“It seems that the motives behind this include Islamophobia, especially the idea that the Danes and Swedish are somehow under threat by increased immigration. Thus, the basic cause is fear and lack of understanding of both the religion and the socio-economic dynamics in Europe,” Jim Hoesterey told IQNA in an interview.
Jim Hoesterey received his BA from Marquette University, his MA from the University of South Carolina, and his Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining Emory, he was the Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Islamic Studies at Lake Forest College, and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) New Faculty Fellow at the University of Michigan.
His research and teaching interests focus in Islam, media, and politics. His first book, Rebranding Islam: Piety, Prosperity, and a Self-help Guru (Stanford University Press, November 2015), chronicles the rise, fall, and rebranding of celebrity televangelist Kyai Haji Abdullah Gymnastiar. In 2016, Rebranding Islam was awarded Runner-Up for the Clifford Geertz Book Prize awarded by the Society for the Anthropology of Religion.
Following is the text of the interview with Hoesterey about recent Quran burnings in Europe:
Q: There have been Quran desecrations in Sweden and Denmark over the past weeks. What is the nature and purpose of those doing these acts of desecration?
A: It seems that the motives behind this include Islamophobia, especially the idea that the Danes and Swedish are somehow under threat by increased immigration. Thus, the basic cause is fear and lack of understanding of both the religion and the socio-economic dynamics in Europe. In other cases, they seem to be pushing the limits of secularism and free speech.
Q: At first, when a copy of the Quran was burned in front of the Turkish embassy some attributed it to Turkey’s rejection of Sweden’s NATO membership. If that is the case, why was it repeated in front of other embassies?
A: I do not know the specifics of why they would do this in front of other embassies. The Turkish government has certainly tried to block Sweden’s efforts.
Q: What do followers of other religions think about these anti-Islamic measures? Can such measures have a negative impact on interfaith relations and dialogues?
A: Many religious leaders have condemned these actions as unnecessary provocation. At the same time, some religious leaders in societies that value free speech at all costs have advocated for free speech. These sorts of tensions can absolutely affect inter-religious relations.
Beyond religion, however, this issue of Islamophobia is deeply rooted in European countries’ failure in immigration and the resultant alienation felt by Muslim immigrants in Western European countries. The rise of Christian populism can be seen as both cause and symptom of these brewing tensions that are more socio-economic at their root but take on religious overtones in practice.
Q: How do you think followers of other religions can demonstrate their objection to these anti-Islamic behaviors?
A: The best way to protest these abhorrent acts is to come together in solidarity, to demonstrate publicly together alongside Muslim neighbors, to show that such prejudice and hate has no place in humanity, to show that ideas about Islam are misguided and hurtful.
Q: What consequences will the continuation of these Quran burnings and insults to Islamic values in Western countries have?
A: Each of these events, whether Quran burnings or laws against the hijab or cartoons of the Prophet, pushes communities further apart. The effect will be increased ghettoization of Muslim immigrant communities in Europe as well as a deep distrust by Muslims of their European neighbors. It should be noted that the Swedish government spoke against these acts, however governments must be more proactive in integrating society.
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