not every issue relevant to integration is related to religious identity. The situation of, for example, Muslim women and youth is considerably more multifaceted, and we should beware of discussing problems in the limited context of religious affiliation.

The concrete task is to make European values attractive for young people and to win them over without calling their religious identity into question. This also includes avoiding a situation in which groups of young people lose themselves to frustration and a lack of future prospects, so that in their circle of friends and families they fall into an ever–deeper and more rapid downward spiral in which everything appears hopeless. No young person must end up on the dead–end street of self–denial or defamation of others.

It is our common task to convince our youth that there is no such thing as an inescapable situation. We have to encourage young people in this belief. Let’s get personalities who have asserted themselves in society, and let them talk in public about how they have “made it.” Successful examples may provide confidence.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we know that the youth of today will determine the Europe of tomorrow.

Language proficiency and education are crucial to the participation of young people in our society and shall open the doors to their contribution in the social, cultural, economic, and political milieus. Young people are key to coshaping our common future — being inside, rather than having to remain outside. Austria promotes language courses at many levels. Let me mention but a few examples:

There are courses for young “newcomers,” male and female, who arrive in Austria shortly before compulsory education starts or after it has ended to assist them in becoming integrated.
There are language integration vouchers for immigrants, male and female, who come to Vienna within the framework of family reunification.
And there is the “Mom Is Learning German” Program — language courses for mothers of school–age children.

The problematic lack of future prospects for young Muslims can be most clearly observed in the labor market. If unemployment of young people constitutes a challenge in general, it is young people from immigrant backgrounds who are especially affected. We need targeted measures that deal with this problem.

Let me give you an example. On May 9, a position paper formulated by the Federation of Austrian Industry — which, with some 3,500 members encompasses a weighty part of Austria’s entrepreneurial world — was presented in Vienna. Under the title “Creating Common Spaces for Life — The Future of Migration and Integration in Austria,” the paper is designed to optimize conditions for people with immigrant backgrounds who are already living in the country. Their future prospects, it suggests, could be improved by acquiring a good knowledge of the language, by becoming increasingly better qualified, and by supporting children at an early stage, as well as through measures on the part of local and regional authorities.

There is a “Muslim elite” developing in Europe — men and women who participate in society and who have “made it” both economically and socially. They can and should be credible role models, especially for young people.

But we also want to invest more in education about Europe and the formation of a European identity. After all, we live in the age of multiple identities or patchwork identity — I think this is an appropriate term, since identity is nothing that is carved in stone but rather something that develops and shifts.

Participation requires being informed and having the necessary tools. I have therefore called for a new subject — “Europe” — to be introduced into Austrian schools from the first grade onward. The objective should be to allow recognition of that which is unfamiliar and instill confidence. Perhaps this will help children recognize what Arthur Rimbaud articulated in saying “Je est un autre” (I is another) — words that express the root pluralism of being European.

To me, it is secondary what children discuss under the label “Europe” — whether they talk about the Chinese wall or Turkish fellow citizens. The important thing is to recognize the Europeanness of that which is different.

Integration may be promoted successfully through cooperation with Muslim educational facilities. Let me mention a few examples from the Austrian perspective:

Providing of Islamic religious instruction that meets European standards with regard to the basic and further training of teachers, the quality of teaching aids, as well as educational concepts for children and adolescents.
Introduction of a European curriculum for religious instruction. With the introduction of the “Islamic religious education” university study programs, Austria has taken an important step. This is where Austria’s secondary school teachers of Islamic religion should be trained.
Establishment of Muslim theological faculties and educational programs for imams at European universities and teacher training colleges.
Support by society for Muslim initiatives that resolutely reject doctrines and traditions that contradict European basic values and that are also not rooted in Islam.
Increased awareness in dealing with questions of media globalization. The Internet entails the danger of radicalization. On the other hand, it offers the opportunity to lead an open debate across borders. State and Muslim organizations should face the challenges of this medium by engaging in cooperation and providing orientation. They should also clearly warn against content that could endanger coexistence in Europe.

“The opportunity to find a home” best describes the ultimate goal toward which we should all be working.

Ladies and Gentlemen, no matter which individual course Muslim women follow in their lives and no matter whether or not they wear the headscarf, they are facing specific challenges and are exposed to specific tensions in Western society, as well as in their own religious communities.

