Dutch Euthanasia In America

Lastly, euthanasia is an issue where the Muslim religion and the Dutch government take polarising positions. In Islam, life is considered to be sacred and the length of anyone’s life is something that is to be decided on by Allah only ("Islam and Medical Ethics."). In fact, the Quran explicitly states that suicide and euthanasia are forbidden ("Islam and Medical Ethics."). Contrastingly, the Dutch have not only extended the right to choose to use euthanasia to sick and dying patients, but also to people who simply believe their life has been completed (Schadenberg). This is an interesting issue that represents the contrast in Dutch and Muslim thought. The Dutch believe themselves to be in control of the fate of their own lives whereas Muslims …show more content…
Comparing the issue to the relationship between Muslims and Americans, there are some key differences and similarities present. Firstly, the Americans are not as anti-religion as the Dutch are, as seen by the teachings of Spinoza. This allows Muslims to practice their faith without being criticized for following a religion. Secondly, Muslims in the United States are much more spread out throughout the country both geographically and in terms of their economic status. While the Muslims in the Netherlands came in as poor and illiterate immigrants that hold migrant worker jobs, the Muslims in the United States hold respectable jobs and have become a part of the working society. This does not mean the relationship between Americans and Muslims is much better off than the relationship between the Dutch natives and Muslims. In America, especially after President-elect Donald Trump, who is known to have a distaste for Muslims, was elected, Islamophobia has become a serious issue that has taken the nation for a ride. Consequently, the relationship between Muslims and Americans has only …show more content…
While the Dutch can be characterized as progressive because of their views on gender roles, euthanasia, and LGBT rights, the Muslims can be considered conservative because of their opposing views regarding all these aspects of life. Racism is brought up time and time again as the reason behind such tensions that exist. This is not a valid reason in itself because, as has now been proven, it only scratches the surface of the issue. Rather than blaming racism, it is important to understand that conflicting ethnicities can also lead to these sorts of conflicts. With the differences that have been analyzed between Dutch natives and Muslims, it is now evident that the two ethnicities, Dutch and Muslim, conflict on so many levels that coexistence is not only difficult but near impossible without either side conceding some values of their own. Several Muslim families in the Western world have tried loosening the views of their faith and how strict its tenets are in order to better fit in with the modern world. This is a result of the pressuring forces that have been placed on these families by the tension that is created as a result of the opposing views held by the modern, Western world and the Muslim