One Week
Until returned to her usual state of dishabille, the famous Copenhagen statue of Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid" took on a certain Muslim-inspired modesty last week. You could call the prank one of the lighter moments in the often tense relationship between old-stock Danes and their new Muslim neighbors. It was certainly a far lighter moment than the Muhammad cartoon controversy that erupted not long ago in the same city.
Quickly inflaming passions among Muslims throughout the Islamic world, that episode gave rise to grave concerns: Were western liberal values, including the freedom to say hurtful things about other people's beliefs, simply incompatible with the core tenets of Islam? And if so, how were Europe's some 24 million Muslims going to fit in over the long run?
Such tensions are not limited to Europe. It is bad news indeed that 8 in 10 people responding to a recent poll in four Muslim nations believe the United States is trying to "weaken and divide the Muslim world." Despite President Bush's declarations that the war on terrorism is not aimed at Islam, many Muslims clearly believe it is.
But all the news isn't bad. Most American Muslims, according to a new Pew Forum survey, feel that they are highly assimilated, with 63 percent saying they see no conflict between being devout and living in a modern society. The melting pot seems to be working when it comes to these Americans, though it may be significant that 60 percent of those ages 18 to 29 see themselves as Muslims first.
One of the great tests of the compatibility of liberal values and Islam is taking place in Turkey, now in its 84th year as a secular democracy. The big question there is whether the ruling party can bring a little more religion into the public sphere without sharply dividing the country and perhaps even provoking a military coup.
Humor may not be enough to avert the much-feared clash of civilizations. But as the draped maiden in Denmark shows, it sure doesn't hurt.
This story appears in the June 4, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.