Comment: Minorities as “the other”

Here, we give you input to comment on the following statement from text 2: “Minorities are often viewed as ‘the other’ and they often come to view and define themselves that way as well” (p. 5, ll. 26-29).

First, note that the author of text 2, Murtaza Hussain, tries to explain why multiculturalism is successful in Canada by making a comparison with several European countries. In Europe, the general attitude is that immigrants are not welcome:

A 2011 poll of European countries showed that 65 percent of Spaniards, Italians and Brits believed there were “too many immigrants in their country”. The rising popularity of anti-immigration parties across the continent is a testament to the depth of this feeling... (p. 5, ll. 10-16)

The statement you have to comment on shows how Europe tends to treat immigrants. They are isolated in “immigrant quarters” (p. 5, l. 22), which are “sometimes considered no-go zones by locals” (p. 5, ll. 23-24). As a result, racial and ethnic...