Hello world!
I once met an elderly journalist with a fascinating life story, at a dinner while I was living in Indonesia. He belonged to the Minangkabau ethnic group. The Minangkabau are one of only a few societies in the world that are practicing Muslims, but have a matrilineal based culture. Men only have a role to play according to the standing that their mother or sisters have in the society. As he explained it: “men can become politicians, highwaymen or journalists - I chose the lesser evil”.
Europe has always had it’s own ethnic and cultural minorities like the Liv, the Roma, Sami and Tatars, but with decolonization and globalization has come an increased movement of products and people from one part of the world to another. Postmodern tendencies in European societies have also lead to an increased diversity and complexity that is posing a challenge to the legitimacy of democratic institutions. The legitimacy of a pluralist, democratic society is today defined in part, by the extent to which that society provides equal rights and equal opportunities for all of it’s residents, regardless of race or ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. That legitimacy appears to be found wanting, particularly with reference to hate crimes and discrimination.
Intercultural and interfaith contacts do not by any means always provide a nice little story from an exotic local, nor do those contacts always provide an increased understanding and mutual respect. A society that provides equal rights and equal opportunities for all of it’s residents does however, have the potential to enrich and empower everyone involved.