Question

Describe the positive and negative effects of multiculturalism on Europe and the Middle East. Provide four to five sentences within your answer.

Answer 1

2 Positive effects:

1. Cultural exchange: multiculturalism leads to the exchage of ideas because people from different backgrounds are living in the same area. For example, in the Middle East, Israel benefits from the different jewish ethnic groups that live there.
2. Linguistic exchange: multicultural countries tend to have more people who speak more than one language. For example, Switzerland is a multicultural country because it is inhabited by French people, German people, and Italian people, and the average Swiss person is able to speak two or three languages.

2 Negative effects:

1. Ethnic tensions: When different ethnic groups live in the same area, they do not always get along well. For example, Israel is home to two large ethnic groups: Jews and Arabs, and they have been at war for decades.
2. Social segregation: In a multicultural country, it might happen that people from different backgrounds choose to live separated. In the United States, this is the norm. For example, African Americans tend to live in the cities while White Americans tend to live in the suburbs. This creates tensions and erases trust among groups.