Dear Delegates
Hello, and welcome to Yale Model United Nations Taiwan! My name is Max Schlenker, and I will be your Chair for the Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee (or SOCHUM). I am currently a freshman at Yale hoping to double major in Global Affairs and Applied Mathematics, and maybe attend law school. In addition to my role in YMUN Taiwan, most of my extracurricular involvement is through the Yale International Relations Association (YIRA), where I am also on the secretariat for our MUN conference here on campus and on the Editorial Board for the Yale Review of International Studies. I also work in the Yale Undergraduate Admissions Office as a Recruitment Coordinator. I am super excited to get to know all of you and to make sure our conference is the best that it can be!
I have been competing in Model United Nations since 5th grade, and have a great vision for SOCHUM this year. I hope that you as delegates come prepared for hard work and exciting debate, but also to have fun and learn from one another. For those of you who have attended multiple MUN conferences before, I ask that you share some of your wisdom and experience with newer delegates. For delegates who will have YMUN Taiwan be your first conference, welcome! I hope you arrive ready to participate and are excited for a new opportunity like MUN!
The two topics I have chosen for committee this year are Islamophobia and Xenophobia in Europe and Preventing Juvenile Delinquency Around the World. This topic guide is meant to give you a broad understanding of the topics, highlight interesting points of debate, and provide a framework within which to construct your arguments, resolutions, and ideas. I strongly encourage you to use this topic guide as the beginning of your research and preparation; debate and committee work will be more engaging with delegates who have a comprehensive understanding of both topics.
My role as Chair is to make sure you learn as much as you can about international relations, collaboration, and work ethic during our time together, and I can’t wait to get started!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns anytime between now and the beginning of the conference at max.schlenker@yale.edu.
Best Wishes,
Max Schlenker
Committee History
Established immediately after the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) is one of the six specialized subcommittees that fall under the United Nations General Assembly. Widely known as the Third Committee, SOCHUM has since then been active in promoting international peace and security as well as human rights with regard to social and cultural contexts.
The primary mission of SOCHUM continues to be the preservation of human rights. This committee tirelessly works to analyze problems and create solutions for social development and humanitarian crises in order to uphold and enhance globally high standards for the protection of human rights.
The main goal of this committee will be to establish a framework of regulating Islamophobia and refugee immigration in Europe and to create a comprehensive plan to prevent juvenile delinquency around the world. However, delegates of this committee should also seek to balance social factors, human rights, and humanitarian intervention when coming up with their solutions. What cultural and historical influences affect violence in the Middle East that has caused Muslims to flee to Europe? What societal changes can be made to reduce crimes committed by adolescents? These factors will play a large part of the discussion leading up to resolutions and should play an important role in committee work. Understanding foreign policies of nations will be important, but understanding your country’s own cultural norms will help you see the issue from your point of view and create long-lasting resolutions.
SOCHUM also works with other UN bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to alleviate social, humanitarian, and human rights issues around the world.
The role of delegates in the Social, Cultural, Humanitarian committee is to address the issues as hand in accordance of its mandate of helping protect human rights and fundamental freedoms with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as its main reference guide. As stated earlier, SOCHUM is not a major financing agency in itself, but it is a leader in directing the efforts of the international community and creating policy related to social, cultural, and humanitarian issues of all kinds. Since it cannot use military force or sanctions to impose its wills as the UN Security council can, SOCHUM focuses on creating policy, advising, monitoring, training, and providing resources to member nations at need. Again, it is important to remember that resolutions passed by SOCHUM cannot be forced upon a country as the committee does not have the power. Therefore, it is important that delegates craft clauses and resolutions that do not target countries, but target problems.
