Tolerance makes Happy

First off, I applaud the Scandinavian countries, and the Netherlands, they’re beacons of tolerance for gays and should be very proud of their work on gay rights, womens rights, human rights and equality. Denmark included.

I don’t see how you can say that Denmark is racist for being culturally closed. Culture is very different to race, I actually respect Denmark’s policy on expecting new migrants to adopt Danish values, because it is those values of the enlightenment that make the Scandinavian countries free. I’m not racist nor close-minded, my grandpa was a Chinese immigrant and my aunt from that side is a Malaysian Muslim convert.

What I am, however, is a realist. I believe that Western values of secularism – separation of religion and state, democracy, LGBT rights, feminism, and individual liberties are superior and new migrants should be welcomed with open arms if they celebrate this. The problem that does exist (and this has been studied thoroughly) is that homophobia (including violence towards gays), anti-Semitism and abuse of women is a huge problem amongst certain migrant communities.

When you talk about respecting culture, what about the study by Gallup that found that 70% of Egyptians supported stoning adulterers to death? Or the fact that women cannot drive cars legally in Saudi Arabia? Or that over one hundred people have been hanged in Iran, where religion is intertwined with the government. I don’t need to respect that.

I love a diverse society, but as my grandpa did when he came from China, I believe there needs to be an emphasis on integration if we want to see a harmonious society. So that when a migrant moves from a country in which gay people are hanged or beaten up, they must accept that in Danish society gays are valued as equal. Or so that when people move from a society where the majority of little girls are put into forced marriages, they understand that in Danish society you cannot force a girl against her consent into a marriage.

That isn’t racism or being close-minded, on the contrary, it is appreciating the freedoms we have in societies like Denmark. Denmark is a rolemodel, and a place that hundreds of countries should emulate. :)

Edit: Also, just pointing out, the Netherlands has discarded multiculturalism in favour of cultural assimilation as well. Partly due to the rising cases of homophobic and anti-Semetic attacks by migrants of religiously conservative backgrounds. It is to ensure that new migrants understand that in Dutch society, equality is important and we cannot tolerate people who act intolerantly. The Dutch have followed the Danes in implementing a system that expects new migrants to understand the values held as important in a liberal Western society. :)