Integration Is a Two-Way Street

In the January/February 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs, Dominique Moïsi of the French Institute of International Relations wrote that contemporary world tensions were not symptomatic of a clash of civilizations, but rather a result of interdependent layers of conflict.

One such conflict, he argued, is not so much a clash between Islam and the West but rather increasing tensions between secularism and faith. Polls conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project show that the role and importance of religion is declining in the West (with the exception of the United States), while the opposite is true in much of the rest of the world (with the exception of China). In particular, the role of faith in daily life is quite central to many Muslims, whether they live in Europe, North America or the Muslim world.

Another layer of conflict, according to Moïsi, is an emotional clash of cultures. But not “culture” in the traditional sense. On the one hand—according to Moïsi—Europe and the United States embody a culture of fear—that is, the discourse focuses on fear of immigration, terrorism and economic decline. On the other hand, there is a culture of humiliation, predominant in Muslim countries, where many feel they are on the receiving end of an unjust global system. Autocratic governments (often supported by the West) and colonial occupation have formed the daily reality of millions of Muslims over the past few decades. Many also feel the recent U.S. “war on terror” was, in reality, a war on Islam (President Obama has rescinded use of this term since August). Frustrated by a lack of empowerment, many Muslims are seeking to regain dignity and a semblance of control over their own destiny.

The thesis first proposed by Moïsi, now a visiting professor at Harvard University, remains pertinent in 2009. Suffice it to say that Canada belongs to the culture club of fear. Witness the recent tensions over reasonable accommodation in Quebec, the hysterical tone over faith-based family arbitration and provincial funding for faith-based schools in Ontario, and the gross human rights violations (of predominantly Muslim men) by Canada’s government and security agencies in the post-9/11 era.

Bridging the cultures of fear and humiliation will not be easy. It will require mutual understanding of historical and cultural context. In essence, it will require a culture of dialogue. Given the Canadian propensity to talk through—rather than fight over—issues of conflict, our strength lies in the belief that a culture of dialogue transcends the mutually antagonistic cultures of fear and humiliation. Such an approach can only help lower tensions by preparing a foundation for mutual respect and understanding.

Diaspora by Design: Muslim Immigrants in Canada and Beyond, by Haideh Moghissi, Saeed Rahnema and Mark J. Goodman of York University, is a timely study that reflects and promotes a culture of dialogue. It provides a rich, human landscape of the lives of Iranian, Pakistani, Afghan and Palestinian immigrants to Canada, based on 2,350 interviews with immigrants in Canada, the United Kingdom, Iran and the Palestinian Territories/ Jordan between late 2001 and the spring of 2004. Interviewees were asked about family relations, religious identity, social and economic integration and gender equity. While 80 percent of the interviews took place in Canada (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver), comparative analysis was provided by the interviews of 94 Iranians in the UK, 97 Pakistanis in the UK, 133 Afghans in Iran and 149 Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and Jordan. However, the Canadian study forms the bulk of the book’s analysis.

The main policy conclusion is that integration is a two-way street, requiring effort on the part of both immigrants and the host society to foster a healthy relationship for the betterment of both. The authors point out a few key elements to achieve this laudable goal.

The first step is the deconstruction of a number of myths. First is the notion of a Muslim monolith. There are about 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide, spanning a broad range of cultures. Amongst the oldest communities are the Hui of China; the most populous nation of Muslims is Indonesia; the largest Muslim minority is in India, numbering about 180 million; and only 20 percent of Muslims are Arab. Rich civilizations have flourished over a span of 14 centuries in what are now Iran, Turkey, Spain and Egypt. There are roughly 72 Muslim sects, including the broad categories of Sunni and Shia, which differ primarily in the choice of political succession to Prophet Muhammad and eschatology derived from this bifurcation. Such diversity among Muslims is not new, as witnessed by 14th-century explorer Ibn Battuta, who recorded his impressions of Muslim cultures during extensive travels across three continents.