Topic History
Topic History
Islamophobia - prejudice, persecution, or discrimination toward the religion of Islam and its followers
Xenophobia - prejudice, persecution, or discrimination towards people from other countries
Nationalism - a strong feeling of pride for your own nation, intense patriotism
Nativism - the policy of protecting the interests of native-born or domestic inhabitants against those of immigrants
Introduction
Muslims have lived in Europe beginning in the 8th century, and anti-Muslim sentiments have permeated throughout Europe for just as long. Current estimates place the total number of Muslims living in Europe at thirteen million, a majority of whom reside in the western half of the continent, notably France and Germany. However, despite representing a decent sized portion of the population, Muslim Europeans still face legal and societal discrimination. This prejudice, referred to as Islamophobia, has taken many forms throughout the last twelve hundred years, but only recently has risen to new levels in the 21st century. Additionally, for reasons discussed later in this topic guide, Europe has seen a large influx of immigrants; more people, a large amount Muslim, are trying to enter Europe because of violence in their home countries. Despite leaving war-torn homelands, immigrants still face prejudices when they arrive in Europe. This discrimination towards immigrants is called Xenophobia.
The Arab Spring
The resurgence of Islamophobia in Europe is often cited as beginning with the Arab Spring that began in December of 2010 and was mostly contained by the end of 2012. During this tumultuous period, governments across the Middle Eastern region were usurped or challenged, most notably in nations like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria. Social movements, typically started by young people throughout the Arab League, demanded that their leaders take responsibility for human rights violations, class struggle, political corruption, unemployment, and extreme poverty. Riots and protests called for the forceful removal of powerful dictators, many of whom like Colonel Muammar Qaddafi of Libya and President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. Governments were quick to react with violence and immediately began work to suppress these uprisings, resulting in mass arrests, detaining of journalists, killing of citizens, and civil wars in Egypt, Libya, and Syria.
Western nations, like the United States and prominent members of the European Union, spoke out officially and unofficially in support of many protesters fighting for equal rights in their home countries. However, commendation of the Arab Spring dropped considerably once refugees from North Africa and the Middle East began fleeing to Europe in search of asylum and safety from their tyrannical governments. Immigration data estimates that 2 million Muslim immigrants took refuge in Europe during the months of the Arab Spring.
European nations, typically welcoming of immigrants from around the world, have multiple measures in place to make immigration easier for foreigners. This includes the Schengen Area, a coalition of 26 European nations that have minimized immigration restrictions along their mutual borders. The Schengen Area allows for new Europeans to move throughout the continent with ease. This was originally thought to be important for improving relations between European nations, but now has allowed for new Muslim immigrants and refugees to travel across the continent with little regulation. In 2011, after recognizing that immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East were reaching unprecedented numbers, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs amended the Schengen Area to establish limits on the number of immigrants traveling between nations.
Summary
- Muslims have lived in Europe for thousands of years and have always faced some discrimination, but recent events have created a new wave of Islamophobia across the continent.
- This sudden increase in anti-Muslim sentiment can likely be traced back to the Arab Spring, a series of political revolutions throughout the Middle East that caused an increase in immigration toward Europe.
- Regions like the Schengen Area highlight the need for immigration reform.
The Great Recession and the Rise of Nationalist Parties Across Europe
While Islamophobia and Xenophobia existed in Europe since early history, more modern forms of discrimination have increased because of the rise of nationalist parties caused by the Great Recession and other economics hardships. The Great Recession was a period of economic decline that began in the late 2000s, with many citing the beginning as December of 2007. The Great Recession caused serious economic problems in the United States, but also had rippling effects that hurt economies worldwide, particularly in Europe.
As with any period of economic downturn, many Europeans looked for someone to blame for the lack of growth and prosperity. This led to the resurgence of nationalist parties, and the formation of new nationalist parties, each with ideas about how who was to blame for problems like the Great Recession. Nationalist parties typically employ a tool called nativism to find political success. Nativism blames immigrants and minority citizens (typically people of color, Muslims, Jews, women etc.) for economic and political problems, and stresses the desire to keep the population limited only to native people.
Multiple nationalist parties rose to popularity during the time of the Great Recession in Europe. The Freedom Party in the Netherlands tried to ban Muslim immigration in 2007, believing Muslim immigrants were the cause of many different problems the country was facing.
The English Defence League, initially called the United Peoples of Luton, was formed in March of 2009 in response to protests from the Islamic organization Al-Muhajiroun. The EDL has has described itself as “against the rise of radical Islam”. The group has also been indirectly linked to multiple attacks on Muslims throughout Britain and grew to over 30,000 members by 2011.
