Multicultural factor behind terrorism

Yellow flowers are laid next to blood stains on the attack scene at the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 16, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Europe has been suffering, not only because of a slowing economy but also at the hands of terrorism. It has been rocked by terrorist attacks, from the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris in January 2015 to the Brussels airport attacks and the massacre in Nice this year. But perhaps far more worrying than the terrorist attacks is the fact that many, if not most, of the attackers grew up in Europe.

In Europe, North America and East Asia, the image of Muslims has been hijacked by terrorism, and labeled "conservative", "extremist" or "anti-modernist" in the popular discourses. And the reason for that could be the growing divide between indigenous and migrant Europeans.

Europe faces rising ethnic, social tensions, which will not go away anytime soon. Amidst all this, it is receiving more refugees from North African and the Middle East, a majority of them fleeing the Syrian civil war. And Europe seems defenseless against this double-punch of terrorism and refugee problem.

Many blame this on multiculturalism across the continent, and multiculturalism (along with multiethnic and multi-religious factors) creates problems regarding social benefits, public security, traditional culture and identity politics. Compared with traditional liberalists who uphold individual rights and freedom of speech, multiculturalists emphasize the rights of groups, that is, they seek the help of dialogues to demand the same rights for all ethnic groups. Such dialogues, however, need a shield of liberalism, which includes freedom of speech, political and public participation rights, conscientious democracy and code of ethics.