Ethnicity, Religion And Multiethnic Cultures

Ethnicity, Religion, and Multiethnic Cultures
Jason Jordan
Saint Leo University

Introduction
There are many factors that we use to define ourselves. Ethnicity is the most complicated factor that we use to identify who we are because it involves many aspects of our lives that can be common across many other areas including religion, national origin, language, and race. In the academic world, there is a conflict about the theoretical meaning of ethnicity across these specific areas. The American idea of ethnicity involves minorities and their relation to the greater nation-state, while the European tradition leans more toward nationalism with regard to decent and geographic location, yet they both have centralization on race in the more
modern contexts (Malesevic, p. 1). A well rounded summation of the various definitions for ethnicity, more specifically an ethnic group, would sound something like: a group of people within a certain cultural or geographic region who identify themselves by common aspects of culture that are different from others that they come into contact with and that are identifiable through observation, such as race, religion, and language, or are discoverable, such as descent or national origin, with the purpose of group cohesion and social recognition (Zelinsky, pp. 1-5).
While examining the factors that define ethnicity, we can identify two distinct factors that can cross ethnic boundaries, yet are used as specific identifiers when ethnic groups define themselves; religion and geographic origin.
The idea of religion as an identifier can become confusing because people from different ethnic groups can share a common religion, but not a common ancestry, language, or geographic location and are therefore, ethnically different. The same can be said for people of a common geographic location. For example, in Iraq, the Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds share a common geographic location, language, and nationality, but have different religious beliefs and are segregated into different ethnic groupings. The general idea seems to stem from the preferences of the specific group as to which factors they wish to use to identify themselves. Americans generally categorize by race, Europeans by ancestry, and Arabic peoples by geographic location; however, they all include an aspect of religious identification. This seems to be a major factor for multiethnic cohesion and for ethnic conflict. If we can understand why the factor of religion plays such an instrumental role in ethnic identification, we can get a better understanding about how multiethnic societies work and how through tolerance and understanding they can thrive. This can be understood by examining the conflicts that occur and how they are
remedied.
Ethnic Identity and Religion: Individual Identity
Think about what it would be like to move to a distant land. You can only bring a few things with you, so you must learn to live off of the resources available in the new location which are distinct to that culture and environment. You assimilate to many of the social mores, conform to the customs, and participate in the daily routines of your new life. But what is the one thing that you can bring with you that requires little assimilation, holds a significant bearing on your traditions, and will allow for you to find a common ground to stand on with a segment of the new population that you have just joined?
Religion is the basis of most societies around the world. Even in a society such as America where freedom of religion is protected by not only allowing for free practice, but by guaranteeing that the national government does not define a national religion, our morals, customs and laws are all based on a Judeo-Christian set of values. Though many countries around the world do not allow for free practice of many religions, it is the one thing you will always carry with you, that cannot be taken from you, that defines you as an individual, and allows for you to identify with a group which shares a common factor of social identity. “One of the primary concerns of immigrants is establishing a transplanted version of their old religious organization in the new country. Religion and ethnicity are deeply connected, and rebuilding their old church, synagogue, temple, or mosque helps immigrants to establish their ethnic identity, community, and settle in the new land” (Kim, p. 1). Religion is the common core that defines our individual set of values and traditions. It guides us through life in a direction that we believe to be just, wise, and close to God and one another. The need for closeness is what creates a sense of community, enacting us to form groups that have similar interests and values, thereby setting up an ethnic boundary. We couple this factor with others to define our ethnic group, but it is the common religion that binds the group. For example, as Americans we define ethnicity by identifying race, but within the African-American group, there are different religious preferences. Though Caucasian Americans will still view all African-Americans as a singular ethnic group, Christian African-Americans would not identify with Muslim African-Americans. Similarly, Christian Caucasian Americans and Christian African-Americans might be classified as an ethnic group, omitting Caucasian and African-American Muslims. It would again require perspective to determine which is a specific factor and to which group it belongs.
Human beings consider religion to be central to the value system which governs their day to day activity. This is most important to us as a species and therefore religion, on the global scale, carries with it the requirement of being a primary identifier for ethnic identity. An individual’s religious participation helps to preserve ethnic identity through participation in the congregation and through religious practices at home (Min, p. 205). It is through religion and positive self-identity that ethnic groups can form individually and communally, potentially broadening the concepts of peace and justice (Appleby, pp. 3-8).
Multi-ethnic Cultures
America is a melting pot. People from many nations and cultures comprise the population of this country. There is a cultural commonality that we all share as Americans; we are all free to feel, speak, believe, worship, and act as we wish. Other than that, we as Americans tend to deviate from the “unity” that our culture proclaims sacred, separate into ethnic groups, and abandon that sense of community that a culture of freedom should inevitably create. This causes conflict on a passive level where major turmoil is not an effect. In Arabic nations, there is a sense of community within the ethnic groups, but as it pertains to the national culture there is a deviation that has caused discrimination which leads to violence, destruction, and strife between ethnic groups. So what makes multiculturalism work in America? How can we live in relative peace with one another while other nations have social unrest?
