tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/muslim-immigration-31259/articlesMuslim immigration – The Conversation2017-05-22T02:05:33Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/780212017-05-22T02:05:33Z2017-05-22T02:05:33ZWhat Trump missed in his address on tolerance - American Muslims<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/170232/original/file-20170521-12242-hes5c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">President Donald Trump delivers a speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit on Sunday, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Evan Vucci</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>President Donald Trump, like his predecessors before him, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/21/politics/trump-saudi-speech-transcript/index.html">has discovered</a> the potent language of religious tolerance and interfaith unity when discussing Islam, as he demonstrated in his speech in Saudi Arabia to leaders of some 50 Muslim nations. But unlike previous presidents, he has not linked that rhetoric with recognition of the large, vibrant Muslim community in the U.S. </p>
<p>As a historian who has <a href="http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100411860">studied efforts in the past</a> to build acceptance of religious pluralism in the United States, I am concerned by Trump’s departure from historical precedent. </p>
<p>Can a message of tolerance to Islam abroad be persuasive without a corresponding affirmation of American Muslims at home?</p>
<h2>Toned-down Trump</h2>
<p>In his widely anticipated remarks on Islam and terrorism, President Trump avoided many of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2017/5/19/15654560/trump-foreign-trip-middle-east-europe-islam">missteps his critics feared</a>. He notably abandoned the harsh rhetoric that characterized descriptions of Islam during his 2016 campaign. Trump has set aside his insistence on the use of the phrase <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/donald-trump-muslim-ban-224272">“radical Islamic terrorism.”</a> He has also rejected the broad generalizations of Islam that marked his demand for a “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2015/12/07/e56266f6-9d2b-11e5-8728-1af6af208198_story.html?utm_term=.9e33bdb48d93">total and complete shutdown”</a> of Muslim immigration because their hatred was “beyond comprehension.”</p>
<p>With the exception of one apparent reference to “Islamic terror” – present in his spoken words but not in the written text of the speech – Trump otherwise struck a tolerant, inclusive tone. In his declaration that he was “not here to lecture” was the promise that the U.S. would not tell others “how to worship.” </p>
<p>More notable than the language of tolerance was Trump’s new emphasis on interfaith commonality. He declared the campaign against terrorism not “a battle between different faiths” but rather a fight that encompassed them all. He noted that a terrorist who “falsely invokes the name of God” should be considered “an insult to every person of faith.” </p>
<p>He used the language of a shared humanity and common God in his powerful – albeit macabre – description of victims of terrorism, noting,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“when we look upon the streams of innocent blood soaked into the ancient ground, we cannot see the faith or sect or tribe of the victims – we see only that they were Children of God whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy.” </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Echoes of past presidents</h2>
<p>In proclaiming tolerance and highlighting commonality with Muslims, Trump walked a well-worn path. </p>
<p>In 1980, during the Iran hostage crisis, <a href="http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=32899">Jimmy Carter noted</a> the many “human and moral values” which all Americans shared with Islam. These included a “deep faith in the one supreme being” and a shared respect for “the family and the home.”</p>
<p>Twenty-one years later, George W. Bush, in his <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/">speech to Congress</a> in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, emphasized a spirit of tolerance. Addressing “Muslims throughout the world,” Bush proclaimed, “we respect your faith.” Of Islam, he added: “its teachings are good and peaceful.”</p>
<p>Likewise, in a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html">speech given at Cairo University</a> shortly after taking office, Barack Obama affirmed that Islam “has a proud tradition of tolerance.” He also pointed to interreligious commonality. The principle “that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us” was a value that “transcends nations and peoples” and was not limited to “Christian, or Muslim or Jew.”</p>
