Immigration, Identity, and Anonymity: Intentionally Masked Intolerance in Ireland

Newcomers to Ireland confront a context of reception shaped by large-scale historical emigration and more recent immigration defined by an increasingly diverse set of origin contexts, both within and outside the European Union (EU). How has the Irish population responded to these groups, and how openly do Irish residents express their views toward different immigrant groups? We test this response using a survey experiment, which offered respondents an anonymous way to express any negative attitudes to immigrant groups they may have had. Results from the survey experiment show that Irish residents’ support for Black and Polish immigrations is overstated when expressed directly. In contrast, their sentiment toward Muslim immigrants is notably insensitive to the level of anonymity provided, indicating little difference between overt and covert expression of support (or antipathy). In other words, when race/ethnicity or EU origin is made salient, Irish respondents are more likely to mask negative sentiment. When Islam is emphasized, however, Irish antipathy is not masked. We find that in-group preferences, instead of determining support in an absolute sense, shape the reluctance with which opposition to immigrant groups is overtly expressed.

Between Halal and Haram: The Challenges and Adaptation of Halal Dietary Consumption Indonesian Muslim Immigrants in Japan

<p>This study examines the challenges and adaptation strategies of Halal food consumption by Indonesian Muslim immigrants in Japan. Since April 2019, Japan’s government decided to accept foreign workers under Specified Skills Visa Program to address the labor shortages in the country. This new policy will encourage more Muslim immigrants from Indonesia to search for higher income in Japan. The growing population of Muslim immigrants in Japan and inbound tourists from Islamic countries has triggered the development of Halal food products in Japan. The research uses a qualitative approach supplemented with semi-structured interviews of Indonesian Muslim Immigrants from various locations in Japan. This study has found that the Indonesian Muslim immigrants face three challenges to maintain their Halal dietary consumption. The different culture of social life has put social pressure on Muslim immigrants to follow the Japanese drinking and hangout habits. The difficulties of accessibility and a lack of variety of Halal food products make it a less appealing choice for busy-scheduled people. There is no legal body that has the authority to give Halal certification. Theory of deviance typology is used to analyze the adaptation strategy formed as the result of these challenges. There are four types of adaptation strategy formed by Indonesia Muslim immigrants: Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, and Retreatism.</p><p class="abstrak"><em>Penelitian ini mengkaji tentang tantangan dan strategi adaptasi konsumsi makanan halal oleh imigran Muslim Indonesia di Jepang. Sejak April 2019, pemerintah Jepang memutuskan untuk menerima pekerja asing di bawah Program Visa Keterampilan Khusus untuk mengatasi kekurangan tenaga kerja di Jepang. Kebijakan baru ini akan mendorong lebih banyak imigran Muslim dari Indonesia untuk mencari penghasilan yang lebih tinggi di Jepang. Meningkatnya populasi imigran Muslim di Jepang dan masuknya turis dari negara-negara Islam telah memicu berkembangnya produk makanan Halal di Jepang. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif yang dilengkapi dengan wawancara semi terstruktur terhadap Imigran Muslim Indonesia dari berbagai lokasi di Jepang. Studi ini menemukan bahwa para imigran Muslim Indonesia memiliki tiga tantangan untuk mempertahankan konsumsi makanan halal mereka. Budaya kehidupan sosial yang berbeda telah memberikan tekanan sosial bagi imigran Muslim untuk mengikuti kebiasaan minum alkohol dan cara pergaulan orang Jepang. Kesulitan aksesibilitas dan kurangnya variasi produk makanan halal menjadikannya pilihan yang kurang menarik bagi orang-orang dengan jadwal sibuk. Tidak ada satu pun badan hukum yang berwenang memberikan sertifikasi halal. Teori tipologi penyimpangan digunakan untuk menganalisis strategi adaptasi yang terbentuk akibat tantangan tersebut. Ada empat jenis strategi adaptasi yang dibentuk oleh Imigran Muslim Indonesia: Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, and Retreatism.</em></p>

The Emergence and Persistence of Racialised Stereotypes on Dutch Television

Today, stereotypical and racialised imaginations of Muslims are pervasive on Dutch television. This article traces the history of Dutch television coverage of Muslim immigrants through the lens of the archive of Sound and Vision. It demonstrates that during their symbolic transformation from ‘guest workers’ to ‘ethnic minorities’ to ‘allochtonen’ and ‘Muslims’, television’s visual repertoire of Muslim immigrants has become increasingly racially inscribed. Finally, it argues that the archive of Sound and Vision has played a performative role in the emergence and persistence of racialised stock stereotypes of Muslim immigrants.

