I think it is time to be honest here: multiculturalism works but just not with Islamic culture. We need to be able to finally acknowledge that Islamic culture is not compatible with Western culture, or any other culture in fact. Chinese, Indian, Brazilian, German, Japanese, Australian, American, French and Kenyan cultures (to name a few) can all exist peacefully in a single country. All these cultures are accepting of differences and are open to learning about others (of course there are always people in each culture who are racist but that's beside the point). We celebrate Chinese New Year, Octoberfest, Black Friday (ha) all with people coming together with no incidents of violence or protests.
Not so with Islamic culture. During Ramadan, Muslims take time off work and employer/employee relationships are always tested. The desire for Muslim children to be separated based on their sex is prevalent everywhere, leading to division and disruption which takes away learning time from other children. The creation of Muslim ghettos in Europe where any non-muslim is treated with suspicion and ridicule, especially if one is a woman. Contrast that with China Town or Little Italy in New York; everyone is welcomed, and warmly so.
It's time we have an open honest debate about cultural issues. By allow us to talk about it, we can try to formulate a consensus and work together to tackle the problems. That includes working together with Muslim communities.
Curious about your thoughts though.
As always, this post is not written out of racism, bigotry etc. It's merely here to express my thoughts and start a dialogue.