Our legally guaranteed social and political freedoms offer protection and encouragement. At the same time, they may increase the pressures shaping Muslim female identity.

The Conference of European Imams and Ministers in Vienna in 2006 clearly addressed the question of what remains to be done: the responsible religious authorities have to take clear positions on such issues as the defense of women’s rights and promoting the image of the Muslim woman having a full and equal role in all spheres of society.

The same Vienna imam conference formulated the following groundbreaking statements with regard to gender participation: “Men and women are equal partners in Islam; they carry mutual responsibility and are equal in human dignity. The right to study and teach, the right to work, to financial independence, to vote and be eligible for political office, and to participate in the social discourse are pillars which are to guarantee this status.” ³

In my opinion, the active participation of women in decision–making processes — at an equal level with men and not only with regard to so–called women’s issues, but in relation to any subject — in internal dialogue and in the dialogue between cultures, is at the core of the debate on these issues. I am convinced that no society can do without the strength, experience, and expertise of women.

The training and education of young people is also affected by the position of women. A modern, open–minded mother will strive to give her children confidence, create opportunities for them, and do everything to ensure their successful future. Muslim women in our societies — I have already addressed this point and we are all aware of it — are by no means a homogeneous group. They are characterized by diversity — not only by different countries of origin, different kinds of education, different situations in society and in their families, but also by their personal life patterns.

Carla Amina Baghajati, the media spokeswoman of the Islamic Faith Community in Austria, is getting to the point when she says that Muslim women — particularly if they wear headscarves — are the subject of more or less any discussion related to the theme of “Islam in Europe” ranging from the issue of integration to questions of security. She says that “this is usually done without asking them and by talking about them rather than with them.”

Regarding the wishes Muslim women voice with regard to politics, Ms. Baghajati sees two levels of what remains to be done:

Necessary action on the Muslim side: responsible religious authorities should take a clear stand on the defense of women’s rights and women’s image based on equal rights:
- Cases in which women are wronged should be openly reviewed on a self–critical basis. There should be no rejection through the claim that “this is not Islam.” This is the only way of achieving positive awareness within the Muslim community.
- Networking between civil society facilities and other organizations supporting women’s rights and human rights should be increased. Dialogue should point out that which concerns us all, such as violence against women, “as if there were no other abusive husbands in Austria.”
Necessary action in society and politics in general:
- Topics should be dealt with honestly, without simplification, or complacency.
- Effectiveantidiscrimination measures should be taken, including the creation of opportunities for greater participation by Muslim women.
- Awareness should be raised with regard to contradictions and dependencies. Where women cannot go to work to become financially independent from their husbands, this is caused in part by the difficulties involved in getting foreign degrees acknowledged, by problems concerning access to the labor market, and also on account of the legislation governing the rights of foreigners — not “by Islam,” as is often generalized. When wives do not end a marriage although it is “on the rocks,” this attitude may be due to fears of losing their residence permit, which is controlled by the husband.

Ladies and Gentlemen, terror caused by people who pretend to act in the name of Islam, as well as anger and radicalization of marginalized groups, gives rise to negative generalizations of Muslims in our country.

The dangerous thing about stereotypes is that they paralyze. They threaten to take hostage the positive potential of entire societies — both in the Muslim world and in the Western world. We should — and must — identify, unmask, and dismantle stereotypes.

Two current European initiatives addressing this challenge are the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007) and the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (2008).

One principle of the European life model is committed dialogue — based on mutual curiosity and interest, not merely tolerance, for “tolerating means offending” as Goethe said, and certainly not on indifference disguised as tolerance.

It is particularly the Austrian model of dealing with our Muslim fellow citizens that has proven successful. The “Memorandum by the Islamic Faith Community in Austria on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of European Unity” describes it as “a well–balanced relationship between the state and recognized religious communities,” including Islam, which has been recognized in Austria since 1912. We have a political climate in which issues are dealt with constructively among equals and in which solutions can be found.

We are trying to keep both hands outstretched, one hand toward our Muslim fellow citizens and the other hand toward our Muslim partners in the wider world. In this, we are aware of the crucial role of European Muslims, men and women alike.

I wish the Conference, its initiator Director Mustapha Tlili, and his Center for Dialogues team a most successful event.

Thank you.

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