Immigrant Makes Rising of Religious Freedom and Pluralism?

In the world today, religious diversity is on the rise in all societies. We are living in an era of pluralism, non-conformity and rapid change. In the present-day multicultural context, religious pluralism continues to be a contentious issue. Several megatrends in the modern world make the increase of religious diversity inevitable.

The first factor is migration. In the globalizing market economy, more and more people have become migrants in order to chase after investment or employment opportunities. In addition to capital and economic skills, immigrants also bring religions that differ from that of the host society. Although immigrants both expect and are expected to accommodate to life in the new society, for most people religion is not something that they can easily unlearn nor easily acquire. For economic and social reasons, the host society also expects and is expected to accommodate the religious beliefs and practices of immigrants who supply either the capital or the social and economic skills needed by the society.

The massive arrival of migrants has largely contributed to the speeded up diversification of the religious supply. All the European states are confronted by a pluralism perceived as new, insofar as cultural and religious worlds that used to live in an apparent separation (and in its apparent stability) can no longer believe in it, nor make people believe in it. The emphasis on the fictional nature of this separation, of this "insularity," operates out of the weakening of symbolic geographies. The presence of immigrants in host societies has generally led to many socio-political challenges. One such challenge is in the area of cultural and religious expressions among the immigrants.

The host society generally places certain restrictions on immigrants with regard to their religious expressions. The general thrust of the host society is to expect the immigrants to gradually integrate into the mainstream society and assimilate the values and belief systems of the host society. However, the immigrants invariably show signs of dissent and manifest their desire to pursue their own cultural and religious worldviews even when such beliefs and practices are seen to be unwelcome within the host society. There is no homogenous society today in any part of our known world. All societies are increasingly becoming urbanized and thus express diversity at its deepest. It is this diversity that raises challenges not just for scholars who study these phenomena, but also for governments, societies and various organization.

The second factor is transnationalism. In the era of globalization, facilitated by advanced technologies of transportation and communication, more and more migrants are in fact transnationals who maintain homes in two or more countries and travel back and forth regularly. Even those immigrant settlers who maintain a single home in the immigrant country are now more likely to make frequent visits to their country of origin, and they maintain constant contact with relatives and friends in both societies. These transnational connections make it necessary for migrants to maintain religious as well as social ties to their community of origin, either by upholding their traditional religion or by introducing back into their home communities religious practices learned in the communities they have joined.

The third factor is mass media and the Internet. Without migrating themselves or receiving immigrants from another society, people can easily access information on religions practiced in other times and places through books, magazines, newspapers, television, and increasingly the Internet. They may also join virtual communities dedicated to various religions or make virtual friends with people residing in other parts of the world and practicing their distinct religions.

Finally, the new migratory and cosmopolitan experiences of life have generated both the spiritual and social needs and the practical possibilities that might encourage immigrants or nonimmigrants to develop newreligions, perhaps by choosing elements from various traditions to form a new community with a distinct religion. Religious innovation is a common phenomenon of late modernity. In short, given the megatrends in the economic and social spheres, it is inevitable that a modern society will have an increasing number of religions.  

References :
Giordan, Guiseppe. 2009. Conversion in the Age of Pluralism. Leiden : Koninklijke Brill NV.

Giordan, Giuseppe & Pace, Enzo. 2014. Religious Pluralism: Framing Religious Diversity in the Contemporary World. Switzerland: Springer.

Kumar, P. Pratap. 2006. Religious Pluralism in the Diaspora. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV.

Nightingale, Virginia. 2011. The Handbook of Media Audiences. UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Sugirtharajah, Sharada. 2012. Religious Pluralism and the Modern World : An Ongoing Engagement with John Hick. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.