2011-02-10

The slow death of multiculturalism

The arguments against multiculturalism have been brewing for decades, with sporadic victories for critics. For the first time, however, there's a distinct trend building. Thilo Sarrazin kicked it off last year with the book "Germany Abolishes Itself," a critique of the government's immigration policies and lack of Muslim integration. He had been criticized before for making similar statements in public, but this time his book became a bestseller and found many areas of support. Interestingly, he is a member of the SPD, the opposition party to the currently ruling CDU-CSU, but Angela Merkel, CDU Chancellor, essentially agreed with Sarrazin when she said multiculturalism has failed.

Now French President Sarkozy is joining in: Multiculturalism has failed, says French president
"My answer is clearly yes, it is a failure," he said in a television interview when asked about the policy which advocates that host societies welcome and foster distinct cultural and religious immigrant groups.

"Of course we must all respect differences, but we do not want... a society where communities coexist side by side
.
"If you come to France, you accept to melt into a single community, which is the national community, and if you do not want to accept that, you cannot be welcome in France," the right-wing president said.

"The French national community cannot accept a change in its lifestyle, equality between men and women... freedom for little girls to go to school," he said.

"We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him," Sarkozy said in the TFI channel show.
As the article notes, this also follows recent comments by British Prime Minister Cameron on the failure of multiculturalism.

The Sarkozy comments I put in bold above illustrate the peak and decline in social mood. At the peak in social mood, Western societies were extremely open, to the point where normally secular societies that limit religious activities on state property were making exceptions for Muslims. One of the best examples was the Minnesota schools that were installing foot washing basins for Muslim students.

Social mood is in decline now and societies are starting to turn inward and focus on their own culture. What has passed thus far are common sense observations about failed policies. Outside of the periodic attacks and harsh policies directed at gypsies, the political changes are just rhetoric. Policy will follow in the years to come, with increasingly strict measures against criminal immigrants, then classes of immigrants, and finally restrictions, deportations, and outright bans on immigration.

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