Paris attack a turning point in divisive debate on religion (Globe & Mail)
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Wednesday’s deadly and unprecedented attack on a newspaper in central Paris could prove a turning point at a time when xenophobic and anti-Islam sentiments are running high.
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There have been new protests emerging from the political right, together with the rise of hyper-nationalist parties. In Germany, for instance, thousands of people have begun gathering on Monday nights in the eastern city of Dresden. They rally under the banner of a previously unknown group: Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West.
From the left, meanwhile, there is concern that such demonstrations and parties work to alienate and vilify whole communities. In the wake of the Paris attack, some commentators worried about the possibility of reprisals against European Muslims.
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Surveys show that Europeans consistently and erroneously overestimate the percentage of Muslims in the population. A poll by Ipsos Mori earlier this year found that, on average, French respondents believed that Muslims made up 31 per cent of the total, while the true figure is 8 per cent; British respondents gave estimates of 21 per cent, while the real number is 5 per cent.
Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/attack-on-france-a-turning-point-in-divisive-religion-debate/article22357156/?cmpid=rss1
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