The article “After the Terror Attacks in Germany, Are We Still Safe?” by Emran Feroz will be critically analyzed in this paper. In the article under consideration, the author tells about the recent terrorist attack in Germany. Although the author’s fears and concerns are well-grounded and based on solid evidence, he fails to be on point by generalizing the public by accusing the left of being the part of the problem. The paper will argue that Islamophobia is connected with the fear of Islam representing another system of values to Germans.
Overview
The societal tension between the main public and Muslim citizens is rising to a dangerous degree. According to a survey conducted in 2009 by the Institute for Market and Political Research commissioned by the First Channel of German Television (ARD), the spread of Islam in Germany worries three quarters of Germans (Bazian, 2015). Feroz (2020) states that he and his family are still in danger and “activism of social media will not change the reality” (para. 7). The only way is to reveal what makes Germans fear this religion. The mass media talk primarily about the violence of Islamists in Syria and Iraq, about terrorism and the oppression of women, but they say nothing about Muslim culture and Islam itself (Bazian, 2015). The reasons for the emergence of fear of the Islamization of Europe could be the actions of a radical group known as the “Islamic State.” Media reports about the Germans recruited by it, who gained experience in the war in the Middle East, returned to Germany and now pose a threat to the country (Machtans, 2016). In other words, one should not dismiss the fact that there is an outside influence.
There are ongoing discussions in the country about the need to change the rules regarding immigration and asylum. The success of the Alternative for Germany party, whose demands include streamlining the influx of foreigners into the country and adopting the Canadian model of immigration, only confirms the results of the survey. If in 2013 it did not manage to overcome the five percent barrier to enter the Bundestag, then in 2014 its representatives were included in the country’s three Landatags. In addition, one needs to consider the overall perception of “Islamization” of Germany, since many refugees come from Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Therefore, this part of the respondents shares the point of view of the association “Europeans-patriots against the Islamization of the Old World,” which began to conduct anti-Islamist protests in Dresden. If in October 2014, at the first demonstrations, called by the supporters of the movement “evening walk,” there were only a few hundred participants, then at the end of the year their number increased to 17 thousand people (Mombauer, 2017). In other words, there is a clear and evident escalation of the societal tensions against Muslim Germans.
Article Analysis
The main argument of the author revolves around the danger of far-right extremism to the lives of non-whites in Germany. Another major issue is the lack of proper response from the media and government regarding the fascist terrorist attacks. One should be aware that the news outlets and main channels use highly politically mild terms to describe the incidents. In addition, there was an attempt to frame the event as intra-immigrant conflict, which is inaccurate and incorrect. However, Feroz is prone to biases in generalizing all whites as racism and xenophobic people. He labels social democrats, conservative, and left-wing liberals as people exhibiting islamophobia, which is unsupported and ungrounded. The very reason why the author and his family were able to settle and prosper in Germany is the fact that leftists and liberals were welcoming towards immigrants. The bias can easily be identified because Feroz does not support the given statement with evidence, whereas everywhere else he provides some form of supportive statement.
Pegida portrays itself as a civic movement that opposes a possible increase in foreign influence in Germany and fears the excessive spread of Islam in the country. Its leaders reject violence, so in addition to right-wing radicals and neo-Nazis, the organizers of the association managed to attract ordinary citizens (inhabitants) from the middle class into their ranks. The community has a page on the social network Facebook, where new supporters are recruited and the time of the processions is appointed. The goals of the association are determined by an organizational group of 12 people, one of whom is Lutz Bachmann, who makes speeches at the demonstrations. He does not hide the fact that he was previously convicted of criminal offenses, including drug trafficking, theft, and evasion of alimony. Angela Merkel paid considerable attention to this organization in her New Year’s speech. She urged people to stop supporting Pegida and refuse to participate in their demonstrations. Merkel also mentioned the growing number of refugees, many of whom “literally escaped death” by arriving in Germany.
The manager of the German national football team recalled that the Bundestim, which became the world champion, includes players with a migratory background. Therefore, integration in society should work in the same way as in the national team. In January, demonstrations took place in several large cities in Germany, in which thousands of people took part, wishing to protest against the growth of anti-Islamism, xenophobia, and racism. Moreover, opponents of the anti-Islamic movement urge to openly express their position on the Internet, putting on their social pages the phase “No Pegida!” All these performances did not prevent the eleventh Pegida demonstration in Dresden from becoming the largest with the number of participants in 18 thousand people, but already on January 10, 2015, 35 thousand people came participated in the action against extremism.