<h2>Missing: Muslims in America</h2>
<p>This was one thing that was strikingly absent from Trump’s speech, though. The Saudi speech lacked any acknowledgment of the large Muslim population in the United States or discussion of its contribution to American society. </p>
<p>This absence, I argue, suggests an important limit to the evolution of Trump’s views on Islam.</p>
<p>In the speech, Trump made little mention of the U.S., except for a brief litany of terrorist attacks on American soil, including 9/11, San Bernardino and Orlando. The millions of Muslims <a href="https://theconversation.com/48-hours-as-a-muslim-american-a-professor-reflects-60991">who live in the U.S.</a> and are integral parts of American society went unmentioned. </p>
<p>On this crucial point, the contrast between Trump and his predecessors is striking.</p>
<p>In 1980, <a href="http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=32899">President Carter noted</a> that the U.S.’ “kaleidoscopic population includes a vigorous Islamic community.” After 9/11, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/">President Bush reminded</a> the nation that the Muslim faith was “practiced freely by many millions of Americans.” And, in 2009, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html">President Obama forcefully emphasized</a> that “Islam is a part of America.” </p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html">Obama described</a> his personal experience “in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.” Obama reached back into history as well. Islam was not merely a part of the American present but also its past. “Since our founding,” <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html">Obama noted</a>, “American Muslims have enriched the United States.” </p>
<h2>Islam as foreign</h2>
<p>For Trump, I argue, Islam remains something foreign. It is something that belongs in what he describes as “the Muslim world” rather than a religion integrated into American society. It seemingly did not occur to Trump’s speechwriters that a discussion of Islam should make some mention of American Muslims. </p>
<p>Until Trump stops presenting Islam as something distinct from American society, speeches like this one will do little to change perceptions of him. The president appeared admirably tolerant abroad. But he did nothing to acknowledge Muslims in the U.S.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78021/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Mislin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Trump avoided many of the missteps his critics feared, but he failed to acknowledge the presence of America’s large Muslim population and its contribution to American society.David Mislin, Assistant Professor, Intellectual Heritage Program, Temple UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/724612017-02-09T03:47:15Z2017-02-09T03:47:15ZWhat is the true meaning of mercy?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/156096/original/image-20170208-17345-i0qauy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mercy matters</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfsoul/2076655915/in/photolist-4avpsk-bJaZHF-bJb1f4-3n6RBN-t1K7c-dVy7PS-9i4vFj-esLjSX-6H5UmZ-9or6Mp-d3zcbY-eqW6ar-6c6KrU-8ukgsq-6DLMyo-4fEWQX-6sGyir-4fEZkM-4xHKDE-2tNemo-zTKS1-5EW9MF-2HyjW6-8cGEws-qxtcma-agbocw-dJu49c-8Um8wF-kGvtF5-71T1u3-o54gg6-7oAg1t-cNPbqu-dYqzeW-83z66m-cyKQjb-dJu9p4-c2FgcL-61nxE2-9oqG18-qSRTSJ-4iD2e-CD5cP-nvdrEV-4xwTNF-nroJw7-8u457R-5GGcFe-dEQpbD-9BUznK">Romel</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The world seems to be witnessing increasing levels of violence, fear and hatred that challenge us each day. There are <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-bible-says-about-welcoming-refugees-72050">ongoing debates</a> about how or whether to welcome immigrants and refugees to the United States; news headlines remind us about the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/21/aleppo-syria-war-destruction-then-and-now-in-pictures">plight of Syria</a> and about the <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2016/10/moises-saman-isis-qa/">horrors of the Islamic State</a>. </p>
<p>In such times, talk about mercy may seem more like wishful thinking. But mercy matters – now more than ever.</p>
<p>The extraordinary <a href="https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/17147/Pope-Francis-declares-extraordinary-Holy-Year-of-Mercy.aspx">Holy Year of Mercy</a> called by Pope Francis ended in November 2016. Pope Francis <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/pope-francis-urges-trump-be-ethical-inauguration-2017-545477">has encouraged President Donald Trump</a> to draw upon “the rich spiritual and ethical values that have shaped the history of the American people.” </p>
