Author(s): Miroslava Malešević / Language(s): Serbian
Issue: 1/2007
Among other things, intensification of process of European integrations has
imposed the need for realization and strengthening of common European cultural
identity, that is for creating a new set of values, which would be common to all
European citizens and which would be the basis for their permanent feeling of
community and an experience of belonging to Europe as a common area.
What are the chances of such a project since, on one hand, Islam is
appearing in Europe as a religion that does not know secularity and, on the other
hand, an important part of European inhabitants is showing the rise of antiimmigrant
and , especially, anti-Islamic feelings, opposition to the presence of
foreigners, fear of majorization and the loss of one's own identity and the values of
European culture?
The existing conflict with Islam is, most often, described as a conflict
between secularized West where religion is a matter of private choice and religious
(primarily Islamic) world where religion is regulating every aspect of life. However,
inummerable examples all arround us (starting with the fact that the time is counted
according to the Christian calender, Christian holidays and iconography, Biblical
myths, moral codes, architecture, toponims-to mention only few) constantly
reminds how much Christianity (primarily as a cultural tradition) is strongly present
in the lives of the secular Europeans, how much is that secular context in fact
permeated with Christian story. Vestiges of that past, which are all arround us, are
not in fact perceived as a Christian story – in meeting with European secularism
such recognition comes only to „others“ to whom that story is not familiar. On what
premises then can such a common forum be created on which all would really feel
equally at home?
In this work I will try to consider possible directions in which, considering
the existing circumstances, Europe could move in search of the new common
denominator. Since nations, according to the nature and the sense of the idea itself
of Europe without borders, can not figure as elements of cohesion (multiethnicity,
turning towards market laws, obligatory decrease of sovereignty of national states
towards, etc.), there are two logical possibilities: 1) Strengthening of Christian
identity, that is returning to the previous paradigme, which is for Europe Christian
paradigme – hence Christianity as new/old collective identity, 2) An attempt to define
a new type of plural secularism, that is, to establish secular society of non-
Christian type that would be inclusive also for members of other, non-Christian
cultures.
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