Terror and Tolerance: The Challenge of Inclusion of Muslims in Western Europe

TY - CHAP

T1 - Terror and Tolerance

T2 - The Challenge of Inclusion of Muslims in Western Europe

AU - Sniderman, Paul M.

AU - Slothuus, Rune

AU - Petersen, Michael Bang

AU - Stubager, Rune

AU - Ford, Robert

AU - Sobolewska, Maria

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - As Sullivan, Piereson, and Marcus argue with reference to political tolerance more broadly, how citizens react to terror speaks to the character of liberal democracies under stress. In this study, we investigate how Danes reacted to the terrorist attack in Copenhagen on February 14-15, 2015. The question is whether the reactions of a significant number of the majority to Muslim minorities will harden, become more hostile, less accommodating. It would be an indefensible mistake to underestimate the forces of resistance to Muslim immigrants becoming full members of a common community. But our results here-that there was minimal or no backlash against Muslim immigrants even in the immediate aftermath of terrorist attacks-reinforce previous findings about the strength of the commitment of a majority to the rights of a minority. Further, we believe that our results bring out some unappreciated strengths of contemporary liberal democracies. We also draw methodological lessons from this study. In response to the current concern over the fragility of social science findings, we believe that distinguishing between conceptual and operational replication may point a way forward.

AB - As Sullivan, Piereson, and Marcus argue with reference to political tolerance more broadly, how citizens react to terror speaks to the character of liberal democracies under stress. In this study, we investigate how Danes reacted to the terrorist attack in Copenhagen on February 14-15, 2015. The question is whether the reactions of a significant number of the majority to Muslim minorities will harden, become more hostile, less accommodating. It would be an indefensible mistake to underestimate the forces of resistance to Muslim immigrants becoming full members of a common community. But our results here-that there was minimal or no backlash against Muslim immigrants even in the immediate aftermath of terrorist attacks-reinforce previous findings about the strength of the commitment of a majority to the rights of a minority. Further, we believe that our results bring out some unappreciated strengths of contemporary liberal democracies. We also draw methodological lessons from this study. In response to the current concern over the fragility of social science findings, we believe that distinguishing between conceptual and operational replication may point a way forward.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120390108&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 9780367368173

SN - 9780367368111

SP - 153

EP - 171

BT - At the Forefront of Political Psychology

A2 - Borgida, Eugene

A2 - Federico, Christopher M.

A2 - Miller, Joanne M.

PB - Routledge

CY - New York

ER -