This rich diversity is reflected among Canadian Muslims, who hail from more than 30 countries. The majority (about two thirds) are Sunni, while the remaining belong to Shia and other minor sects. As the authors note, not every individual of Muslim cultural heritage is religious. In fact, the chapter on religious identity illustrates the diversity of religious affiliation across the four ethnicities studied: the majority of Pakistani immigrants give importance to religious identity (in terms of observing the pillars of Islam, religious dress, etc.), whereas the majority of Iranian immigrants do not; Afghans and Palestinians lie somewhere in the middle. As the authors argue, the reductionist approach that reduces all Muslims to a caricature (women hating, backward, violent) is intellectually, not to mention morally, vacuous. Reducing Muslims to an “essential” nature is nothing but pristine bigotry.

Due to Canada’s immigration policy, which favours skilled workers, Muslim immigrants to Canada are not only more educated than the corresponding group in the UK, but are also more educated than the average Canadian. However, they suffer a higher rate of unemployment. The move here often results in a downgrading of job prospects. Many immigrants find that their qualifications are rejected by provincial professional associations (for example, medical, teaching, accounting) that guard their turf jealously. It is not unfair to say that discrimination also plays a role, contributing to a sense of humiliation. Only a greater percentage of Palestinian male and Afghan female immigrants have found more managerial, professional and business occupations in Canada than in their country of origin; the opposite trend is true for the rest.

It seems that we sell a less-than-honest vision of the Canadian dream abroad to prospective new immigrants. More often than not, the reality of bleak job prospects (worsened by the current recession) provides a nightmare scenario to those who arrive here with optimism and hope. Combined with increasingly negative views toward Muslims (as found by recent polls by EKOS and Maclean’s magazine) and ethno-religious profiling by security agencies, Muslim immigrants have found the welcome mat sullied. They are also accused of failing to integrate seamlessly into Canadian society. However, as the authors succinctly observe, “one cannot be integrated if one is always the object of suspicion.”

The chapter on the youth immigrant experience is an eye opener, for it provides first-hand accounts of the racism and xenophobia experienced by those new to our shores. Such treatment is yet another source of personal humiliation. While distributing flyers for earthquake victims of Bam, Iran, an Iranian youth was told by one man “Iranians deserved to die, as they are terrorists.” A young professional Palestinian woman recalls that during job interviews she was “repeatedly and jokingly called a ‘terrorist’ or ‘Muslim fundamentalist’.” A Pakistani man, failing to get a job interview, resent his résumé “with a name like ‘Bob Smith’,” and got a call. Examples such as these should jar the self-image held by some Canadians as being, on the whole, peaceful and self-effacing. An undercurrent of fear exists beneath a veneer of tolerance.

The meticulous research of this study also shows that the majority of Muslim youth surveyed aim to find “a foundation for personal security and achievement through hard work in school and staying close to their family, but trying at the same time, to learn new Canadian ways.” This is far from the chronic apoplectic media message of religious extremism spreading among Muslim youth, in the wake of the 2006 arrest of 17 Toronto-area suspects (primarily youth) on charges of terrorism.

In one sense, Muslims are going through the quintessential Canadian experience of discrimination. According to historian Jack Granatstein, an anti-immigrant sentiment has long pervaded the nation’s psyche. He told CTV.ca in 2006: “Whether in the 17th century or the 21st century, by and large Canadians have always been unhappy with immigration,” adding “it’s always the sense that newcomers aren’t like us—they’re a problem, they’re going to be difficult.”

Our own history is replete with government-sanctioned discriminatory practices toward European and non-European ethnic groups (Jewish, Japanese, Sikh, Chinese and Ukrainian, for example), not to mention policies directed toward the cultural genocide of aboriginal and Inuit communities. But should we accept racism as par for the course?

The authors of this book point to the responsibilities of the host society in fostering integration. This includes cognizance of the historical attitudes toward immigration and awareness of one’s own ignorance of Islam and Muslim culture. We must avoid crude stereotypes and make an effort to learn about the breadth of cultural diversity amongst Muslims. Governments at every level must make a greater effort to facilitate economic integration. These findings are not new, and have been echoed by think tanks such as Demos in the United Kingdom.

