βMulticulturalism claims that all cultures are equal and should be respected as such.β
And that's not what multiculturalism claims, at least not in America nor in academia.
Yes, all cultures are equally valid, but that does not mean that, say, female genital mutilation should be respected in Western society. We have to understand where they are coming from, and that to them it may make sense, but that does not mean that things that fundamentally clash with our ethics should be permissible.