<p>I recently wrote about mercy in a book, <a href="https://www.osv.com/Shop/Product?ProductCode=T1746">“Mercy Matters: Opening Yourself to the Life Changing Gift</a>.” Mercy has touched my life <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/review-mathew-schmalzs-book-mercy-matters">in many ways</a> – such as in my recovery from alcoholism and through my experiences as an adopted child. So, to me, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjpDju_SXJw">mercy is</a> a “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=WD_-CwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false">love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way</a>.” </p>
<p>At its core, mercy is forgiveness. The Bible speaks of God’s love for sinners – that is, for all of us. But the Bible also relates mercy to other qualities beyond love and forgiveness.</p>
<p>So, how can we begin to understand the true meaning of mercy?</p>
<h2>Mercy in the Hebrew Bible</h2>
<p>Christians usually understand the “Hebrew Bible” as the “Old Testament,” which is replaced by the “New Testament” of Jesus Christ as found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. </p>
<p>How Christianity has interpreted the Hebrew Bible, often not fully appreciating its Jewish context, continues to be a matter of scholarly debate. But many Christians see connections between themes expressed in the “Old Testament” and Christ’s later teachings about the importance of mercy.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/156094/original/image-20170208-17333-1vlhin7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/156094/original/image-20170208-17333-1vlhin7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156094/original/image-20170208-17333-1vlhin7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156094/original/image-20170208-17333-1vlhin7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156094/original/image-20170208-17333-1vlhin7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156094/original/image-20170208-17333-1vlhin7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156094/original/image-20170208-17333-1vlhin7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Hebrew Bible.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/firewalljc/3933345855/in/photolist-6ZzqFR-eQUozm-4VfejV-8LRQzj-62d97v-75zgtG-ffH4gf-5Y9GoZ-9dpHgJ-FHGBXV-aegj87-6zUbUc-9DCTzz-9rTHhf-6ctLJ-kiPm9T-GyAS1M-9uxRAo-5YdW5b-eTrJcy-dBgCy1-dmdf72-8KrPJp-bzSUdW-7pt7zK-5Suu7a-bGpH8B-8zkkAp-kAgEEK-EFHKv7-FL7E5Q-iFbj9P-5LREDU-e35fMD-aAEZsG-EZPq7C-EC1ZGM-9DCU8v-EGokcy-FDgdTM-bGpGTv-bWUKGn-bK53s2-FHvvBF-HKXqJ-e8pftz-GonQQ6-8RW6XU-EszH2s-FtGF4H">FirewallJC</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the Hebrew Bible, there is a cluster of related words that are often translated as “mercy,” depending upon where they appear in the text. There is <a href="http://www.jewishmag.com/20mag/hebrew/hebrew.htm">“ahavah,”</a> which refers to God’s enduring love for Israel, much like the love between husband and wife. Then there is <a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/7356.htm">“Rachamim,”</a> which comes from the root word “rechem,” or womb, and therefore might be more literally understood as suggesting a “maternal connection” between God and human beings. </p>
<p>In a famous passage from <a href="http://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/psalms/85.htm">Psalm 85</a> that speaks of the <a href="http://www.religion.ucsb.edu/faculty/thomas/classes/rgst116b/JewishHistory.html">Israelites’ return from exile</a>, it is said that when “mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed.” </p>
<p>“<a href="http://www.bible-researcher.com/chesed.html">Chesed</a>,” the word translated as “mercy” in this verse, additionally suggests God’s quality of “steadfast loyalty.” The psalm thus relates steadfastness and mercy with “truth” – in Hebrew “<a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrew/571.htm">emet</a>”– which means behaving ethically and being faithful to God’s will.</p>
<h2>Mercy in the Christian gospels</h2>
<p>A point of connection between the Jewish and Christian traditions is what is called the “Great Hallel.” <a href="http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hallel/">Hallel</a> means “praise” and refers to a group of psalms regularly recited at the time of the new moon as well as during important Jewish feasts like <a href="http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday5.htm">Tabernacles or Sukkot</a>, which commemorates the period the Jewish people spent in the desert on their journey to the <a href="http://www.jewfaq.org/israel.htm">Promised Land</a>. </p>
