How come is it that the Netherlands became an intolerant country?
And especially considering there is a Dutch MP who openly insults Islam and Muslims in parliament and press.
How come has all that happened? Do Dutch people have that little faith? Do you think that it is the best way for dialouge between the West and the Muslim world? What do you think is best?
Answer:
During the 1970's, there was a huge influx of immigration into Holland. Most of these immigrants werel unskilled laborers like housekeepers, etc. At the time, the Dutch believed that these immigrants would make their money there and then return to their countries of origin. But because these immigrants were mostly poor and came from unstable regions (such as north Africa), they chose to remain in the Netherlands and raise their children in a better educational system.
The problem is that these immigrants were mostly uneducated themselves, and hence they tended to cling to their own belief systems rather than indoctrinate themselves to Dutch culture. So their children grew up with the same strong religious convictions as their parents. Because they were mostly poor, their children didn't attend the same schools as the wealthier Dutch, so a greater cultural divide ensued.
But what accounts for the heart of this was a great cultural shock: these immigrants came from relatively oppressed cultures, and the Dutch were on the other end of the spectrum. So instead of opening themselves up to Dutch culture, they chose to segregate themselves, seeing the Dutch as being relatively godless. I'm sure racism also played a part in this; although to what degree, I can't tell you.
All of a sudden, 30 years later the Dutch wake up and realize that a huge minority of their population shares a different religion and is far more sexually and spiritually repressed than they are.
There are a lot of parallels between this and what America is facing through its massive invasion by illegal aliens from Mexico. The two key differences here are that:
1) most of these illegals are Catholic; and
2) the illegals have opened themselves up to our culture because they've experienced a subset of it over in Mexico. We've brought them baseball and Catholicism before; whereas these mostly Muslim immigrants in the Netherlands walked into the country knowing next to nothing about it.
So the Dutch now have a sizable population of people having grown up nearly segregated from the rest of the population who now expect the Dutch to conform more to their beliefs. The Dutch are to blame for letting so many people into their country w/o doing a better job assimilating them. Holland did restrict immigration for several decades after the 70's in an effort to better assimilate the sizable number of immigrants they took in.
It's not like the Dutch haven't tried to open themselves up to the immigrants, but for whatever reasons (either the Dutch let class and racism overrule their "warmth" or the uneducated nature of the immigrants make them outright reject assimilation), it didn't work. So now the Dutch have now subscribed to the reactionary nature of politicians such as Pim Fortuyn, who warned early on in the 1990's that the unassimilated immigrants and first generation Dutch would become a problem.
Of course, I'm pretty certain that they Dutch are also behaving hysterically here. Several people in the Dutch media referred to the Van Gogh murder as "Our [Holland's] 9/11," which might be the most stupid thing I've ever heard.
I guess when the smoke stops rising from bombed buildings and blown up people, then.
Why is it when Muslims move to a Western society they do not want to assimilate, but expect the western society to change for them?
I think that Muslims expect too much in any county.
Talking about the dutch slandering them in parliment, pretty sure there are HEAPS of Muslim suicide bombers killing innocent people.
I'm no racist or prejudice or anything but i don't think that the Dutch are intollerant to Muslims, I think many Muslims supress themselves from society by being uneducated and expecting 'allah' to reward them for killing people who have as much right to live as any human being.
Don't blame the dutch;
They invented Powdered Booze! ; )
I guess you answered your own question, it's because Muslims killed Theo Van Gogh.
Muslims don't exactly believe in free speech, and I applaud the Dutch for having some balls.
Not too far into the future everyone in France and Britain will be named Mohammad and bending over for Allah.
It will serve them bloody right.
PS. US senators are spineless worms who only care about votes.
Hmm
It really isn't all that bad as some people will have you believe. Sure there are people that spew hatred and who are not tolerant. But those are often the most vocal.
I think the majority of the people here are still very open minded and tolerant. I know I am, I know my family is and I know my friends are.
EDIT: Woah three thumbs down for voicing my own experience, nice and tolerant there!
To add why I think a lot of the people here are accepting and tolerant. My little sister converted to Islam a few years ago and after that married a wonderful muslim man. Our family has embraced his family and vice versa. We have learned a lot from each other.
This is just my family and friends, and I doubt we are the execption to the rule? If so that would be really sad.
I think the Dutch are fed up, I respects the muslim culture, nd I even admired their will no to ne overuled by capitalist countries. BUT, Its not correct to go and live in another country and not obey their rules...what would happen if a Dutch girl qould go to Mecca and go topless?
I think they are just fed up...and they are right.
One too many bombs went off in a public place. They do root cause solutions. You believe you can promote your beliefs through terror, then they want you out of their country.
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