Dear world, we’re screwed.
Here’s the backstory…
In 2009, I decided to (go back to the motherland, Portugal) leave my comfortable government job and live and do a Masters in Europe to understand why many of its countries were having so many challenges with the integration of Muslims — its citizens and those trying to become nationals.
As the sole Canadian in my program, I took pride in reminding my international colleagues that the “idea” of the Canadian mosaic was working: you know, more than 30 million people, living together, peacefully. And because of that, I was unapologetic — and relatively cocky — about my suggestion that they should be looking to countries like ours for guidance and insight.
For the life of me (despite some of Europe’s horrific violent nationalistic history) I couldn’t wrap my head around why increasingly, more countries in the Old World were becoming more insular. More closed-minded to the immigrant experience. More afraid.
This was after all the place of mostly open borders (… and the red light district, and drinking on the streets, and close-talkers, and coffee shops where you can buy weed).
[Or maybe the problem was that I had a romantic interpretation of the continent where I was born?]
Fast forward seven years, I am back in Canada, and more scared today than ever before about where we are all headed.
[And I say that fully admitting I hate when writers and journalists write ridiculous “the world is going to shit” articles.]
Here’s the reality…
The anti-immigrant policies being championed by leaders and parties attempting to use the fear of immigration to their political advantage is growing, not shrinking. And worse, it’s working, like a lot.
Consider Brexit and all that garbage — you know where a bunch of politicians led a ridiculously racist campaign disguised as an idealistic economic vision, a throwback if you will, to the good ol’ days, and then when they won, they didn’t have the intestinal fortitude or balls (whatever you prefer) to carry their half-baked policies forward.
Oh, and then there’s this… the substantial increases in support for far-right parties across Europe:
- A constant and growing trend in Austria (Norbert Hofer’s Freedom Party);
- A surge in France (Marine Le Pen’s National Front);
- A resurgence in Germany — because this worked out really well in the 30’s and 40's (Frauke Petry’s Alternative for Germany party);
- Greece (Nikos Michaloliakos’ Golden Dawn party);
- Hungary, or WTF Hungary?! (Gabor Vona’s Jobbik party); and
- Netherlands, yes, the fun-loving, orange-dressing Dutch (Geert Wilders’s Party for Freedom).
And while it’s certainly not all of Europe, it is enough to be concerned — or if you’re a self-proclaimed patriot wishing to Make Europe White Again, then you’re excited.
Take a look at all the red in this graph.
Why this matters…
Another wave of nationalism is continuing to take form, and this time (at least during my 32 years of living) it feels like it’s closer and more real than ever — made true to me from my Maple Leaf wearing, maple syrup drinking, cultural mosaic living, mostly liberal enclave — by the election of Donald Trump in the USA.
But before I get all “Canada is the exception and you should all move here” on you… let’s be real. It’s not only knocking on Canada’s door, it has attempted to make a move here too.
Recall Stephen Harper and the 2015 Federal Election.
And just because it was soundly defeated, it doesn’t mean the efforts are gone. Allow me to do something that hurts my young heart: give free advertising to sub-par politicians who need to use sensational ideas, catchy phrases with less than five syllables and outrageous rhetoric instead of, oh you know, reality, to garner attention.
Enter Canada’s Kelly Leitch.
No matter how it’s framed — whether done subtly in a seemingly unimportant leadership survey, or tweeted out to millions by the President-Elect of the USA (can we stop covering his tweets, btw?), one thing is clear: the promotion of populist, nationalist and in some cases far-right neo-fascist beliefs have gone from being discussed in small private groups at the back of a church hall, to now openly and forcefully being embedded in the general political discourse of countries in the West.
I consider these movements and the initiatives being undertaken by governments and political parties in Liberal democratic countries as a method to render Muslims, and Islam itself, invisible. Muslims are now, and have been for quite some time, the new “Other.”
In fact, the choices that have been made in the past few years and still today are not leading us to a safer world; rather, they are contributing to an increasingly toxic atmosphere.
Everywhere.
Make no mistake, the Islamophobia currently being experienced, practiced and legislated in many Western countries is wildly popular.
How it’s happening…
Endorsing constructs of nationhood, defending exaggerated claims of national and international security incidents, and having governments promote a false sincerity when it comes to defending Muslim women’s rights are some of the reasons being used to defend policies aimed at taming immigration, which is basically just code for the “Islamic problem.”
In an effort to get elected, the very difficult job of genuinely managing different cultures, languages, and religions has effectively (and pardon my Quebecois) gone to shit.
Democracies around the world have set sail on a journey that is counter to the very foundations of their pluralistic identities. In more simple English: defending and/or promoting the current dangerous policies and equally disturbing politics in the West intended to cope with the integration of Muslims is a massive mistake.
What now… ?
I can go on about how the lessons learned from the injustices of the past need to guide us today and into the future… or how the current and ongoing mistreatment of Muslims is an affront to the principles of equality and pluralism… but that would make too much sense.
Instead, let me try this.
While I’ve written about some possible solutions in the past, the focus of this writing isn’t about discussing what went wrong or where we go from here. It’s about something else. Something way less complicated.
I’d like to ask those who advocate for and desire more rational, sensible, balanced policies and politics to please keep going.
Don’t go quiet.
Here’s the thing. Since the election of Donald Trump a few weeks ago, I’ve felt completely disenfranchised. Mentally exhausted. A little hopeless in what’s to come. More defeated than ever before. And, I’m not even American!
I turn off news coverage the moment I hear his name (yes, him). I mute Tweets from really smart people (because I’m annoyed with the fact simple truths even need to be tweeted and defended). I ignore news stories on my feed from legitimate sources discussing the very real issues facing our world right now (which I never used to do).
I’m tired, and I wish I could take a quick nap (for like four years) and have all this madness go away. But it won’t. And when we go quiet or disengage to a point where we are drowned out by the crazies, they win.
So please, smart, reasonable, loving people of the world, keep at it. Because if you don’t, we’re all screwed.
Other than that, happy new year!
