Islam in Europe

Xenophobia is on the rise in Europe; and the ten million Muslims living there are often its targets. This paper contends that the fear and anxiety Westerners exhibit toward Muslims stem ultimately from a fear and anxiety regarding ourselves and our beliefs. I argue that the perceived standoff with Muslims causes us to doubt the sincerity and superiority of our own convictions. The latter are predominantly liberal in origin and orientation. Muslims' critique and rejection of European liberalism lead us to question our most revered beliefs. We respond by trying to persuade or compel Muslims to embrace our liberal principles. When they resist, we see no recourse but to exercise arbitrary power on them. But this is an act for which our liberal tenets offer no convincing justification. We sense this and with it the limits of liberalism. Hate is more important for the hater than the object of his hate. Vaclav Havel