Why does the West hate Arab and Muslim immigrants?

Thousands take the serious risk of sailing into the Mediterranean, although they know that it may be difficult to survive the journey. They take advantage of the instability in Libya, making it their starting point towards European luxury. What is strange or probably confusing is that if you ask these people about the atheistic West, they will insult, degrade and condemn it. The question is thus why do they wish to go there and risk their lives to get there? Frankly, I cannot understand this irrational and contradictory logic which is both funny and appalling.

It becomes more confusing when you hear some of the preachers of Europe as they exploit the advantages of democracy and freedoms of speech and expression – and which are guaranteed to everyone there even to foreign immigrants – to insult atheists. When the populist right in Europe demands to stop immigration even if it requires armed force, Arabs and Muslims in Europe begin to complain and describe those making these calls as racists and intolerant. What’s really funny is that they’d also accuse the West of being undemocratic!

To be frank, I don’t blame them as if I were European, I would not hesitate standing against immigration and against receiving these people whom the roots of their culture are based on hating non-Muslims. Examples of this in our heritage are many and different, especially among those who know nothing about loyalty and kindness to those who had no enmity for them or for their religion. Unlike what the divine command of the holy Quran stipulates, they respond to the noble and humanitarian positions with arrogance and denial, and even with trying hard to destabilize and affect the security of these societies; in a way that the West cannot accept. I believe that Arabs and specially the extremist Muslims are totally engrossed in the culture of hatred and aversion.

These contradictory feelings , between hatred on one side and sacrificing the most precious thing any person has, which is his life, to be able to live in these societies which he hates in order to enjoy their luxury, security and stability needs a socio-psychological study. If you hate certain people and consider them enemies to your religion and identity, then why do you do your best to live among them? Some might justify this action by saying that they (the West) are racists, and they hate foreigners and hate Islam and Muslims. Fine, just to be fair and logical, put yourself in their shoes! Why do you ask others to treat you in the way you are not treating them? Don’t the ancient Arabs say: Kindness should be repaid by kindness. Where is the kindness here?

I say it out loud, the populism waves that have started to emerge in Western societies are justified as it is kind of mutual treatment, and did not emerge without reason or justification.

This article is also available in Arabic.

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Mohammed Al Shaikh is a Saudi writer with al-Jazirah newspaper. He tweets @alshaikhmhmd