This summer we have witnessed disturbing events of intensified attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS), particularly in France and Germany.
A truck driver deliberately killed 83 French people in Nice, while they were celebrating their anniversary of the French Revolution; nine people were victims of a mass shooting at a mall in Munich, Germany; and a priest was brutally murdered during Mass in Rouen, France. In all three cases, the perpetrators claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, deliberately framing the horrific atrocities in terms of a war of Islam against Christianity and the Western culture in a broader sense.
Pope Francis has already warned us that we cannot internalize this perception and succumb to the idea that we are at war with Islam. However, just keeping in mind that Christians and Muslims are not at war is not enough. To have a chance at combating terrorism, we need to learn to co-exist with Muslims, integrate them in our societies, and actively seek their cooperation in defeating the people who did declare a war on us – the so-called Islamic State.
For the past couple of centuries, Muslims and Christians have lived in geographically separate areas. Europe and the Americas have been the home of Christian populations, while Muslims lived predominantly in northern Africa, Asia and the Middle East. With the notable exception of the Middle East and a few other places, the two religions have mostly remained separate. Since the mid-20th century, an unprecedented number of Muslims have immigrated into Western democracies to escape political instability, violence and economic hardship at home. They were initially welcomed, especially in Europe, which suffered from low birth rates and a dwindling labor force.
Today, Islam is the second largest religious affiliation (after Christianity) worldwide, with every fifth person on this planet professing to be a Muslim. Out of about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world, 43.5 million live in Europe and 3.5 million live in North America, and these numbers are likely to grow (Pew Research Center, 2013). The reality is that Islam will no longer be contained in poorer and geographically remote areas, and Westerners will have to accept the future prospect that they will be sharing their countries, towns and neighborhoods with significant Muslim populations. Mutual acceptance and cooperation is therefore no longer just a nice act of generosity, but an urgent necessity for future co-existence.
Despite political rhetoric in the media that tends to associate terrorism with the religion of Islam, Europol statistics show that less than 5 percent of terrorist attacks in Europe over the past five years have been religiously motivated, and the FBI reports that 94 percent of terrorist attacks in the U.S. between 1980 and 2005 have been carried out by non-Muslims. What we do not often hear is that Muslims suffer as victims of terrorism at disproportionately higher rates than non-Muslims. According to the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, between 82 and 97 percent of worldwide terrorism-related fatalities were Muslim.
In the incidents when non-Muslims are the targets, mainstream Muslim leaders and their communities frequently voice their condemnation for violence, and the vast majority of Muslims not only denounce terrorism and the extremist version of Islam, but are ready to step up and fight against it. Muslims have been known to cooperate with police and governments in bringing suspected terrorists to justice, preventing future attacks, and in some cases protecting non-Muslims in the midst of violence.
Most recently, after the murder of Father Jacques Hamel in Rouen, Muslim leaders across the West have unanimously expressed shock and outrage at such an abhorrent act of brutality during a sacred service. The president of the local Muslim cultural association and local Imams all refused to give the perpetrators, who were killed by the police, a Muslim burial. Several days after the tragedy, dozens of Muslim intellectuals and celebrities signed a public petition outlining their resolve to fight all forms of terrorism and violence, entitled “We the French Muslims are ready to assume our responsibilities.”
However, the most moving event occurred the following Sunday, when crowds of Muslims, along with many Jews, attended Catholic Masses throughout France and Italy – filling the pews of European churches, cathedrals and basilicas to show their solidarity in mourning the death of Father Hamel and express their support for all Catholics.
The reality is that we no longer live in a world that is geographically divided, but in a world in which people of different religions and ethnicities live side by side. Advancements in technology, transportation and information flows as well as an unequal distribution of wealth globally have all contributed to a rise in migration and, unfortunately, an easier spread and diffusion of violent conflict.
Because of this globalization, isolation and complete border protection are unrealistic responses. The horrific effects of the hateful ideology of ISIS are also being felt not only in its region of origin, but throughout the entire world. Even if we could stop the influx of immigrants, we cannot stop the spread of harmful ideologies and extremism across borders. The only course of action to build a more peaceful future is to cooperate with mainstream Muslims in forming a unified front against terrorism and violence.
Dr. Kamila Valenta is a member of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte and a part-time professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she teaches ethnic conflict.