anti-islam Current motors of cooperation: Islamophobia Petra Mlejnková, Ph.D. 23 November 2020 BSSb1182 International nationalism Far right and Islam •Far right is defined in context of opposition towards democratic constitutional state and laws and freedoms (liberal democracy) that are by this state guaranteed •Far right is heading towards homogeous states, civilisations, rejection of any plurality •Cas Mudde: far right as combination of nativism and authoritarianism •Nativism – key factor defining attitude towards Muslims •Us and them Far right and Islam •Rejection of everything different •Europe as European civilisation with Christian roots •Islam is understood as strange and destructive element for European civilisation and European culture • •Islam and Muslims = enemies •The hate is even stronger in context of immigration crisis, ISIL, foreign fighters, radicalisation of European Muslims and terrorist attacks in Europe • •The issue of Muslims has been resonating in Western Europe since 1990s and belongs to traditional mobilisation issues •The issue escalated after 9/11 2001 – Muslims became official enemies • •Muslims labelled as minority not able to integrate into European society – not willing to integrate •Muslims seen as homogenous minority with different religion, culture and life style •Interpreted as threat to liberal democracy, European heritage, social cohesion and cultural integrity of nations • •Cultural threat •Political threat •Security threat - Muslims as terrorists; Muslims interpreted as source of religious and violent conflicts; health threat; threat to social and economical system •Existentional threat – Great Replacement theory Who is responsible for it? •Political elites, European Union • •They are too much politically correct, obsesed with multiculturalism, not able to react quickly •They act not in the name of interest of own people when they invite immigrants from Muslim countries • enemies_Pegida UK •Farid Hafez (2014): explanation, why focus on Muslims • •Very benefitial strategy – far right can get rid of traditional association of far right with anti-semitism •Way how to get new voters, who are not racist, but affraid of Islam in Europe •Far right spreads/escalates fear related to our private life, family, children – is targeting very basic feelings and very basic human need (security) • • International topic leading to cooperation •By identifying a common enemy, Islamophobia has great transnational potential • „We are European brothers, because we never want to Islamise ourselves“ • •In early 2008, representatives of the FPÖ, the VB, Pro Cologne (pro Köln), the FN and the separatist Platform for Catalonia met in Antwerp to announce the creation of a network they called ‘Cities against Islamisation’. Members of the network made a commitment to carry out collective action to prevent the spread of Islam in Europe Euroregionale Kommunal •Joint project initiated by the Austrian FPÖ, the VB and the German REP, was announced in early 2008 •Filip Dewinter called for the creation of a ‘European front’ standing against illegal immigrants and Islamisation and in support of identity and sovereignty. •‘Islam does not belong in Europe, which is a continent of castles and cathedrals and not a continent of mosques and minarets’, said Dewinter Anti-Islamisation Congresses •First one held on 20 September 2008 in Germany •Meeting in order to discuss Islamophobic agenda •Jean-Marie Le Pen, Filip Dewinter and Mario Borghezio (LN) announced their participation in the congress, saying that the Islamist conquest of Europe and its nation states must be stopped •The congress ended in a fiasco, with representatives of the national populist parties unable to meet • •Second one held in May 2009 in Germany •The invitees included the FPÖ, VB, LN, and FN •Fiasco: many of those invited did not arrive, while those who did were met by large-scale public protests • •3rd one in 2010 as „Anti-Minarett Congress“ •4th one 2011 in Antwerp: VB, FPÖ, the REP, SD, LN, DF and SVP, Tea Party sent their deputies Fitna •Geert Wilders (PVV): great proponent of Islamisation threat, compared Quran to Mein Kampf and has campaigned to have the book banned in the Netherlands •Advocating ending immigration from Muslim countries, banning of construction of new mosques •2008: movie Fitna •„there is no such thing as moderate Islam“ •In 2009 Wilders launched „Facing Jihad World Tour“ – series of screenings of Fitna to public official and influential organizations around the world • • svp_minaret verbot regionalni volby 2010 •Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes (Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of West) • •Movement against Islamisation of German society •They ask to expel all immigrants with criminal history •Immigration policy should be more strict, calling for more authoritarian government •From October 2014 (impulse: Sharia police in Wuppertal, then Charlie Hebdo) • •Offshoots in Norway, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, USA, UK, Sweden, Canada, Austria PEGIDA_LOGO • islamic bomb PEgida Austria