"Integrating Ireland’s Muslims: Attitudes of Muslim and Irish Elites towards Value Compatibility and the Mainstreaming of Islam"

--Alice C. Ciciora

In this article, the question of whether Islam can mesh with Western society in Ireland is raised. This question has been put forth in many other articles I have read thus far. The reason it is a question at the front of everyone's mind is because of the strain it creates on people's lives: both non-Muslims and Muslims. In Ireland, there is no state religion, but the Catholic church remains a prominent force in the lives of the Irish people. The two religions see different sides of the story. The Catholic church does not believe the Islamic faith to be compatible with Western values so it should not be integrated into mainstream society. The Muslims elites in Ireland feel the exact opposite. While reading this article, I realized that it does not matter who is right in this situation. What matters is that the Islamic people are once again being told to abandon their lifestyle in order to blend in with Western society. It is the Western states who are in constant opposition with the Islamic faith, and for what reason? The Muslim peoples have existed in Europe for hundreds of years, yet there is still no acceptance of them or their religion. Why do Western states feel threatened by Islam? I have made the point that this religion is that of peace and harmony several times in my blog. I feel like it cannot be stressed enough. If the West feels threatened, maybe our values are the ones that need changing. Maybe the reason our two value systems do not mesh well is because we make it overly difficult to be compatible. Just because you accept a religion that may be different from another, does not make the other evil and that especially does not mean you cannot live together in the same world. It is fear that separates us, nothing else.