INTERVIEW - French specialist Francois Burgat evaluates acts of hatred targeting Muslims in Europe

ISTANBUL (AA) - The share of the right wing or extreme wing is growing and the ruling elite more and more is making concessions, said Francois Burgat, political scientist and Emeritus Director of Research at French National Scientific Research Center (CNRS).

In an interview with Anadolu’s Analysis Department, Burgat evaluates the decay of the European ideals together with his impressions on the burning of the Muslim holy book of Quran in Sweden.

AA: Why are these crimes of hatred allowed in Europe?

Burgat: The context in Europe or in the West is we are moving away from a period of time where we were in a situation of hegemony. We have to accept the fact that there are other tribes on the surface of the earth and they are legitimate to at least participate in producing universalism. And we refuse this. The atmosphere, the context is that I say the “wounded giant.” The giant is feeling that he is no longer a giant.

AA: How do these crimes of hatred comply with “freedom of expression”?

Burgat: On the social network, what you read: “Our violence is symbolic." What is the limit of this so-called excuse of “our violence is symbolic”? The real limit is the double standard. The so-called “liberté d'expression” (freedom of speech) expresses itself with no limit in one unique direction. It is always in the same direction. It’s always against Muslims.

AA: Are there selected sensitivities in Europe?

Burgat: If they assault the Quran, it is because they want to hurt. The limit of this so-called attitude or excuse is the fact that there is a double standard. They would not make a public demonstration condemning homosexuality or LGBT or the Jews. Never. And they have said so. “The Torah will not be burned in the public sphere.” in Sweden nor in France. So this is the real weakness and what reveals us the dark side of this attitude. It is not a secularist attitude. It is not the position of someone who wants to get rid of religion. No, it is specifically assaulting a certain category of societies on the surface of earth, yeah, indeed I am afraid. If you do one tenth or one hundredth of this “liberté d'expression” to the Torah or towards a Jewish, you are immediately criminalized. You are immediately banned from the mainstream media.

AA: Are we coming to an end of the European ideals?

Burgat: I am afraid I am feeling like rightly responding: “Yes.” I think that the Western universalism has been functional as long as it was identified to the domination of the Western culture. It is easy to be universalist when everyone speaks English and from your culture and is using your culture. When the balance of forces, in terms of culture, starts changing, what is the context in Europe? The difficulty is to accept other voices. Even though they are totally respectful of what demands universalism, they are not allowed to participate. For this reason I am rather pessimistic.

Very often when I intervene outside of France, I say, “Maybe you say that your situation is difficult , but believe me my situation, as a French citizen or as a US citizen is darker than yours. You still have difficulties if you are a Syrian, Yemeni, Libyan, but your society is moving in the right direction. But I am afraid that we the Westerners nowadays more or less we are going backward. Our ability to represent the diversity of our societies is going backwards. This is what makes me pessimist.

AA: What were the reactions of the ruling elite and the media to these assaults?

Burgat: The share of the right wing or extreme wing is growing and the ruling elite more and more is making concessions. The situation in France is very clear. President (Emanuel) Macron was elected by insisting upon the fact that he would protect France against extreme right. But after losing the parliamentary elections, he is now cooperating more and more with the extreme right. What has happened in Sweden has more or less happened in France with the Charlie Hebdo story.

AA: Are the Europeans insensitive towards Muslims because they are secularized?

Burgat: I would say, yes to a certain extent. In fact we are not Christians, we are de-Christianized. That’s the definition of France. The same situation, 50-60 years ago, could not be, I mean, assaulting religious symbols would be absolutely impossible. But now it has become something that exists. The common denominator all over Europe is we see more and more Muslims in the public sphere. They have a religion or a culture which is not ours and they want to protect it and I feel especially in a difficult economic situation it’s easy to find a good enemy. This is the common denominator.

AA: Why did the Swedish prime minister decide to condemn this assault, after all?

Burgat: If I am very cynical, I would say it is a balance of forces. The fact that they will pay a price for the Turkish attitude in the NATO conflict. Sometimes people need to hear to measure the price that they are going to pay. Now they measure and there will be a debate. The same debate goes in France. Are we allowed to insult the symbolic system of this compartment of society which is more or less dominated now? You will never do the same demonstration of “liberté d'expression” against the Jews or the Israelis. There is a debate going on into Western societies, but don’t ask me what the result will be. I do not know. And I do not exclude the worst. Because the flow of the extreme right has been constant for the last 25 years.