Exclusion of Muslims in Eastern Europe and Western Europe. A Comparative Analysis of Anti-Muslim Attitudes in France, Norway, Poland and Czech Republic

There are worrying signs of rising intolerance towards Muslim immigrants in the majority of European societies. We use data from the 2014/2015 wave of European Social Survey to analyse negative attitudes toward Muslim immigrants in France, Norway, Poland and the Czech Republic. Results of the analyses reveal that both levels and determinants of the anti-Muslim attitudes vary greatly. The levels are highest in Czech Republic and Poland, the two countries that have a very low Muslim population. Nevertheless, contact with immigrants reduces hostility toward Muslims also in these two countries. We find that theoretical approaches commonly used in studies of anti-immigrant attitudes are better suited to explain negative attitudes in Western European than in Eastern European countries. We argue that future research on hostility toward immigrants in Europe should focus more on Eastern European countries, as attitudes toward immigrants in several of these are worryingly negative.

Islamic factor in the immigration process of the European Union

The article attempts to draw attention to the fact that the future of Western Europe depends on a certain extent on the timely resolution of immigration problems related to Muslims. The aim of this article is to make a contribution to research of the issue concerning the future of Western Europe immigration process, which depends on a certain extent on the timely resolution of immigration problems related to Muslims. The point is that immigration flows, especially from the Muslim world, from a sporadic phenomenon have become a constant factor and raised questions about the development and implementation of measures to adapt Muslim immigrants to new working, living and cultural conditions in their new countries, search decisions aimed at reducing the pressure of the demographic factor on the economic development of host countries, cooperation in respect of human rights.

The Day After the Bomb: Well-Being Effects of Terrorist Attacks in Europe

We study the non-monetary costs of terrorist attacks in France, Belgium and Germany between 2010 and 2017. Using four waves of the European Social Survey, we find that individual well-being is significantly reduced in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. We explore possible mechanisms, finding that terrorist attacks are negatively correlated with generalized trust, institutional trust, satisfaction with democracy and satisfaction with the government. Terrorist attacks are also found to be positively correlated with negative attitudes towards migrants and perceived discrimination. Contrary to expectations, the negative relationship between terrorism and well-being is less strong for Muslim immigrants. We interpret this finding as an indication that immigrants benefit more than natives from the institutional reaction following terrorist attacks.

In Denmark we eat pork and shake hands! Islam and the anti-Islamic emblems of cultural difference in Danish neo-nationalism

This article argues that constructions of Danishness and Danish culture in neo-nationalist right-wing discourse have increasingly become structured around a marked opposition to Islam and Muslim immigrants. My analysis draws on Frederik Barth’s understanding of ethnic identity as constituted through processes of demarcation of boundaries vis-à-vis other groups. In such processes, certain cultural phenomena, both material and immaterial, can be elevated to emblems of cultural difference or symbolic markers of an in-group’s shared identity. The article explores how different phenomena such as freedom of speech, pork, winter swimming/mixed-gender swimming and handshakes have become salient topics of political and public debates about integration and Islam in Denmark. I argue that these phenomena have all become emblematic of an allegedly distinctive Danish culture because they serve the purpose of demarcating symbolic boundaries vis-à-vis Islam.

Canadian Calvinists Help to Overcome Intolerance against Muslims: Dutch Reformed Theology behind a Pluralist Worldview

This paper presents a case study of the dialogue groups organized by the members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) to hold dialogue with Muslims in Canada. Being profoundly influenced by Dutch neo-Calvinist theology, members of CRCNA promote an idea of confessional plurality, which has resulted in building relationships with Muslim communities. This study is based on fifteen interviews with participants of several Reformed Christian-Muslim groups, a content analysis of mass and social media and a variety of theological documents. Our findings show that these interfaith meetings help develop cohesive neighbourhoods and communities which facilitate new Muslim immigrants’ settlement and adjustment in Canada. This paper also points out the opportunities for further fruitful interfaith cooperation, both in the social and political spheres. However, some of the research participants are challenged with distinguishing missionary work and dialogue, which might undermine the work of the community in building bridges between Reformed Christians and Muslims.

Sustainable development goals, rule of law and public policy: implications for the traditional family model

Based on international public policy as an extension of national sovereignty, governments with authoritarian deviations are reforming their constitutions, criminal laws, etc. with the aim of preserving the inalienable values of their States and the Christian roots of their societies (traditional marriage and family model). For this purpose, basing on the vertical conception of SDG 16 (in which the areas of peace and justice are subordinated to the area of strong institutions), they seek to strengthen the state by gradually annulling its “disintegrating factors”: Muslim immigrants and refugees, members of the LGBTI community, leftist politicians, independent journalists and the EU itself (values, legislation and its incipient public policy). The research analyzes this problem affecting the family and its rights .