In the early 1900s when the mass influx of immigrants from Europe took place, there was great conflict between the various ethnic groups (Bayor, pp. 133-4). Through the mid-twentieth century; however, there was much change in our social views of ethnicity. A realization of the American culture not being a single ethnic community, but a pluralistic community came into the social arena. Many began fighting for their rights as Americans, rights that were generally given to privileged white Protestants. The nation saw its first Catholic President, and through the efforts of religious leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., new laws were being passed to guarantee the rights and freedoms for all, despite the differences that bound individuals to different ethnic or as in the case of America, racial groups (Bayor, pp. 193-5). Our rights to be different were defined in these new laws and our ability to live together was being forged. Fortunately for America, the democratic process guaranteed that we are to remain free and that is what gives us the ability to live in peace. The separation of church and state, racial equality laws, and a sense of unity under the U.S. Constitution paved the way to eliminate oppression from one ethnic factor in a dominant group controlling and defining the rights and safety of the rest.
In other nations they are not so fortunate. Arabic nations such as Iraq and Iran have governments that are controlled by racial or religious factions that promote discrimination against ethnic minorities, causing violent altercations and widespread oppression. They preach freedom, but only apply it toward the ethnic majority. For example, Saddam Hussein led the Sunni controlled nation of Iraq which viewed the Shiites and the Kurds as inferior, going as far as to test chemical and biological weapons on the Kurds in the northern part of the country. These events demonstrate how, without a democratic government that is void of ethnic bias, multi-ethnic countries cannot exist in peace.
The idea of multi-ethnicity within a nation is a volatile issue that must be dealt with delicately in order to preserve peace and a harmonic balance of ethnic identity and societal relations. By definition, ethnic identity suggests an individual desire and a group requirement to attend to the needs and ultimate benefit of the group. This is impossible to attain without slighting another group, essentially stripping them of rights, in order to preserve one’s own cultural identity. It is the unbiased authority that guarantees the rights of all; therefore, creating an environment where many different ethnic groups can retain their own identities, rights, and social status’ without one group dominating another. This process has worked successfully in many nations around the world who have abandoned dictatorships controlled by an ethnic majority, and failed in others who still place the majority in a superior class than the ethnic minorities.
Religion and Multiculturalism
There is a common teaching in most religions that provides a foundation for peace and unity for all people, regardless of ethnic differences.
Most religions teach the values of respect, community, love, equality, and justice. These values, when put into practice, can supersede all differences between individuals and groups, creating a level playing field where social interaction is fair. As previously discussed, we as individuals hold our religions close and attempt to live by their rules unconditionally. When we omit the other factors that define our ethnic groupings and use religion as the sole identifier, we can find a way to live together despite our differences. Religion is essentially the common factor of ethnic identity that joins obscure ethnic groups into a larger group. If viewed from this perspective, varying groups have a common ground to develop a mutual respect and understanding for one another. In democratic nations it is the government that leveled the playing field for unity, but in other nations where the political system creates an unfair playing field, it is up to the individual and the group to decide to unite, and the most common denominator for that process would be religion. In most of these types of environments, religion is a major aspect of daily life. It is though religion that individuals come together as groups that, in turn, form communities which evolve into a society. The limitation of this process rests on the will of the people to follow
their religious beliefs and love and respect their fellow human beings.
Once a general understanding of equality and respect is reached, it will become easier for the citizens of multi-ethnic nations whose governments aim to oppress the minority, to fight back against the oppression and not each other. No system is perfect. There is always going to be negative sentiments toward others that are different from ourselves. It is a continuing process that as cultures combine, and create new cultures, will begin again and open a new chapter in which we must learn tolerance for our differences. Multiculturalism can be a useful element in broadening our horizons and learning to accept others for their differences as well as their similarities. The experiment that is America has opened the doors and led the way for ethnic equality worldwide. It is our religious foundation which set the stage for ethnicity to become an embraced and shared, and for oppression and discrimination to become taboo. The religions that we preach are ancient, but the principles that they teach are only recently being put into practice. The world still has an epic journey ahead of it before true equality between ethnic cultures becomes the accepted standard.
Conclusion
Throughout this paper I have identified religion as a primary factor in ethnic identity, both for the individual and the ethnic group. Without it, there would be no guiding principles to keep the peace between ethnic groups. Throughout history, where religion was ignored, wars have been waged, atrocities committed, and discriminatory turmoil run amok in the name of the unwillingness to accept cultural diversity. Without that primary defining factor, multicultural societies cannot exist in peace, nor can they effectively survive without oppression. It is the individual who must decide to accept others for their differences. Ethnicity is a blessing and a curse. It allows us to find comfort and a sense of belonging to a group with similar traits and beliefs. It gives us an identity which we can be proud of and that we can stand by. It also sets the framework for discrimination, hatred, violence, and oppression. It is a dangerous arena which social scientists cannot accurately define, yet we must all live in.

References
Appleby, R. S. (1997). Religion, Ethnicity, and Self-identity : Nations in Turmoil. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England.
Bayor, R. H. (2003). Race and Ethnicity in America : A Concise History. New York: Columbia University Press .
Kim, R. Y. (2011). Religion and Ethnicity: Theoretical Connections. religions. Retrieved from www.mdpi.com/journal/religions
Malesevic, S. (2004). Sociology of Ethnicity. London: SAGE Publications Inc.
Min, P. (2010). Preserving Ethnicity Through Religion in America : Korean Protestants and Indian Hindus Across Generations. New York: New York University Press.
Zelinsky, W. (2001). Enigma of Ethnicity : Another American Dilemma . Iowa City: University of iowa Press.