<p>The great Hallel is the refrain of Psalm 136 that celebrates how God’s “<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+136&version=NKJV">mercy endures forever</a>.” Some scholars believe Jesus <a href="https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-03/and-jesus-sang">sang the Great Hallel</a> with his disciples when they went out to the <a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/26.htm">Mount of Olives</a> after the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26:17-30">Last Supper</a>, the final meal that he shared with his Apostles before his crucifixion.</p>
<p>Mercy sets the context for many of Jesus’ teachings. In the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/matthew.html">Gospel of Matthew</a>, Jesus tells the story of the “<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18:21-35">unmerciful servant</a>” who has his own debt wiped away but refuses to forgive another servant who only owed him a few cents.</p>
<p>The story teaches us that we need to forgive others, because we have been forgiven ourselves.</p>
<h2>Jesus as the face of mercy</h2>
<p>Also in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus <a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/9-13.htm">tells his disciples</a> to understand the meaning of the phrase: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Perhaps most significantly for Christians, Jesus shows us what it means to be merciful: He healed the sick, welcomed the stranger and pardoned those who persecuted and killed him. </p>
<p>As Pope Francis tells us in <a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html">Misericordiae Vultus</a>, his letter introducing the Holy Year of Mercy, Jesus’ mercy is not abstract but “visceral” – it’s something that quite literally changes us from the inside out. </p>
<p>And Christians believe that this visceral aspect of mercy comes in the personal relationship Jesus promises to all of us: a relationship based on forgiveness and love, reconciliation and truth. As Pope Francis writes in the very first sentence of <a href="https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_bolla_20150411_misericordiae-vultus.html">Misericordiae Vultus</a>, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Jesus Christ is the face of God’s mercy.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Practicing mercy</h2>
<p>According to the Bible, mercy does matter: It matters because we all need forgiveness. But mercy also matters because it is what can join us all together in spite of our differences.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/156093/original/image-20170208-17328-t92dcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/156093/original/image-20170208-17328-t92dcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156093/original/image-20170208-17328-t92dcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156093/original/image-20170208-17328-t92dcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156093/original/image-20170208-17328-t92dcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156093/original/image-20170208-17328-t92dcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/156093/original/image-20170208-17328-t92dcm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protest against the immigrant ban in Minneapolis, Minnesota.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/fibonacciblue/32600494826/in/photolist-REN4k1-884UPZ-62tQrZ-fsR5Cq-986eJa-65tjWZ-pFneZm-62yNbs-62rrpp-65tyxM-cPJ565-64sgvS-9WRaHV-jCcszN-aeABBS-BVz62k-65xSyE-fv9DwR-62ytSy-65yfsq-62rwET-9XMkdC-4wtUS-62zNM9-rYGNHS-4vrgoH-edZZQF-9NrA4t-QqP5mX-65rpVf-rYQUhn-sgfhrT-65tA6X-65oMpP-ds95HJ-65u9CK-dWYiEE-62rAPM-pXGGBi-65rxiP-ftd5rP-62vLUL-65wNdd-64AFR9-ftsuPd-65yqHs-62yMQm-65yYQd-65vyV9-65uUmc">Fibonacci Blue</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But what does it mean – in concrete terms – to be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/2015/09/26/8e1faa4c-6488-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html?utm_term=.261dea06c9b5">merciful to the refugee, the immigrant</a>, not to mention to those nations, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/nyregion/immigration-child-migrant-surge-in-New-York-City.html">institutions</a> and communities that face the challenge of welcoming them? What does mercy mean in Syria? What is a merciful response to the atrocities of the Islamic State, or ISIL/ISIS – a group that has been merciless in persecuting <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/19/iraq-isis-abducting-killing-expelling-minorities">Christians, Yazidi and the Shia</a>? How might mercy shape the Trump administration’s response to Iran <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/slaps-sanctions-iran-missile-test-170203154253182.html">following its missile tests</a>, or to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/world/asia/china-spratly-islands.html?_r=0">Chinese expansion in the Spratly Islands</a> and the South China Sea?</p>
