The West and the Religious 'Other': Connecting with Muslims
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Abstract
Religion and politics have clashed for centuries. Current global political realities have heightened debate about immigration in many Western countries. While much of the debate is needed and welcomed, it has also opened dialogue about perceptions of the religious “other†in general, and toward followers of Islam in particular. In the interest of global peace on one hand and living as friends and neighbors on the other, this paper attempts to inform a global view of the differences and similarities, both real and perceived, of Christians and Muslims living in close proximity to each other in an increasingly connected world. Keeping this lens in mind, this article seeks to shed light on the paradoxes inherent in the debate about Islam and immigration and the potential cultural blind spots that may limit the goal of people of different religions and ideologies living in community and friendship with each other. Using World Value Survey data, this article compares the similarities and differences of cultural values between Muslim and Protestant religions compared to other global religions, and finds that the two religious cultures are not as different as it may seem in popular culture today.
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Keywords
assimilation, acculturation, perceptions, connectedness
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Sidanius, James, Colette Van Laar, Shana Levin, and Stacey Sinclair. 2004. “Ethnic enclaves and the dynamics of social identity on the college campus: The good, the bad, and the ugly.†Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 87(1): 96-110.
WORLD VALUES SURVEY Wave 6 2010-2014 OFFICIAL AGGREGATE v.20150418. World Values Survey Association (www.worldvaluessurvey.org). Aggregate File Producer: Asep/JDS: Madrid Spain.
Abdo, G. 2006. “America's Muslims aren't as Assimilated as you Think.†The Washington Post, Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006 /08/25/ AR2006082501169.html on June 2, 2017.
Barton, John. August, 2013. “Navigating the Degrees in Christian-Muslim Dialogue: A Comparative Review of Lee Camp and Miroslav Volf.†In Missio Dei: A Journal of Missional Theology and Praxis 4(2).
Baer, D. January 31, 2017 10:46 am. “Mean World Syndrome: The bias that explains why Americans fear terrorism more than guns.†Science of Us, Retrieved from http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2017/01/why-americans-are-so-scared-ofterrorism.html on June 2, 2017.
Bier, D. 2016. “Do Muslims Easily Assimilate into American Society.†Newsweek Opinion posted October 16 at 5:00 AM. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/do-muslims-easilyassimilate-american-society-509673?fb_comment_id=1253463981393234_ 1253779571361675 on June 2, 2017.
Bulow, A.M. and Kumar, R. 2011. “Culture and Negotiation.†International Negotiation (16) 349359. DOI: 10.1163/157180611X592905
Camp, Lee. 2011. “Who Is My Enemy? Questions American Christians Must Face about Islam and Themselves.†Brazos Press.
Chapman. 2016. “America’s Top Fears 2016: Chapman University Survey of American Fears, Chapman University Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.†Retrieved from https://blogs.chapman.edu/wilkinson/2016/10/11/americas-top-fears2016/ on June 2, 2017.
Dixon, T. and Williams, C. 2014. “The Changing Misrepresentation of Race and Crime on Network and Cable News.†Journal of Communication. 65(1). Gallup. 2017.
“Islamophobia: Understanding anti-Muslim sentiment in the West.†Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/157082/islamophobia-understanding-anti-muslimsentiment-west.aspx on June 2, 2017.
Haidt, J. 2016. “When and why nationalism beats globalism.†Policy: A Journal of Public Policy and Ideas, 32(3), 46. PEW. August 30, 2011.
“Muslim Americans: No signs of growth in alienation or support of extremism.†PEW Research Center, U.S. Politics and Policy, Retrieved from http://www.people-press.org/2011/08/30/section-1-a-demographic-portrait-of-muslimamericans/.
Piascik, A. 2017. “Why don't Muslims assimilate to western culture when they immigrate?†Quora. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-Muslims-assimilate-towestern-culture-when-they-immigrate, on June 2, 2017.
Salacuse, J. W. 2004. “Negotiating: The Top Ten Ways that Culture Can Affect Your Negotiation.†Retrieved from http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/negotiatingthe-top-ten-ways-that-culture-can-affect-your-negotiation/ on July 5, 2017.
Sidanius, James, Colette Van Laar, Shana Levin, and Stacey Sinclair. 2004. “Ethnic enclaves and the dynamics of social identity on the college campus: The good, the bad, and the ugly.†Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 87(1): 96-110.
WORLD VALUES SURVEY Wave 6 2010-2014 OFFICIAL AGGREGATE v.20150418. World Values Survey Association (www.worldvaluessurvey.org). Aggregate File Producer: Asep/JDS: Madrid Spain.
Section
Research Articles