![]() ![]() They have a religion or a culture which is not ours and they want to protect it and I feel especially in a difficult economic situation it’s easy to find a good enemy. The common denominator all over Europe is we see more and more Muslims in the public sphere. But now it has become something that exists. The same situation, 50-60 years ago, could not be, I mean, assaulting religious symbols would be absolutely impossible. In fact we are not Christians, we are de-Christianized. What has happened in Sweden has more or less happened in France with the Charlie Hebdo story.ĪA: Are the Europeans insensitive towards Muslims because they are secularized?īurgat: I would say, yes to a certain extent. But after losing the parliamentary elections, he is now cooperating more and more with the extreme right. President (Emanuel) Macron was elected by insisting upon the fact that he would protect France against extreme right. This is what makes me pessimist.ĪA: What were the reactions of the ruling elite and the media to these assaults?īurgat: The share of the right wing or extreme wing is growing and the ruling elite more and more is making concessions. ![]() Our ability to represent the diversity of our societies is going backwards. But I am afraid that we the Westerners nowadays more or less we are going backward. You still have difficulties if you are a Syrian, Yemeni, Libyan, but your society is moving in the right direction. Very often when I intervene outside of France, I say, “Maybe you say that your situation is difficult, but believe me my situation, as a French citizen or as a US citizen is darker than yours. Even though they are totally respectful of what demands universalism, they are not allowed to participate. When the balance of forces, in terms of culture, starts changing, what is the context in Europe? The difficulty is to accept other voices. It is easy to be universalist when everyone speaks English and from your culture and is using your culture. You are immediately banned from the mainstream media.ĪA: Are we coming to an end of the European ideals?īurgat: I am afraid I am feeling like rightly responding: “Yes.” I think that the Western universalism has been functional as long as it was identified to the domination of the Western culture. If you do one tenth or one hundredth of this “liberté d'expression” to the Torah or towards a Jewish, you are immediately criminalized. No, it is specifically assaulting a certain category of societies on the surface of earth, yeah, indeed I am afraid. It is not the position of someone who wants to get rid of religion. So this is the real weakness and what reveals us the dark side of this attitude. ![]() “The Torah will not be burned in the public sphere.” in Sweden nor in France. They would not make a public demonstration condemning homosexuality or LGBT or the Jews. The limit of this so-called attitude or excuse is the fact that there is a double standard. It’s always against MuslimsĪA: Are there selected sensitivities in Europe?īurgat: If they assault the Quran, it is because they want to hurt. ![]() The so-called “liberté d'expression” expresses itself with no limit in one unique direction. What is the limit of this so-called excuse of “Our violence is symbolic”? The real limit is the double standard. The militants of the so-called Islamic State have been implementing unlimited violence against the religious minorities who are not involved in the political struggle. But, let me say that at least a fringe of Muslim rulers nowadays like in Afghanistan and in İran are denying basic rights to women and exercising unlimited amount of violence under the label of religion. The Jewish religion is presently instrumentalised to legitimize unlimited violence to Palestinians. Christianity has been instrumentalised to legitimize French imperialism or Western imperialism throughout the World. Every religion has been instrumentalised to legitimize political violence. The atmosphere, the context is that I say the “wounded giant.” The giant is feeling that he is no longer a giant.ĪA: How do these crimes of hatred comply with “freedom of expression”?īurgat: On the social network, what you read: “Our violence is symbolic. We have to accept the fact that there are other tribes on the surface of the earth and they are legitimate to at least participate in producing universalism. In an interview with Anadolu’s Analysis Department, Burgat evaluates the decay of the European ideals together with his impressions on the burning of the Muslim holy book of Quran in Sweden.ĪA: Why are these crimes of hatred allowed in Europe?īurgat: The context in Europe or in the West is we are moving away from a period of time where we were in a situation of hegemony. The share of the right wing or extreme wing is growing and the ruling elite more and more is making concessions, said Francois Burgat, political scientist and Emeritus Director of Research at French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS). ![]()
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