Summary
- The Great Recession has caused a new wave of nationalist parties to rise to power across Europe.
- These groups often put minority groups in danger through dangerous rhetoric.
- Many of these groups have strong ties to government officials and hold legitimate political power.
Current Situation
CURRENT SITUATION
Recent history up to the present day has shown a trend toward increased discrimination toward Muslim immigrants and rising tensions and Xenophobia between nativism and nationalist groups. The rights and liberties of Muslims in Europe has become under fire, with burqa bans becoming common practice throughout Western Europe and hate crimes against Muslims steadily rising. As violence and political unrest in the Middle East continues to claim thousands of lives and make international news, immigration reform in Europe has reflected a stronger resistance toward Muslim immigrants. More nations are adopting new policies that restrict immigrant flow with the intent of turning down more Muslims seeking asylum and accepting fewer refugees in the future. Furthermore, with the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) and other extremist terror groups gaining international attention, the number of terrorist attacks in Western Europe is on the rise. These attacks, some of the deadliest terror attacks in European history, create further distrust between native Europeans and Muslim immigrants, adding additional pressure to government officials.
Burqa Bans
Discrimination toward Muslims in Europe can be found both in social standards and federal legislation, and in recent years has taken the form of “burqa bans” across Europe. The burqa (pronounced ber-ka) is a type of Muslim headwear and is “the most concealing of all Islamic veils.” The burqa is typically worn by Muslim women in adherence to hijab, the Arabic word meaning “to cover.” The role of the burqa in Islam is different within separate sects of Islam, and many Muslim scholars do not all agree on how and when the burqa should be worn. Because of this, not all Muslim women wear burqas; some prefer the niqab and other garments that are less restricting.
The significance of the burqa in Islamic culture has caused it to become a distinguished symbol for the growing influence of Islam in Europe. While some progressive European politicians consider the prevalence of the burqa to show European acceptance of diversity and openness to foreign cultures, many other prominent political leaders have raised questions about the role of the burqa in perpetuating sexism and encouraging Islamic extremists to consider attacks against Europe. Over the last five years, almost a dozen countries have passed “burqa bans,” effectively removing the burqa from any public spaces, including schools, government offices, public transportation, and hospitals.
France was the first country to ban the burqa in April of 2011, making it illegal for Muslim women to appear in public with their faces covered. Politicians in favor of the ban used the slogan “vivre ensemble” or “living together,” arguing that the burqa was too controversial and divided the French people. Critics of the burqa ban argued that it infringed on basic civil liberties and was a form of discrimination, but the ban went unchallenged by the French Supreme Court. This first ban in 2011 paved the way for many more nations to pass their own laws restricting Islamic headwear, and similar bans are being considered even today.
Following in the footsteps of France and growing Islamophobic sentiment, Belgium became the second European nation to ban the burqa in July of 2011. Despite the ban facing an immediate appeal from two women claiming it impedes on their right to religious freedom, the bill effectively prohibits any wearing of the burqa in public. In response to recent terror attacks linked to Muslim extremists, Italy also passed a ban on Islamic headwear that took effect on January 1st of 2016. The ban - limited to the Lombardy region, Italy’s wealthiest region and a popular tourist destination - completely prohibits the burqa and niqab in public spaces. Italian government officials cited the law as a method for improving public safety. Lombardy Head of Civil Protection, Simona Bordonali, said, “Whoever wants to enter a hospital in Lombardy must be recognisable and present themselves uncovered. The burqa [and the] niqab are therefore banned.” More recently, the Netherlands Parliament voted in November 2016 to place restrictions on women wearing the burqa, but did not technically ban the headwear outright. The burqa is not permissible in high security situations, in public facilities where it is important to see the face, and most government buildings. This new initiative to begin limiting the burqa in public is the direct result of pressure from the anti-Islam Freedom Party that has begun to gain more traction and influence in recent years.
