Do Muslims Assimilate, Integrate into American society?

I have this crazy idea, y'all might think I'm totally nuts. But here goes:

What if a Muslim was a human being just like you?

 

Is anyone suggesting that they aren't or do you just like to build straw men?

 

Interesting that America is the World's melting pot, accepting anyone and everyone from across the world, which is what makes America great! Yet, this question specifically asks if a certain group of people who actually come from all walks of life in different areas of the world actually mix well with the society. Wasn't America founded because England wanted everyone to be a specific religion? Didn't America get founded so these people could worship in their own way?

As a Muslim American (because it's in the poll), I would say yes, Muslims do integrate into American society, just like every other group of people who live in this country.

 

The US is the world's melting pot, but not everyone melts easily. Some cultures are more okay about "melting" than others. Of course when you are going by a broad shared religious culture rather than an ethnic or national culture you are going to have wildly inconsistent results so the most you can say is "some do, some don't".

 

So hypothetically, if there was a group that believed that a first born daughter must be sacrificed for Lord Suaran, does America need to accept them worshiping 'their own way' or do they need to assimilate to the norms of Western society?

I really don't understand your logic. If a Muslim assimilates it's not because they are stringent Muslims and all Islamic principles are combatible with a Western democracy, it's because they have been secularized.

 

Huh? What are norms of Western Society? Who defines them? I'm sure this could mean very different things to different members of "Western Society", depending on who you are talking to.

It's a flawed way of thinking. There are billions of people on this planet, living very differently to each other. Nobody should have to assimilate to a regions "norms". Whatever that means. Sounds like something borrowed from a Nazi supremacy ideologue. Embrace differences, find commonality, and improve understanding in each other, that's the prospective that should be taken.

What does it mean to integrate? It should be the following:

Following the rule of law of the land
Being a contributing member of society (Education/Charities/Politics/Culture/Careers)
Being involved in your community (Where you live)

I think American/Canadian Muslims do for the most part integrate based on the items I listed above. It holds true especially for the more educated members of society and I think as a whole the community has fallen into the category.

 

You clearly dislike Islam and Muslims and have an agenda, but I'll tackle your questions anyway.

Your hypothetical question is extreme, but in the purist form, I'd say you can't tell them what to believe in, as long as they're not breaking the law or hurting anyone. So yes they can believe what they want, but acting on it (killing their first born daughter) would clearly not be okay. And like another poster said, what are these norms? Who created and dictates them? America is land of the free, country of freedom, freedom of choice, religion, thought, speech, etc. Your idea of controlling people's thoughts and creating these norms sounds very UN-American.

 

In order to be successful in America, you must assimilate to a large degree. There simply is no other way.

 

Not sure I agree with you there, unless we're talking about 4th generation Chinese-Americans from Arkansas or Mississippi.

If we're comparing recent East Asian-American immigrants (post-1965) to recent Muslim-American immigrants, I would say their level of assimilation is nearly equal. If anything, Muslim-Americans probably have the edge.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tension-funerals-orlando-victims-protest-irate-driver-021045073.html

Muslims protesting funeral of Orlando victim.


Oh wait, they are Baptists, not Muslims.

 

O wait, they didn't kill 50 people in one night just a few days ago.

Jesus, is the only defense of Islam is "well, other people can be dicks also?" That is the most pathetic form of excuses.

 

I have a question for you. Why is it morally reprehensible for me to dislike a HISTORICAL FIGURE who lived around 600 AD and why does that entail that I'm a 'bigot'? Is criticizing historical figures off limits?

It's YOUR CHOICE to worship this historical figure. I don't give a **** if you put him up in a pedestal. That is YOUR problem. If you think me disliking ,again, a HISTORICAL FIGURE, makes me hate INDIVIDUAL MUSLIMS and not apply individual merit, then guess what buddy, **** you for your **** premature labels. My closet relationships I hold dearest are Muslim, so go **** yourself.

 

No the point is that you are conflating Islam with Radical Islam. As David Brooks said, people don't become terrorists by becoming more faithful.

Regardless of what you think of historical figures, that is not the cause for terrorism.

 

Look buddy, when the founder of the religion owned sex slaves, ordered the execution of many individuals who criticized him publicly, and raided multiple tribes, creating THOUSANDS of widows and then deems himself the best example of a Muslim for all of mankind to emulate, yes, I consider the whole concept radical.

 

Where is the "Commits mass murder in the name of their god" bar chart?

 

One thing to remember is that America isn't a melting pot where all cultures meld down into a homogeneous whole but it is really like a stew where things blend but there are still distinct chunks. If we're expecting Muslims to assimilate to the point of being indistinguishable from any other Americans I don't think that they will or should they be expected too. Being American isn't about just completely adopting the majority culture and as a nation of immigrants American culture is already a mix of cultures from all over the place.

As other posters have noted "Muslim" isn't just one culture but as a world wide religion a vast mix of cultures. A Muslim that grew up in Bosnia will have a very different culture than a Muslim that grew up in Jakarta. Also there are many Muslims like US Rep Keith Ellison who grew up here in America. Is him becoming a Muslim mean that h no longer fits into the US?

 

Absolutely not. But let's make one thing clear. A Muslim 'assimilating' in the U.S. has nothing to do with Islam's inherent or lack of inherent compatibility with Western secular values, rather it's their secularization that made them combatible.

Most Muslims I know personally only practice the 'customs and rituals' part of Islam such as praying 5 times as day(as best as possible), Jummah, Hajj, Zakat, Ramadan etc. They don't go to the Quran or the prophet for moral guidance. They use their common sense and natural empathy for moral guidance. That's exactly how Muslims assimilate.

The Islamist fanatics practice the 'customs and rituals' part of Islam AND seek the Quran and prophet for moral guidance because apparently they can't use common sense and natural human empathy for their morality.

 

One could argue that any strict adherence to a religious code from centuries ago is incompatible with modern secular values. The path outlined by an Indian prince who lived 2,500 years ago isn't compatible with modern US secular values. Some of the least assimilated in US culture are Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka. Some of the people I know who have most rejected modern US secular culture are those who have become Buddhist monks.

Islam certainly isn't free from examination and criticism of that and I fully agree that taken literally what little I know of the Qu'ran and the life of the Muhammad is incompatible with modern society. That said that isn't a huge concern of mine. If I found the Qu'ran to make sense to me then I would probably be a Muslim. The belief system in of itself has no appeal to me but as far as assimilation goes I'm not going to count it against them.

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of Muslims, almost all who are East African refugees, or the children of refugees. They dress differently, still frequently speak native languages, eat different food and etc.. For the most though they are working, going to school, learning English and etc.. They've never gone out of their way to bother me and I haven't gone out of my way to bother them. That's assimilation enough for me.

And to head off the inevitable comment about how several individuals in the Minneapolis Somali community have joined or tried to join DAESH or Al-Shabab. Yes that is true but it's not like all of them are doing so and in the cases that have that is causing a lot of consternation in their community. There are active efforts by the community and local law enforcement to combat radicalization to the point of even turning in people from their own community to authorities.