Cultural identity: the new religion

Last updated on: May 7, 2013 at 6:41 pm by Svend White

Cultural identity: the new religion 2013-05-07T18:41:52-05:00 Svend White

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

After my father’s conversion to Islam in the late 1950s, my grandmother, a devout Catholic, never questioned his right to make that choice. Granted, she worried till the her final days for his immortal soul, but she never viewed him as less American or a part of the family for leaving the Church. I think more than a mother’s love was at work there–I think it was the result of an intuitive understanding of religious faith and the spiritual and emotion imperative to follow one’s conscience. I don’t think she was particularly ecumenical in outlook and she certainly didn’t approve of his decision to embrace this exotic religion, but I think she could relate to his change on a certain level, and she didn’t find his religious conversion a threat to her identity, whether religiously or culturally.

One would expect people who are "secular" in the fullest sense of the word, namely people who lack any religious faith at all, to be the least threatened by others’ religious beliefs–From their perspective, it’s just another fable people comfort themselves with, as opposed to a repudiation of the Truth–but in my experience the opposite often seems to be the case.

Discussing my mother’s conversion from Lutheranism to Islam–she converted in Copenhagen in 1970–with relatives and friends in Denmark the early 1990s, I was struck by how radically different the reaction of some was from that of my grandmother in the USA. Though many admitted to being agnostics or even atheists, their reaction against the idea of a Danish woman abandoning a religion that many Danes seem to remember only two days a year–i.e., at Christmas and Easter–and embracing Islam was intense and deepseated. Something far more sacred for them than religion seems to have been challenged. Their cultural identity was in jeopardy.

I’ve always suspected that for these reasons that hyper-secularized Scandinavia, even with its tradition of compassion and social solidarity–a source of pride for me all my life, especially as America turned rightward after the lamentable advent of the Reagan Revolution–had the potential for great inter-religious strife. Events in Denmark in recent years seem to be bearing out my theory.

With this in mind, here’s a report from an article from The Torch [which is in Danish, though there is an English section on the website], an unabashedly leftist and activist journal of social commentary in Denmark, about the increasing prejudice and zenophobia against immigrants being seen in Denmark today. I’ve provided a rough (and quite inelegant) translation, with the original in brackets:

Recently, the Minority Party publicized an email written by the head of the Danish People’s Party Kenneth Kristensen in which he laments that one cannot simply expel Danes who convert to Islam from their country and expresses his desire to penalize Danish Muslims merely for their choice of religion. "There is no doubt that many of these people are far more dangerous than those we’ve gotten from the Middle East. Unfortunately, we have no way to expell them, but we can ensure that security services keep a close eye on them."
[For nylig kunne Minoritetspartiet offentliggøre en email fra Dansk Folkepartis Ungdoms landsformand, Kenneth Kristensen, hvori han ærgrer sig over, at man ikke bare kan landsforvise danskere, som konverterer til islam, og hvor han udtrykker ønske om at kriminalisere danske muslimer alene på grund af deres valg af religion: "Der er ingen tvivl om, at mange af disse personer er endnu farligere end dem vi har fået fra Mellemøsten. Desværre har vi ingen mulighed for at udvise disse, men vi kan sørge for at efterretningstjenesten holder et vågent øje med dem."]

Only Ekstra Bladet [a tabloid-like newspaper known for sensationalism and its saucy adult classified ads –Svend] commented on the matter in a short piece
by the [erotic] massage ads, wherein Kenneth Kristensen repeated and escalatedhis assault on religious freedom with the following grotesque
observations: "When you abandon Christian faith for Islam, it is normally the result of radicalism. It’s as much of a warning sign as wearing a swastika or displaying suicidal tendencies." (11/23).
[Kun Ekstra Bladet tog sagen op i en frimærkenotits ved siden af massageannoncerne, hvor Kenneth Kristensen gentog og radikaliserede sit angreb på religionsfriheden i groteske vendinger: "Når man vælger at skifte sin kristne tro ud med islam, er det som regel ud fra radikale bevæggrunde. Det er et advarselssignal på samme måde, som hvis man begynder at bære hagekors eller udvise selvmordstendenser." (23.11.).]

Expulsion, criminalization and comparisons of Danish Muslims to Nazis, but noone objected.
[Landsforvisning, kriminalisering og sidestilling af danske muslimer med nazister – men ingen tog afstand.]

It’s fascinating how some secularists seem incapable of understanding the phenomenon of religious conversion or of entertaining the idea that it might be the result of a sincere change of heart.

It’s equally intriguing, and profoundly concerning, how ferociously those same people react to any challenge to their ersatz religion, this nebulous but all-important cultural and national identity. Combine such Jacobin secularism with intense prejudice and you have a recipe for senseless conflict in any reasonably diverse society, and an inspiration for zealotry worthy of the Taliban.

Religion

Previous Post

January 6, 2006

Ethiopia & Eritrea at it again

Next Post

January 13, 2006 Uneven "Kingdom of Heaven"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category American Politics Animals in Islam Anti-Semitism Christian Jihadism Christianity Culture & the Arts Current Affairs Denmark Dogs in Islam Family life Film Gender Great MP3s Hate in America Imam W.D. Mohammed Interfaith Dialogue International Affairs Islam and the Left Islamic Thought Islamophobia Jihad Judaism Legos Link of the Day Marriage Misc Modernity/Post-Modernity Mormonism Multiculturalism Music Muslims in the Melting Pot Must-Listen Podcasts Non-Muslims and Islam Pakistan Pictures Pigs in Islam Polygamy Pork Progressive Muslims Race Relations Really Important Stuff Religion Required Reading Robert Spencer Scandinavia Science Science Fiction Sex in Islam So-called Globalization South Asia Star Trek Strange but True Studying Arabic Stupid Muslim Tricks Sufism/Tasawwuf Television The "Miami 7" hoopla The Corporate Media The Danish cartoons The GWOT The Jihad against Islam The Middle East Vikings! Wahhabism/Salafism Washington and the Middle East Web/Tech Women in Islam

Select a Month March 2014 February 2014 November 2013 September 2013 July 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 September 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible records Paul’s shipwreck?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Romans Acts 2 Timothy 1 Corinthians