I agree with the argument that media and government response to the far-right extremist’s attack was downplayed, which will facilitate the environment, where such attacks can go unpunished. Any form of problem needs to be recognized as such in a full extent in order to be able to solve it effectively. However, the major institutions refuse to express the concern for immigrants and their descendants. It is evident that there is a severe discrepancy of response towards Muslim terrorist attack and white extremist attack. It is especially true in regards to far-right and conservative media elements, which need to recognize the presence of a problem. Instead there was an attempt to frame the attacker as an immigrant, and thus, denouncing the claim of whites being potentially dangerous and hostile.
I do not agree that entire establishment is against immigrants and non-whites, because Germany’s left and liberal population is highly progressive. Anti-Islamic sentiments have aroused the interest of scientists dealing with the problems of migration and self-identification of German society. The main reason for the disputes over the migration issue is the huge number of refugees and people looking for a better life. Germany needs to come to terms with such processes and find a way to integrate all social groups, thereby creating a basis for coexistence in a pluralistic and diverse society with a new identity of all its members. In large German cities the diversity of religions and cultures is already taken for granted. Feroz (2020) admits that “The victims of the massacre were not strangers but people who were born and raised in Hanau. They were a part of German society, and probably, many of their parents or grandparents came to this country to work and prosper” (para. 8). In other words, the crime was committed against German citizens.
It is not possible to analyze the issue from a scholarly point of view, since it is necessary first to classify this movement among other right-wing populist organizations. Their difference from the right-wing extremist and neo-Nazi movements lies in the fact that they do not try to abolish democracy. Their goal is to destabilize society by using the opportunities provided by it. They try to restrict the rights of minorities and blame them for all the failures of social development. However, at present, right-wing and populist parties, speculating, among other things, on Islamophobia and racist prejudices, do not have a serious influence in the politics of the EU countries, and in particular in Germany. A sufficient example of proof would be that, despite all the efforts of campaigning, the right has failed to mobilize voters in order to win the next elections.
In most cases, they manage to gain a foothold only in district and city councils, at the commune level, without the majority they need on the ground. In addition, thanks to the strong civil society in the Federal Republic of Germany, many rallies and events of the right-wing parties turn out to be a collapse for them, since they are unable to mobilize a society dominated by a strong democratic self-awareness. On this basis, one can make some assumption that if the governments of European countries do not take any effective steps to resolve this dangerous problem, then Islamophobia will go further, gradually gain momentum, from which right-wing politicians will try to win. The manifestations of Islamophobia are not just isolated cases in public life, but an ideology constantly whipped up by the right-wing forces, built on racism and religious intolerance. This situation arose due to the crisis of the multicultural community in Europe at the end of the last century, but it became the agenda at the beginning of this century due to the intensified campaigning work of the right-wing forces.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to note the inconsistency of the Germans in relation to Islam. On the one hand, there is the fear of the spread of the Muslim religion in the country, expressed in large demonstrations, and the emergence of anti-Islamist movements like Pegida. On the other hand, there are thousands of actions in defense of Islam. Thus, the main reason for the fear of Islam is its misperception by German citizens, who know about this religion only what the media say, as well as a lack of understanding of the difference between Islam and Islamism, the line between which is shaky. Emran Feroz is right in saying that social media will not help just telling about the cases of violence against Muslims. This can be remedied by telling people what Muslim culture is, gradually removing prejudice from them and helping to form a more conscious attitude towards the Muslim community.
References
Bazian, H. (2015). Islamophobia and “the three evils of society.” Islamophobia Studies Journal, 3(1), 158–166. Web.
Feroz, E. (2020). After the terror attacks in Germany, are we still safe? TRT WORLD. Web.
Machtans, K. (2016). “Racism is not an opinion”: Muslim responses to Pegida and Islamophobia in Germany. German Politics and Society, 34(4), 87–100. Web.
Mombauer, A. (2017). The German centenary of the First World War. War & Society, 36(4), 276–288. Web.