The culture of fear is best countered with knowledge. Women in Muslim Dress (WMDs)—whether it is burqinis at public swimming pools, hijabs on the soccer field or niqabs at the voting booth— have been conflated and construed as the new WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) that pose an existential threat to the very fabric of western democracy. We also need to realize that faith is an important aspect for many communities living in Canada, not just Muslims. A bit of confidence in the enduring values of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms would help.

As mentioned, integration is a two-way street, and the authors have highlighted issues that need careful consideration by Muslim immigrant communities as they adapt to life in Canada.

To begin with, immigrants need to be aware of the fundamental differences between Canadian culture and the culture of their country of origin. While the authors are silent on how to increase such awareness, why not consider a “Canadian values 101” crash course for prospective new immigrants?

Primary among these differences is the tension between individual rights and loyalty to one’s community. This is often embodied by the struggle of immigrant children who are caught between the oft-colliding worlds of family expectation and their wider social network of friends. Unfortunately, the sample interviews in this book do not probe deeply into the cultural schizophrenia experienced by so many youth, or into the coping means used by families to retain cohesiveness in face of these tensions. Such an analysis is all the more essential given the recent murders of young women (in the Pakistani and Afghan immigrant communities), allegedly by immediate family members, for pursuing individual choices contrary to family expectation.

Another key area of tension is gender equity, as illustrated by the chapter on family relations. Overall, immigrants find that women in Canada have more independence and rights than in their country of origin. The majority of female immigrants believe this to be a good thing, whereas the menfolk are not so sure. Not surprisingly, gender equity is a primary source of tension between spouses within immigrant families. Even among established Muslim communities across Canada, there are rumblings by second and third-generation Muslims about gender inequity within community institutions. This issue will play a primary role as the community evolves.

In light of this tension, the authors are highly critical of self-appointed religious leaders, since they do not reflect the interests of women, children or culturally based (as opposed to religious) Muslims. However, this blanket condemnation is contrary to the authors’ own criticism of generalizations. A more nuanced analysis, including a brief summary of the goals, stakeholders and history of major Muslim organizations in Canada, would have been far more helpful in learning about the roles played by each. Asking immigrants about the relevance of community institutions would have also been helpful in assessing their importance and role.

Overall, this book is a valuable tool for policy makers, providing rich data and analysis. Combined with the 2006 Environics study of Canadian Muslims (summarized in Unlikely Utopia: The Surprising Triumph of Canadian Pluralism by Michael Adams) and the 2009 Institute for Research on Public Policy’s report “Changing Perceptions of Islamic Authority among Muslims in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom,” a heterogeneous, nuanced view of Muslims in Canada is emerging. Future research should include a similar study of the growing Somali and Moroccan immigrant communities, combined with a comparative study of Moroccan immigrants settled in France.

The immigrant path is by no means easy. According to a 2007 report by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Islamophobia is growing. This is both alarming and corrosive, and understandably leads to insularity on the part of some immigrants. In this climate, some will fall prey to victimhood. Yet, as Saul Bellow portrayed so vividly in The Victim, one cannot constantly cry “racism” as a means to avoid facing one’s own shortcomings. Yes, Islamophobia exists. However, a healthy dose of introspection and renewed commitment to values rooted in Islamic tradition, such as humility, charity, industriousness and steadfastness, can provide moral fortitude to face these challenges. And therein lies the key to personal dignity that no form of humiliation can weaken.

Governments must do more to remove barriers toward economic integration and to renew public anti-racism campaigns. In spite of the post-9/11 chill felt by Muslims, there have been inspiring examples of grassroots human rights activism to reverse injustice. Witness the groundswell of public support for Monia Mazigh and Maher Arar, the sacrifice of citizens to bring home Abousfian Abdelrazik, and the members of an Ontario girls’ soccer team who walked off a Quebec soccer field in support of their Muslim teammate who was denied permission to play by a referee for wearing a hijab. Our common commitment to a culture of human dignity will eventually overcome the cultures of fear and humiliation.

In conclusion, an Iranian female interviewee reminds us that differences can serve to enrich, rather than divide, as we look to the future: