In time of a (fianancial) crisis countries tends towards a more nationalistic approach and xenophobia is always growing. The latest figures shows that clearly. But religion plays a significant role in what happens in Turkey, a country which wants to be seen as a tolerant and multi-cultural society. I put some figures of a recent survey under Danish Muslims together with the latets results of the Istanbul’s Bahçeşehir University.
The number of Turks who said they believe that ethnic or religious diversity adds to life’s richness was only slightly higher than those who said they believe ethnic or religious diversity harms the country’s unity, which shows comparing to the Danish survey an enormous difference: 65% of the Danish thinks that ethnic diversity is added value to their country image against 29% who disagree.
Your neighbors:
Three of four people in Turkey said they do not want a neighbor who drinks alcohol
Three out of four said they do not want neighbors who do not believe in God.
62% said they do not want a Jewish neighbor
52% percent said they do not want to live next to a Christian.
87% of respondents saying they do not want a gay neighbor, among the highest figures in Europe.
26% of Turks said they do not want a neighbor of a different race or color.
43% said they do not want American neighbors.
66% said that they don't want neighbors who do not follow any religion.
75% said they do not want neighbors who do not believe in God.
36% said they do not want neighbors whose daughters wear shorts
67% said they do not want neighbors who are living together outside of wedlock.
14% said they do not want a neighbor who wears a veil
33% said they do not want one who wears a black chador.
The survey was conducted among people 15 years of age and older. One of the most striking findings of the survey was that the young are the most intolerant group as far the "wanted neighbor" criteria was concerned, with the highest level of intolerance demonstrated among those aged 15 to 18.
Danish survey:
'Your Muslim neighbor' (Din muslimske nab) a survey among Danish Muslims show the following results:
55% of them want restrictions on critic on religion
64% want that freedom of expression must further be restricted
(Compare this with 'secular' Danish; only 10% wants restriction on criticize of religion and only 10% wants further restrictions on freedom of expression)
18% of the Danish Muslims wants introduction of Sharia law in Denmark.
18% supports the Islamitic violent Jihad
41% sees the wars im Iraq and Afghanistan as an attack on Islam.
11% of the Muslims supports the radical and violent Islamtic organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir which wants to establish the Caliphat,
6% supports Al-Qaida.
Although there is a difference in education between the elderly and the youngsters who were raised and educated on a Western way there is no significant difference in opinion between them:
58% of the Danish Muslims under the age of 35 wants that critic on religion must be outlawed against 54% of the Danism Muslims of the age of 35 and older.
İn the Netherlands 51% of the Muslims sees homosexuality as something wrong and sinful.
In the end, the social, political and economical backgrounds doesn't matter, a majority of the Muslims in general rejects the Western values and norms.
Monday, June 1, 2009
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13 comments:
Fethullah Gülen & Co. and their henchmen will celebrate the outcome of this survey.
Why?
I think the right wing politicians in Europe will show now that Turks don't want to live next to Europeans. He, I belong to one of them who doesn't fit in the rol model of a Turkish neighbor! I drink and my wife wears a nice skirt sometimes. And I dance on the table when I'm drunk!!
Dear Sean, I miss the clue regarding Gulen. I expect in fact that the far right politici are happy with the results of these surveys.
Kindest
hans
Do Turks want neighbours at all?
Bertus
I find those statistics hard to believe. Polls are always questionable.
However I do agree that in times of a (fianancial) crisis countries steer towards a more nationalistic approach and xenophobia magnifies.
At the moment in Australia there has been an increase of attacks on Indian students. This is probably because they are soft targets ... (they are not an agressive race).
Also in the Baltic countries there is an increasing intolerance of Roma people. I have no idea why people gang up against minorities!
When I visited Cyprus many years ago I stayed in a village called Lapta. There were quite a few British and German people also living in the village. The locals were very accepting and warm to them, that is why they left their own coutries to live in Cyprus.
I could always tell which house was owned by a Non-Turk. Want to know why??? They always had a much nicer, well kept and manicured garden.
:)
Well, maybe I don't like my Turkish neigbours in Istanbul, because they steal water and gas by breaking the locks that the water and gas companies put on their meters every month. And my Turkish girlfriend wears short skirts whenever she wants - and "allah allah" we have lived together for 2 years and are not even married!!! We must be REAL sinners!!! But which one of us is worse?
Most of those intolerant ignorant idiots are religious-conservatives and their children. They think they are so pious believers and good muslims when they do the "namas" 5 times a day and control their family member's thoughts, dressings and behaviours. But at the same time many of them steal electricity and water, don't pay taxes, use bribes in business life etc. etc. F**k that hypocracy!
First of all, we can not evaluate these surveys by ignoring people`s backgrounds at least their educational background. When we consider the people between 15-18, concerning their answers, we can clearly see that most probably they are not getting their higher education, which means they may be still influenced by media or ignorant people around on having their own clear opinion.
Those people are already used to live with the neighbours who seem Muslim but not following Islam, so nothing to be worried to be neighbours of those people if you are a member of a different religion or not believing at all.
And when i read what AaVee wrote, those are unbelievable. The christians who i know closely, do not care about what their religion says and not care about practising it correctly, they are much proud of their religion, though. Why would not I name them intolerant ignorant idiots are religious-conservatives and their children? Does not it means you are intolerant when you attack muslim people in Germany or in France recent years. And still in IRAQ or lastly in Afghanistan... Are not they christians who supported a War in Iraq? Is it a clue of tolerance or intolerance?
Why do not we try to practice our own religions instead of looking for nicknames for people? It`s pretty clear that there would be less conflicts between people when they really understand and obey what their religion tell them because only the common fact of these religions is that They all tell to be A GOOD MAN.