<p>I certainly can’t say how mercy can be specifically applied to these challenges: The possibilities, and pitfalls, are as numerous as the various meanings associated with mercy in the Bible itself.</p>
<p>But I would like to suggest a starting point for thinking about how mercy matters. In a recent discussion about my book <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mercymatters/">“Mercy Matters</a>,” a participant related how she’s been watching both Fox News and MSNBC in a effort to expose herself to different views about crucial issues facing the United States. I never learned whether she was a Democrat or a Republican; a liberal, conservative or libertarian. </p>
<p>But what I did learn is that mercy begins by opening oneself to those with whom one might strongly disagree. Mercy doesn’t end there, of course, but it begins with such small acts of understanding, which can lead to life-changing experiences of love.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/72461/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mathew Schmalz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A scholar explains how mercy could be a simple act of opening oneself to those with opposing views.Mathew Schmalz, Associate Professor of Religion, College of the Holy CrossLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/654732016-09-20T19:54:48Z2016-09-20T19:54:48ZIf the normal rules of political engagement don’t apply, how do we handle Pauline Hanson?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138165/original/image-20160919-17029-1qjrxb6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Greens senators staged a walkout during Pauline Hanson's maiden speech.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Mick Tsikas</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australians had an unnerving sense of déjà vu last week when Pauline Hanson delivered her predictable but no less offensive <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-15/pauline-hanson-maiden-speech-2016/7847136">maiden speech</a> in the Senate. Hanson warned that Australia was in danger of being <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-in-danger-of-being-swamped-by-muslims-the-numbers-tell-a-different-story-65477">swamped by Muslims</a> and called for all Muslim immigration to be stopped.</p>
<p>Back in 1996, in her <a href="http://australianpolitics.com/1996/09/10/pauline-hanson-maiden-speech.html">maiden speech</a> to the House of Representatives, Hanson infamously predicted Australia was going to be swamped by Asians. If she felt any embarrassment that her last round of doomsday forecasts had proven wrong, she didn’t show it.</p>
<p>But, then again, that is the privilege of the paranoid right. The normal rules of political engagement – coherence, consistency, fact, logic, proportion – do not apply.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/krEPTyYO6l8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Pauline Hanson’s maiden speech to the Senate.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How do we ‘handle’ Hanson?</h2>
<p>The response to Hanson was also fairly predictable. The Greens <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/pauline-hanson-speech-by-walking-out-the-greens-gave-the-senator-exactly-what-she-craves-20160914-grge5h.html">staged a dramatic walkout</a>. They then <a href="http://campaigns.greens.org.au/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1792&ea.campaign.id=56059">posted a video</a> in which they condemned Hanson’s speech. </p>
<p>Several Turnbull government ministers <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-ministers-voice-opposition-to-pauline-hansons-first-speech-but-will-work-with-her-20160915-grgpem.html">said</a> that, while they did not agree with Hanson’s claims, they respected the right of people to have a difference of opinion.</p>
<p>The mainstream media weighed in with their own assessments about how to handle Hanson. Age journalist Tony Wright <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/pauline-hanson-speech-by-walking-out-the-greens-gave-the-senator-exactly-what-she-craves-20160914-grge5h.html">denounced her</a> but criticised the Greens’ self-indulgence. He suggested the best way to tackle Hanson was to expose the illogical and false nature of her claims, not shun her. </p>
<p>SBS’s The Feed pointed out <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/thefeed/article/2016/09/15/10-times-pauline-hanson-got-the-facts-wrong-her-maiden-speech">ten factual errors</a> in Hanson’s speech. </p>
