Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Multiculturalist knee-jerk


One of the most despairing news item I have read in recent times is in The Hindu of September 25, 2012 entitled Woman of Pakistani Origin is Norwegian Culture Minister by V Naravane [1].
The news item is about one Ms. Hadia Tajik being appointed as culture minister by the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Mr. Naravane says this can be seen as a “fitting response to Anders Breivik’s brutal assault on Norwegian multiculturalism.”
Gag me with a fork please.
I see it as an inappropriate, mindless reaction to the equally mindless xenophobic philosophy of Anders Breivik. What exactly does the government gain from this appointment?
The Editor of an influential Norwegian newspaper Ny Tid is quoted as saying that the decision to appoint Ms. Tajik was courageous and will go a way towards proving that the country is “truly [my emphasis] multicultural society”. I take severe exception to this conception of multiculturalism. Norway is “essentially a Christian society.” Casting it as exclusively multiculturalist cannot be a wise thing to do.
The editor goes on to say, “It is important that Norway proved this to the world, but it’s even more important that we proved this to ourselves.” To my mind, to be a multiculturalist is to be relieved of the burden of proof of being a multiculturalist. Multiculturalism CANNOT be a mask – either you are one or you are not. It is all encompassing and one would not be able to transgress without being obvious about it. Then where is the question of proving that Norway is a “truly multicultural society“?
Tell me, will a single act of appointing a Muslim woman of Pakistani Origin, even a true liberal, “forward looking” Norwegian as Ms. Tajik is portrayed, assuage the Breivikian xenophobia? Will this prove to him and his ilk that everyone will be taken care of, going beyond a zero-sum game? No. The origin of the problem remains unaddressed.
Particularly when Ms. Tajik seems to have declared that, “cultural diversity should become more integral to the life of her fellow citizens.” Her program will “delve into the protection of minority rights, both social and cultural.” This reads not like a reasoned assertion but angry knee-jerk reaction to the insult Anders Breivik heaped on Norwegian society. This has the potential to exacerbate the festering wound.
Is the government genuflecting to the supposedly liberal and multiculturalist vote bank? This truly cannot be, because a multiculturalist society cannot even subscribe to the idea of a vote bank.
Will Ms. Tajik show sympathy with the cause of Norwegian Muslims? Let us speculate that she will. But, what does that say about non-Muslim multiculturalists in the higher ranks of the governing party? Will their deeply held liberal positions be underestimated and undermined? I would tend to think so.
The implicit assertion is that any issue that besieges one community in a multicultural set up can be, indeed should be handled by representatives of that community only. The appointment, therefore, is likely to dilute the multiculturalist notion that Norway proudly proclaims and for all practical purposes, follows sincerely.
Now, let us speculate she will not. Then she goes beyond being a suspect puppet in the hands of the multiculturalist lobby – please understand that phrase in the most derogatory sense – to being the puppet of the same puppeteers. Which one of the two alternatives, in your opinion, will lead to better result? I think this is a no-win situation. Sorry for being such a cynic.
 It is acknowledged in the article by a woman of Moroccan descent that Breivik’s attack has “re-opened [my emphasis] many wounds.” That is, the multiculturalist idiom of Norway is NOT universal and the issue has risen repeatedly. I cannot think that this one act of the government would singe the final sprouting head of the hydra that Hercules slayed, with the help of his assistant. Ms. Tajik is unlikely to be that assistant.
Whichever way I look at it I cannot but see liberal knee-jerk behind appointing Ms. Hadia Tajik as the culture minister at this juncture. Please note that I have not questioned her ability to lead the country in those matters. What I have railed against is the incongruous cultural specifics of this supposedly multicultural-promoting appointment.
Raghuram Ekambaram
Reference

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