Here it is, the Dutch response to the amazing Happy Muslim Videos from the UK, Germany and the United States.

The video is a cooperation of FAHM Instituut, the Muslim radio and tv channel Moslim Omroep, the Dutch Muslim women’s organization Al-Nisa and weblog Wijblijvenhier.nl.

It’s easy: We don’t need to proof we’re happy despite of the rainy weather, we just want to show the world what Dutch ‘gezelligheid’ looks like.

Music – Pharrell – Happy
Camera / Edit: www.daveguldemond.nl

On the site of the Muslim channel there is a brief explanation of the video and how the people want to present themselves. There we can read that many people wanting to join the Dutch video thought ‘The Netherlands can use some positive energy in times like these’. They thought Muslims are often portrayed in a negative way whereby Islam is connected to extremism, the war in Syria, crime and oppression of women. A video with only happy Muslims is thought to be a small incentive for positive change.

Another reason to join was the international outlook of the song. Some people saw it as typical for the current time to decide with Muslims all over the world to make such a video and ‘I have friends in living the US, they think there are no Muslims in the Netherlands, we will show them haha.” Participants also thought that the video captures the diversity of Muslims in the Netherlands quite well; something that is valued as a good thing in itself. Jumping kids, swinging babies, elderly people, girls with and without headscarf, professional soccer players, politicians, converts, Dutch Pakistani’s, Dutch Somalis, Dutch Turks, Dutch Iraqi, Dutch Indonesian, Dutch Tunesian, native Dutch Muslims; you can see them all in the video.