<p>Columnist Waleed Aly <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/comment/neither-hanson-nor-the-greens-wanted-to-win-anyone-over-that-wasnt-the-point-20160914-grg5ok.html">offered a grim assessment</a> that in a polarised Australia it is as if the Hansonites and anti-Hansonites occupy two different universes – the implication being that there are no grounds at all for genuine engagement. </p>
<p>On and on it went, as it will presumably for the next few years, every time Hanson opens her mouth and says something horrible. The prospect is not a pleasant one.</p>
<p>So, is there a “right” way to handle Hanson? Should we ignore her? Engage her? Denounce her? Laugh at her? </p>
<p>The answer depends on what we mean by “handling” Hanson. Is our intention to make her see the errors of her ways? Is it to silence or marginalise her? Or is to try to contain the damage she causes when she uses parliamentary privilege to belittle and harm minority groups by engaging Australians in a different conversation? </p>
<p>This last option is likely to be the most practical and effective one.</p>
<h2>What is the paranoid style?</h2>
<p>It is improbable that Hanson can be reasoned with in relation to her views on Muslim immigration. She and her fellow travellers conform to what US historian Richard Hofstadter once referred to as <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Paranoid-Style-American-Politics/dp/0307388441">“the paranoid style”</a>. </p>
<p>Hofstadter did not mean such people were clinically insane, rather that they were normal people motivated by tendencies towards acute exaggeration, suspiciousness and conspiratorial fantasy. </p>
<p>History, Hofstadter pointed out, is peppered with individuals and groups who mobilised politically on the basis of their belief that their group was under direct threat from hostile forces intrinsically opposed to the “in-group’s” values and ideals. These threats were deemed urgent because such outsiders had managed to infiltrate the core group and were subverting it from within. </p>
<p>Catholics, Communists and Masons were some of the “out-groups” Hofstadter identified in relation to American politics. To that list, and in an Australian context at different times, we might also add the Irish, the Chinese – and now Muslims.</p>
<p>Anger, absolutism, anti-intellectualism, anti-cosmopolitanism and racism are common elements of the paranoid style.</p>
<p>Hofstadter also recognised a strong sense of dispossession at its core. The proponents of paranoid politics feel robbed of their heritage, security and identity. Their alienation from the political system and the machinery of power (its processes, rather than its consequences) means they:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>underestimate the power of negotiation, bargaining and compromise in the decision-making process;</p></li>
<li><p>view difference as irreconcilable; and</p></li>
<li><p>imagine conspiracies where none exist. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Hanson and the paranoid style</h2>
<p>Viewed in this context and that of the more <a href="https://theconversation.com/boats-secrecy-leads-to-bad-policy-without-democratic-accountability-43324">general culture of silence</a> and misinformation that has been allowed to surround Australian immigration policy in recent decades, it becomes apparent why Hanson is unlikely to be swayed from her views.</p>
<p>Ignoring Hanson is not an option nevertheless. She is a professional agitator who feeds off the social disturbance she creates. Australian political scientist Alan Davies <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=8bo8AAAAIAAJ">described the agitator</a> as someone who:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… lives in effect, to shout or write – to be noticed, to provoke and leave his mark … a man (sic) who is himself agitated; roused by events to an unusual excitement … a man stung into demanding that others en masse quail, rage or condemn too. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Having finally re-established a public platform for herself in the form of a Senate seat, Hanson will work hard to ensure the media spotlight remains firmly focused on her. </p>
<p>Her temptation to up the ante by issuing ever-more-provocative statements will be strong. The onus will be on government and community leaders to ensure Hanson is not setting the limits of public discourse and decency.</p>
<p>All this presents significant challenges for the Australian body politic – but the situation is not completely hopeless.</p>
<p>Handling Hanson will require a strong sense of proportion from the media and her opponents. They will need to engage directly with her and her One Nation colleagues while also trying to deny them too much political oxygen by responding to every single utterance – tempting though it will be. </p>
<p>They will need to counter erroneous claims with real data and facts. They will need to find some “good news” stories to tell.</p>