Will reply later more, but dear Vedt, todays Dutch newspapers reveals the following (as respond on your point that Muslims are attacked in DE and FR:
55% of the youngsters of Morroc origin in the city of Rotterda (second aftrer Amsterdam) ın the age of 18-24 have criminal background, fot people of Turkish origin 38% have criminal back ground, fot Antillians 45% ad for indigeous Dutch only 18%....
later more..
hans
(In the end, the social, political and economical backgrounds doesn't matter, a majority of the Muslims in general rejects the Western values and norms.) This annotation is so misleading, any evaluation in such cases like these surveys requires mentioning the backgrounds of people otherwise some incorrect and annoying generalizations would occur. Criminals commited by whoever are unacceptable in any where but is not it better not to disregard those people`s being minority in community and sustaining unbearable generalizations such as AaVee did and which may encourage them to break the law? but again I m very insistent to consider people`s especially educational and economical background in our "injustice world".
Vedat: I think you misunderstood my hidden irony, and I truly believe you are right about the necessity to consider educational and economic background of people as one source of intolerance. This is very much the case in Europe and mostly so in Turkey as well.
However, this is not the whole story. Double standards rule in today's world and I do know personally many highly educated people (not only in Turkey) who are intolerant toward people who think and live in different ways.
The hypocricy is what bothers me. Even if one follows the religion, what makes one think one has rights to criticize the others who don't - or even to try to force them to be alike? This "forcing" is more common in Muslim countries and it does NOT tell about "importance of religion to Muslims". Any religion can be very important to its followers, but it doesn't have to lead to forcible social control, does it?
I believe that in Turkey, for example, more important than the religion itself (for many people) is the feeling of "social belonginess". It feels secure and good when people around seem to confirm to similar values, ideologies (brainwashed secularism or religion) and behavioral rules - typical collectivism:) In Europe it feels good to be "different" from one's neigbors or the "average citizen"...
It is a sin in Islam to steal, cheat or criticize somebody else's religious commitment, however many who think they are "good believers" do so i.e. they follow double standards, agree?
Based on which rights for example my neigbours in Istanbul could criticize my Turkish girlfriend for living together with a non-muslim and wearing shorts or short skirts? They aren't even her parents, for god's sake! None of their business, I would say. And then they steal water and gas i.e. they are criminals, I would say, whereas we do not do any illegal things with my girlfriend...
I could still contribute with a story: indeed even some of the relatives of my girlfirend are very conservative. One of them recently told that: "women who don't cover themselves should be burned to death". No, these relatives aren't ignorant or undeducated but university educated and directors of a well-known "modern" bank in Turkey.
But to me such comments are extremely cruel and worrisome - especially when they aren't presented by uneducated and ignorant people. I haven't heard, for example, secular Turks (so far) wishing that "women covering themselves should be killed", but I have heard many times religious-conservatives (even highly educated) saying such things about secular women...
The fact is that remarkable amount of Turkish people who are the believers of Islam, do not pay attention what Islam says about forcing the others to follow a religion. Islam already prohibits any force in religion.
And the other fact is that to criticise the "discrepant" is an unacceptable typical Turkish behaviour in whole country.
Indeed, in Europe there not a few people who criticise Muslims, either. Maybe not in a group conversations but in some face to face talks with your foreign mates, you are mostly asked about covered women in your country. And I find it quite hard to explain why really those people cover themselves since I see some missings in foreigners' respect to those people's own desicion or Islam`s clear order on this issue.
Lastly, concerning the doubles standarts in an area, I personally feel very ok to see different people around me in my country and while living in abroad, it feels free when I am not criticised coz of my religion or when I have the same rights with the other people. For example, in my current university in Warsaw, there is a room for Muslim students to pray . At the same time, there are Crosses on the walls of each classroom and it doesn`t bother me to see them because I`m studying in a country in which the majority is Christian. This shows that there are no double standarts for both side`s convenience.
Now, I`m asking which one is more bothering and refers double standarts in Turkey. A verbal action as some absurd sentences from religious people about uncovered ladies such as "to be burned to death" which can not realize and nothing from "secular" women`s side to the covered women`s side OR an actual injustice as not to let covered ladies to study in neither state nor private universities and let the "seculars" get education freely in a country in which majority is Muslim?
The other question is that does it mean that you are secular when you do not cover yourself? Then my university is not secular because it has the symbol of Christianity in its each class?
Vedat: Good arguments from you!
I don't believe religious symbolism such as Christian cross, Jewish hat or Muslim headscarf/hat tells much about the religious committment of an individual. For many those symbols are just common to wear in family environment, for some there is no choice (social/family pressure) and for some it is merely like "fashion".
I would say that in general the Catholic version of Christianity controls its followers even more than Islam (meaning "true" followers). I wouldn't say any European country is really secular in its strict sense, because commonly there is a "state religion" stipulated in the constitution in practically all European countries (Hans, I don't know about Holland though...)
But back to the Turkish hypocricy about secularism: I do not agree that girls wearing the turban should not be allowed to universities! Even the Turkish constitution gives equal righst to education for EVERYONE. There is just an outdated YOK regulation about the turban - which is not that strictly followed by the teachers (thanks god!), even though every year the YOK warns the universities about that:)
How do I know these? I have over 4 years working history at a Turkish state university as a foreign academician and I always accepted the girls with headscarf to enter my classrooms - some strict kemalist colleagues (all of them female:) criticized me for that, but I told them that I'm a TEACHER, not a POLITICIAN.
I can also say that I have many Turkish friends - both secular and religious-conservative. But none of my friends is really that intolerant. They usually have their own friends coming from all different circles of the society as well.
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