Michael Coren interviews Danish psychologist Nicolai Sennels on the four main psychological differences between Westerners and Muslims. Sennels explains that while most Westerners think that anger is a sign of weakness, Muslims are brought up to think that anger is a sign of strength. Among Westerners it is seen as a sign of strength if people are able to meet criticism calmly and with logical arguments and knowledge, while Muslims see it as honourable if they meet criticism with aggression and dramatic behaviour. Thirdly, Western culture teaches people that our lives are mainly guided by ourselves – the way we think, feel, our choices, way of relating to others etc. (so called ‘inner locus of control’). Muslim culture on the other hand – with all its outer religious and cultural regulations and powerful male authorities and everything happening ‘inshallah’ – makes people feel that their lives are governed by outer factors and leaves very little freedom for individual choices and feeling of self-responsibility, resulting in the world-famous Muslim victim mentality. Finally, Westerners are brought up to think that it is ‘good’ to be open and tolerant and believe in the unconditional equality of all men and women regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc., while Muslims are taught that they are better, should have more rights, to follow the brutal and intolerant traditions in sharia, and are even destined to rule over non-Muslims.
Sennels also explains why Muslim integration in the West will never happen to the necessary extent: Either they see no reason to integrate, since the Muslim parallel societies and the Western welfare systems will take care of them anyway; or they are not allowed to by their Muslim family and surroundings; or they are not able to live up to the social and professional challenges of our civilized and high-tech knowledge societies.