<p>It also requires strong, ethical leadership from our MPs. This is the sort of leadership that puts social stability and cohesion above party-political interests. It is not afraid to call out racist and demeaning behaviour in the public sphere. </p>
<p>What’s needed most of all is a positive counter-narrative to Hanson’s toxic discourse – one that celebrates Australian multiculturalism, consciously tackles the misinformation that surrounds immigration policy, and demands respect and dignity for all Australians regardless of their religion, culture or ethnicity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65473/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gwenda Tavan has received funding for research from the National Archives of Australia and from the National Library of Australia.</span></em></p>The normal rules of political engagement – coherence, consistency, fact, logic, proportion – do not apply to members of the paranoid right like Pauline Hanson.Gwenda Tavan, Associate Professor, Politics and International Relations, La Trobe UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/654772016-09-16T01:33:13Z2016-09-16T01:33:13ZAustralia is in danger of being swamped by Muslims? The numbers tell a different story<p>In her maiden speech to the Senate, One Nation senator Pauline Hanson <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F16daad94-5c74-4641-a730-7f6d74312148%2F0139%22">said</a> that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Now we are in danger of being swamped by Muslims…</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Her statement provides a useful opportunity to revisit the statistics on the number of Muslims migrating to and living in Australia.</p>
<p>The data show the number of Muslims in Australia is growing gradually in line with other non-Christian religions. And the number of migrants from majority Muslim countries remains a small proportion of Australia’s overall migrant intake. </p>
<h2>How big is Australia’s Muslim population?</h2>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2071.0Main%20Features902012%E2%80%932013">2011 census</a>, Muslims make up just 2.2% of the Australian population. The Australian Bureau of Statistics, which runs the Census, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/CO-61">says</a> the 2011 Census data show that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Christianity remained the most commonly reported religion in Australia with 61.1% of the population reporting affiliation with a Christian religion – a decline from 63.9% in 2006. </p>
<p>There was an increase in the number of people not reporting a Christian faith from 36.1% of the population in 2006 to 38.9% in 2011. </p>
<p>The number of people reporting ‘No religion’ increased significantly, from 18.7% of the population in 2006 to 22.3% in 2011. </p>
<p>The most common non-Christian religions in 2011 were Buddhism (accounting for 2.5% of the population), Islam (2.2%) and Hinduism (1.3%). Of these, Hinduism had experienced the fastest growth since 2006.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/138006/original/image-20160915-30594-xln7e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Top 20 religions in Australia, 2011 Census data. NFD stands for not further defined.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/mediafactsheetsfirst/$file/Census-factsheet-religion.doc">ABS 2011 Census Factsheet</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2071.0Main%20Features902012%E2%80%932013">Census data</a>, Islam is growing at a similar rate to that of other non-Christian religions. </p>
<p>Given that Australia’s immigration policy does not discriminate on the grounds of ethnic origin or religion, it is not surprising to see a rise in non-Christian religions as a proportion of the total population. However, the numbers are still small compared with those identifying as Christian or of no religion. </p>
<h2>What about migrants from majority Muslim countries?</h2>
<p>In 2014-15 there were 189,097 places in the skilled and family migration streams of Australia’s migration program.</p>
<p>The largest source countries of migrants in this program for 2014-15 were:</p>
<ul>
<li>India (18.4% of migrants in this stream for 2014-15, down from 20.5% for 2013-14);</li>
<li>China (14.7% of migrants in this stream, up from 14.1% for 2013-14); and</li>
<li>United Kingdom (11.1% of migrants in this stream, down from 12.2% in 2013-14).</li>
</ul>
<p>This chart, from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, shows the top ten citizenship countries of migrants, excluding New Zealand citizens (as