Germany, one of the most economically and politically important countries in Europe, has one of the highest population of Muslim immigrants of any European nation, and until December of 2016, had remained neutral on restricting the burqa for its citizens. However, in a statement given on December 6th as part of her campaign for a fourth term, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel announced her plan to ban the burqa on the federal level. Urging that the refugee crisis in 2015 must never be repeated, Merkel said, “The full veil must be banned, wherever legally possible. Showing your face is part of our way of life. Our laws take precedence over honour codes, tribal customs and sharia.” Many opponents to the burqa ban saw Germany as a lasting example for how Europeans could learn to live codepently with their Muslim population, but Merkel’s plan for a 2017 burqa ban has left little hope for secular activists.
Questions to Consider
- Are burqas a reasonable security threat with the rise of terrorist activity in Europe?
- Are burqa bans doing more harm than good by sacrificing religious freedom in the name of public safety?
- What punishments, if any, should women face for wearing burqas despite the ban?
- How do burqa bans contribute to Islamophobia?
Hate Crimes Against Muslims
As with most minority groups, Muslims also face discrimination in the form of hate crimes. A hate crime is a crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, and is typically of a violent nature. Hate crimes are illegal throughout Europe, but rising Islamophobia has caused them to occur much more frequently than ever before. Many countries in Europe have laws that are meant to protect religious minorities from hate crimes, but many perpetrators still manage to commit crimes with little or no consequences.
Multiple reports from the Independent and London Police describe a 70% increase in hate crimes against Muslims from 2014 to 2015, with the total victim count rising from 478 to 816. In further detail, it was reported that Muslim women are more likely to be assaulted than Muslim men, and that wearing a hijab also raised the chances of being targeted.
Since the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January of 2015, French Muslims have also faced increased violence, with the number of reported attacks having tripled according to official reports. Furthermore, more than 1,000 of France’s 2,500 mosques now have armed police guards to defend the holy site from vandalism, arson, or attack. Abdallah Zekri, director of the Central Council of Muslims of France, said in an interview with The Telegraph that the burqa ban is partially to blame for the larger number of hate crimes. Like in the UK, victims are typically women who have chosen to wear Islamic headwear despite the official ban.
The relationship between terrorism and Islamophobia is complex, but many European political analysts believe that the two trigger one another. As terrorism increases, so does Islamophobia, and vice versa. This phenomenon can be seen in modern Germany, where anti-Muslim groups like the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) have called for violence and hate speech against Muslims and immigrants from the Middle East. After massive protests throughout 2014, Muslims in Germany reported a drastic increase in the amount of harassment and casual violence they faced in 2015. Aggression on both sides of the dispute eventually led to a Muslim extremist killing 12 people and injuring almost 50 in an attack on a Christmas Market in Berlin on December 19th, 2016. This recent attack has re-ignited discussions on the prevalence of Islam in Germany and larger Europe and the possible dangers of allowing more immigrants from the Middle East to enter the region.
Questions to Consider
- How can European Muslims better be protected against hate crimes?
- Should hate crimes come with more punishments than other crimes?
- How can Muslims women be better protected from sexual assault and verbal harassment?
- Can public campaigns be used to decrease the number of hate crimes and improve Europeans’ attitudes toward Muslims?
Continued Rise of Nationalist Movements
Beginning with the Great Recession and continuing until the present day, frustration with terrorism and rising Muslim populations in Europe has led to the development of many high-profile political parties whose goal is to minimize Islamic influence in Europe.
The Freedom Party in the Netherlands has continued to gain political influence within its own country and larger Europe, and has begun adopting more radical policies beginning in 2012. Members of the Freedom Party have called for all Islamic schools to be shut down, opposing Islam in the name of gender equality, withdrawal from the European Union, and removal of resources from immigration services. Leader of the party, Geert Wilders, has spoken extensively of his wishes to use the Dutch Parliament to, "de-Islamize our society," as shown in the video below.
