Have Your Say!

There has been a lot of healthy discussion going on since the Youth Uprisings in France began. Here at the Volunteer Youth Network our viewers have shared their feelings and perceptions with us, so we in turn would like to share these with you! We won't learn anything unless we listen to each other and try to understand the other person's point of view. This is what you said! 

• The immigrants also create a lot of problems themselves by not putting in an effort to integrate into Western society. Nobody asks to assimilate, but integrate is an absolute prerequisite if you wish to lead a good wealthy life here.
• My parents are immigrants. My Dad lived in a trailer with his whole family for twenty years. When he finally got out of school, they moved to a house because they could afford it then with my dad's extra income. That's the first thing: finishing school. A lot of youngsters putting Paris ablaze are a bunch of losers who dropped out of school at the age of 14-15 voluntarily and have been roaming around with nothing much to do ever since.

• Each party has to find the solution and propose alternatives from within their own community and then share it with the others. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.
• Yes, there is a gap between the expressed egalitarian Western societies and the treatment on the ground; yes, there is a structural and institutional racism leading to socio-economic discrimination (job market, housing, media images and so on); yes the discriminated citizens, whether Muslims or not, are right to ask for equal treatment.
• We have to face up to our own racism, our own hypocrisy, our own failures, our own accepted segregation, our own arrogance as well as our own nurtured victim mentality.
• I do not think we need an alliance of minorities. I think we need an alliance of people with principles.
• There needs to be general education and civic education in the suburbs in order to create a kind of political awareness so that people can speak for themselves instead of having someone speak for them who may or may not say what they really wanted to say.
• Human rights and legal campaigns are vital because of illegal enforcement of some laws and illegal expulsions and against unjust judgments against eh young and never-charged-before rioters.
• Sports competitions, especially in low income areas, is a good way keep young people busy, learn to respect others, and learning about consequences of actions. At the same time young people should be taught about Islam in a way that is meaningful to them and their lives.
• Simple holding onto one' pain without recognizing that of the other is not helpful.
• We must continue to build our own knowledge because a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.
• We should let people know us. We could invite our neighbors to our home, help them out and be useful in the community. The idea of the 'mysterious other' will be destroyed when people come to know us.
• We have to get active in our schools, colleges, work places, and universities and do activities that help explain Islam to people.
• Write to newspapers and magazines and on the internet and raise issues that are pertinent for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In this way, the mainstream community will see Muslims as pillars of society not as people who talk but don't act.
• Get some media training so you will know how to deal with the media and how to talk on the media if this is required. If you're not prepared and trained at least a little bit what you say can be taken out of context and this may further damage the efforts of the community.