New Zealand citizens are not counted as part of the migration program):</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137929/original/image-20160915-30580-1f1bugn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/statistics/2014-15-Migration-Programme-Report.pdf">Department of Immigration and Border Protection</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Among the top ten source countries of permanent migrants (excluding New Zealand), in this group, there were two countries with predominantly Muslim populations: Pakistan with 8,281 (4.4%) and Malaysia with 3,977 (2.1%).</p>
<p>So the number of migrants to Australia from majority Muslim countries was <a href="https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/statistics/2014-15-Migration-Programme-Report.pdf">dwarfed</a> by the number of from India 34,874 (18.4%), China 27,872 (14.7%) and the United Kingdom 21,078 (11.1%).</p>
<p>The same two Muslim countries were represented in the <a href="https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/statistics/report-migration-programme-2013-14.pdf">top ten countries</a> of origin in the figures for permanent migration in 2013-14 in roughly the same proportions.</p>
<p>However, Pakistan was not in the top ten for 2012-13. So in recent years, there has been an <a href="https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/statistics/report-on-migration-program-2012-13.pdf">increase</a> in skilled migration from Pakistan. </p>
<h2>What about refugees resettled in Australia through its humanitarian program?</h2>
<p>In the humanitarian <a href="https://www.border.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/60refugee#d">program</a> – the program through which refugees are resettled in Australia – there is a greater proportion of migrants from majority Muslim countries.</p>
<p>In 2014-15, of the total of 13,756 humanitarian migrants:</p>
<ul>
<li>2,335 were from Iraq</li>
<li>2,232 were from Syria</li>
<li>1,813 were from Afghanistan and </li>
<li>331 were from Iran. </li>
</ul>
<p>These majority Muslim countries made up 48.8% of the humanitarian intake.</p>
<p>Many of these migrants were fleeing persecution from oppressive regimes in their countries of origin, and were either not Muslims themselves, or rejected a fundamentalist version of Islam. </p>
<p>And although there is a greater proportion of migrants from traditionally Muslim countries in the humanitarian program, the humanitarian program made up only <a href="http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/ourwork/refugee-needs-trends-statistical-snapshot-2/">6.7%</a> of the total permanent migrant intake into Australia in 2014-15. </p>
<h2>‘Danger of being swamped’</h2>
<p>The implication in Hanson’s statement is that there is a number of Muslims that would “overwhelm” the Australian people. There is obviously no precise number of people or proportion of the population that can be determined to have achieved a “swamping” of the country. For some, a very small number of Muslims might be sufficient to engender a fear of being swamped. For others, “swamping” is simply an inflammatory term for issues of integration. </p>
<p>In terms of integration, Australia does not have a national religion. Australia is culturally associated with a democratic tradition that has Christian origins. People of all religions pledge to uphold Australian values when they join the Australian community. It is subscription to these values which unites us in our diversity.</p>
<p>Fear of being overwhelmed is a fear of the unknown. The constitution of Australian society has changed dramatically in the last 40 years. For some people, this has been extremely challenging to their sense of identity. </p>
<p>It is important to allay these fears both by painting a clear picture of the way Australian society has transformed and the benefits of this transformation, while addressing fears and tensions that arise along the way. </p>
<p><em>CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said that of 13,756 humanitarian migrants settled in Australia in 2014-15, 331 were from Iraq. It should have said 331 were from Iran. It has now been corrected. The Conversation thanks readers who brought this typo to our attention.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65477/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Reilly receives funding from Horticulture Innovation Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman.
He is also a member of the board of the Refugee Advocacy Service of South Australia, a voluntary service providing free legal and migration advice to asylum seekers.</span></em></p>In her maiden speech to the Senate, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said Australia is in danger of being swamped by Muslims. What does the data say?Alex Reilly, Deputy Dean and Director of the Public Law and Policy Research Unit, Adelaide Law School, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.