No Longer a Bastion of Tolerance in Europe?
However, in the past few years a growing anti-immigrant attitude has grown in the Netherlands, fuelled by mistrust and fears about global terrorism. Earlier this month, this debate exploded after the murder of controversial filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a Dutch-born Moroccan Muslim extremist.
In the weeks since, violence has flared across the Netherlands, in a spate of 'tit for tat' revenge attacks on Islamic schools and mosques as well as Protestant churches.
The events have polarised the country, and ratcheted up the debate about immigration and radical Islam in Holland. And as Andrew Parker explains in this week's edition of Insight, the government has pledged to adopt stronger immigration laws leaving many migrants feeling uneasy about their future.
Amsterdam's Central Station – one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Fanning out from the terminal is a jumble of cobbled streets. And short walk away, sit beautiful, narrow canals, with colourful bicycles chained alongside.
The world's most permissive city
Each day, thousands of people file through this building. Shoulder to shoulder – tourists, travellers, ethnic Dutch and immigrants to Holland from over 170 countries. Many of the people are drawn to the Netherlands for its longstanding reputation for tolerance and openness.
These days, soft drugs and sex are still easily found in what's considered the world's most permissive city.
But after the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general – are undergoing a difficult period of soul-searching – about its relationship with immigrants and ethnic minorities.
Alienated by outbreak of violence
"It was terrible, totally not of my world. Not of the Netherlands. It was shocking, absolutely."
Bookstore worker Trousche Gall van Hoven's reaction to the van Gogh killing echoes those heard right across Holland.
Some people were angry, or felt threatened by the event. Others say they were numb and confused about what to do after hearing of the daytime killing, which took place on a busy Amsterdam street.
More extreme reactions also emerged, including calls to immediately deport all foreigners from the Netherlands.
Partial approval of the killing
Muslim responses to the murder were also mixed. Several websites for Dutch Moroccans were taken offline when people wrote in to express approval of the killing.
However prominent Muslim leaders quickly distanced themselves from the killing, emphasizing that political assassination was never acceptable. And large numbers of Dutch Muslims – many carrying banners with slogans such as 'Not in the name of my Islam' – joined thousands protesting against the murder in Amsterdam's main square.
By all accounts, the van Gogh murder has exacerbated a fierce internal debate about immigration in Holland. But the killing wasn't the first political death in the Netherlands.
"He said what he believed, and because he said what he believed, he's been shot. Why? Is that democracy," says an ethnic Dutch person, responding to the shooting of Pym Fortuyn, two and half years ago.
Fortuyn was the anti-immigration politician who sparked controversy with his slogan, "Holland is full".
A change in the discourse on multicultural society
Although Fortuyn's killer was an environmental activist and not a migrant, his death is considered to be a critical moment in the deterioration of relations between ethnic Dutch and foreigners.
"The Sept 11th events triggered an enormous discussion in the Netherlands, on Islam and democracy," explains Jean Tillie, professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. "And when Pym Fortuyn was murdered, these people had the feeling, we are not heard anymore, our political representative is murdered, so the discourse on multicultural society changed enormously in 2002. And offending people became the norm."
The negative tone of the immigration debate has intensified in Holland over the past two years. Language considered taboo and culturally offensive in most Western democracies has become normalized. In fact, last March, Dutch intelligence reports warned the government that the caustic environment could lead to a rise in militant Islam.
Still, Jean Tillie believes there's another reason to account for extremism.
Tillie calls the nineteen-eighties, a successful time for Muslim immigration in Holland. During this period, the government heavily funded ethnic-based groups, helping arrivals adapt to their new country.
Integrating immigrants into Dutch political life
Networks formed connecting the more extreme groups to the more moderate Muslim voices. Tillie says the group's collective nature helped moderate extreme views and integrated immigrants into Dutch political life.
Recently, financing for these initiatives has shrunk, and many such policies have been abolished because of the anti-immigration debate.
"The paradox here is that people think ethnic organizations promote segregation, but they promote integration within the political domain," says Jean Tillie. "So members of ethnic organizations and members of organizations which are not isolated within their own communities do participate more, they trust the political institutions of the host country more and they adhere more to democratic norms and values."
The "Submission" controversy
An excerpt from the film "Submission", directed by Theo Van Gogh and written by Somali-born Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The ten-minute movie condemning sexual abuse of Muslim women by their families was aired on Dutch television last summer. Following the broadcast, both van Gogh and Hirsi Ali received death threats.
Critics of the film complained it contained inappropriate nudity and called it a blasphemy of Islam.
And it's widely thought that the film's content prompted van Gogh's killer, Mohammed B – a twenty-six year old Dutch man of Moroccan ancestry, to commit the crime.
Now, the young man's history has ignited doubts in Holland about how well immigrants are integrating into Dutch society.