As discussed earlier, the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) Germany, has also played a significant role in Islam-German relations over the last few years. The first PEGIDA demonstration took place in October of 2014, but the organization quickly assumed more than 10,000 members by the start of 2015. PEDIGA rallies grew to 25,000 participants and began to make national headlines after the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January of 2015 despite requests by French politicians for the attack to not be politicized. The European Migrant Crisis, which will be discussed in further detail below, reinvigorated the party in 2015 and led to protests against Chancellor Angela Merkel, with PEDIGA members carrying nooses and calling for her execution. PEDIGA officially registered as a political party in June of 2016 under the name Freiheitlich Direktdemokratische Volkspartei or Liberal Direct Democratic People's Party, shorthanded as FDDV. The party is expected to grow its influence and continue pushing for anti-Islam policies in 2017 and onward.
Far-right nationalist groups have also gained significant traction in the United Kingdom. In addition to the English Defence League discussed earlier, the organization Britain First has made international headlines for their anti-Islam message. In 2014, members of Britain First generated controversy for entering ten mosques across Britain to distribute Bibles in an attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity.
Questions to Consider
- Does the United Nations have an obligation to halt the growth of nationalist groups that threaten the safety of Muslim citizens?
- Should nationalist parties be held responsible for hate crimes?
- What can the United Nations do when nationalist groups call for violence against minorities?
- How can the United Nations handle legislation from European countries that includes Islamophobic laws?
European Migrant Crisis
The European Migrant Crisis, also known as the European Refugee Crisis, began in 2015, and encompasses the estimated 1.82 million immigrants - predominantly Muslim - that entered the European Union from 2015 and onward. This pattern shows a remarkable change from typical immigration statistics for Europe. Prior to the European Migrant Crisis, less than 300,000 immigrants would enter the EU each year. In 2014, the number was only 283,000. Below is an infographic explaining typical immigration patterns for the EU before 2015.
What has caused this sudden increase in Muslim immigrants into Europe? The European Migrant Crisis can be explained by a number of causes, many of whom were discussed in the topic history. A vast majority of the people entering Europe from the Middle East and North Africa are refugees: they are escaping dangerous political landscapes and war-torn countries in hopes of finding safety and security in the European Union. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled Syria because of the civil war that began in 2011 during the Arab Spring. These refugees travel through Jordan and Lebanon before traversing the Mediterranean Sea and landing in Italy or Greece. Housing thousands of refugees is expensive, and nations like Turkey have already spent billions of US dollars to try to offer asylum. These nations, including Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, are running out of resources to support large numbers of immigrants, and so Muslim refugees are now fleeing to Europe instead.
Further Research
Further Research
Your research should include much more than just the information discussed here in the topic guide. To begin, all delegates should have a thorough understanding of the government, economy, population, and recent history of their own country. Important information about every member of SOCHUM can be found at the CIA World Factbook. It is critical that delegates understand their own country before applying their knowledge to the topics in YMUN Taiwan.
Next, consider how history like the Arab Spring and the Great Recession have affected your country. More information on the Arab Spring can be found here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-12813859
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2016/01/arab-spring-five-years-on/
And more on the Great Recession:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2008/02/19/the-recession-felt-around-the-world/
http://www.russellsage.org/research/social-effects-great-recession-description
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/globalrec.htm
It is then important to look at whether your country has a large Muslim population. For some countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt, the number will be very high, while in others, like the region of Central America, the number will be very low. Either way, delegates should know the attitude their country's government takes in response to Islamization.
Furthermore, has your country experienced recent terrorist activity? If so, are these terrorists typically considered to be Muslim extremists? Also, consider how European terrorist attacks might affect your country’s security policies and attitudes toward future terrorism. Delegates should be generally familiar with the most well-known recent attacks in Europe, including:
Charlie Hebdo Shootings - January 7th, 2015
Pray for Paris Shootings - November 14th, 2015
Double Bombings in Brussels - March 22nd, 2016
France Nice Bus Attack - July 14th, 2016
Christmas Market Attack in Berlin - December 19th, 2016
Next, consider the immigration policies your country holds. Are they successful? Why or why not? How can your nation’s immigration policies help European countries that are struggling?
Finally, your research should focus on whatever part of the topic interests you most. I have outlined many points of debate I think are pertinent to the topic, but I encourage you to explore the topic on your own and come with brand new ideas and thoughts to share. Do not allow this topic guide to limit you in what you wish to bring to the table.