Latitia Griffith, MP with Holland's Liberal Party, is sceptical whether current integration concepts actually work.
"In the Netherlands, we're doing a lot of good things for our immigrants, but still it seems that Muslim extremism can get to young people, who I think are very confused, because they don't find answers in the Mosque their parents are going to, and they're searching for another way, and there's not an alternative for them."
Since the van Gogh killing, a crackdown on terrorism has taken place across the Netherlands. Arrests have occurred in a number of Dutch cities, in some instances destroying networks that were planning attacks or killings.
Koran interpretation tests for Imams
Holland's conservative integration minister Rita Verdonk has also announced measures to control what's preached in the country's mosques. Verdonk says in the future, only Imams who pass tests on their interpretation of the Koran, will be given residency permits.
At the same time, Holland's government has given its support to the country's Islamic communities. Attacks on mosques have been quickly condemned and the
public has been encouraged to realize that not all Muslims, or Moroccans, are fundamentalists.
Even so, some Dutch Muslims feel they're under siege, and say they're being unfairly forced to defend their culture.
"They're asking the whole Muslim community to take distance and apologize for what happened with Theo van Gogh," complains Nabil Marmouch, Dutch Chairman of the Arab European League. "That is really characteristic for the way people in the Netherlands think about other cultures, other religions. Why don't we just assume that Muslims are normal people and of course they also are against the
killing."
About nine-hundred thousand Muslims live in the Netherlands, and around one-third of them are Moroccans. Most of them live in Holland's four biggest cities – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague.
Feeling rejected by mainstream Holland
It's a community of many second and third generation Arabs, some of whom say they feel rejected by mainstream Holland.
"Towards a New Start" is a Dutch-Moroccan organization based in Amsterdam that is trying to reverse negative stereotypes. Director Ahmed Larouz says the van Gogh murder is merely the latest blow to his community.
"We know that there is a negative image, everybody knows that. Look at the terrorism, look at the crimes, and look at the ghetto development in our country. It's always related to the Moroccan community, the Muslim community, and the immigrants. And to change that, you need a new way of life, a new way of thinking."
Extremism an obstacle to unifying Holland
Larouz says the group is committed to a long-term dialogue between the Moroccan community and the ethnic Dutch. He hopes by organizing seminars and conferences, the two sided debate will evolve into a partnership of shared goals and values. But he admits the extremism of van Gogh's killer is an obstacle to unifying Holland.
"I think he (i.e. van Gogh's murderer) is a unique perpetrator and I'm not going to compare him with other guys, other Moroccans, because I don't know what his situation was to be more radical. But what I know is that there is a development in this community that is very bad and we got to stop that development and we got to do that all together.
Another organization that is experiencing the effects of growing anti-immigration feelings is the Dutch Refugee Council. The national group lobbies for asylum seekers in the Netherlands and assists migrants with education, housing and childcare. Spokesperson Annireeka Dekker says the public has remained silent as the policies governing refugees have become stricter.
Social awareness seems to be decreasing
"The opinion has somehow changed. And the political people, the politicians have taken advantage of that. So first you thought that when they made a law that was not workable, that was not fair for refugees, especially then you could think that, well, the public opinion won't allow it – but nobody protested."
One of the most controversial government plans for immigrants is the introduction of compulsory Dutch language and culture tests. The tests still have to be approved by Holland's parliament. But if they pass, all foreign-born people living in the Netherlands who hold Dutch citizenship would be forced to take the exams.
Some government officials believe the tests will lead to better integration and eventually a stronger Dutch identity. But critics who've seen the tests, like Annireeka Dekker, say the questions discriminate against immigrants.
Criticism for immigration tests
"We found that there are some questions that have nothing to do with integration, that have nothing to do with being Dutch. They ask, for example, that when you live in Holland and you are visiting your neighbour, whether you have to bring a present or not. And that's up to anyone! I mean who's to decide if you need to bring a present or not? And then the (correct) answer was that you have to bring a small present. They're ridiculous questions."
Jean Tillie agrees. He says the courses will continue to send a message to Holland's immigrants, namely that they're second-class citizens.
"The message really is all Dutch are equal but some are more equal than the others. And that's not a good message. So if you are in favour of courses on Dutch culture, you should also have the native Dutch follow these courses, because the Dutch society is changing, and they should be aware of that."
Amsterdam will undoubtedly continue to be an international city, with people visiting and settling there from around the world. But it's uncertain how tolerant, and how peaceful their new home will be when and if Holland emerges from this current mood of national soul-searching.
One thing is certain though. The Netherlands' troubles have given the rest of Europe a glimpse at what could happen if cultural relations between immigrants and ethnic populations, in their countries, aren't handled better.
Andrew Parker
Editor: John Hay
© DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE 2004