Closing the Week 40 – Featuring the Re-/De-colonization of the Netherlands Antilles 10-10-10
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Featuring the Netherlands Antilles – De-/Re-colonization 10-10-10
Dutch colonization of the Americas
During the 17th century, Dutch traders established trade posts and plantations throughout the Americas; actual colonization, with Dutch settling in the new lands was not as common as with settlements of other European nations. Many of the Dutch settlements were lost or abandoned by the end of that century, but the Netherlands managed to retain possession of Suriname until it gained independence in 1975, as well as the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, which remain within the Kingdom of the Netherlands today.
The Daily Herald -Focus on 10-10-10
For Robert DuBourcq, the passionate hotel and hospitality mainstay who has called St. Maarten home for the past four decades, the reality of St. Maarten becoming a country on October 10, 2010, is a bag of mixed emotions.
nrc.nl – International – Features – Referendum on Curaçao’s future opens old wounds
A referendum on the future of Curaçao within the Kingdom of the Netherlands is dividing the population of the Caribbean island.
Friday Photos: End of the Antilles | FP Passport
Ask most any local on the five square mile island of Saba, and they will refer to change there as “slow to come.” Claimed finally by the Dutch in 1816 after upwards of twelve flag changes in the couple centuries preceding, Saba is the smallest island of the five that make up the Netherlands Antilles, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. However, change is now approaching fast. The dissolution of the Netherland Antilles is slated for October 10, 2010.
End of the road for Dutch Antilles < Dutch news | Expatica The Netherlands
The Dutch Antilles will stop existing from Sunday when two of its islands become independent states in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and three become Dutch municipalities under a pact concluded last month.
The Federation of the Netherlands Antilles will be dissolved on October 10th 2010. The agreement envisages that Curaçao and St Maarten will become fully self-governing, except in matters of defence, foreign policy, and judicial and financial affairs, which will remain the responsibility of the Dutch government. The three smaller islands of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba will gain Dutch municipality status. The economy contracted by 0.2% in 2009.
SpringerLink – Dialectical Anthropology, Volume 29, Numbers 3-4
For much of its colonial history, the Netherlands experienced little contact with its island possessions in the Caribbean. Subsequent Dutch policy was formulated in the shadow of the Netherlands primary concern with its prosperous colony of Indonesia. The 1985 closing of the oil refineries in Aruba and Curacao, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba’s “status aparte” in 1986 triggered a mass migration from those Dutch “overseas countries” to the Netherlands. These recent migrations of thousands of Dutch post-colonial citizens have added to the Dutch reevaluation of its colonial past and debates about its multicultural democratic future.
Holland’s last act of de-colonisation? | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Does it mark the final act of de-colonisation, or is it the beginning of re-colonisation? The formal decision to break up the Netherlands Antilles, five former Dutch island colonies in the Caribbean, will almost certainly be taken today.
The Netherlands colonised six islands in the Caribbean in the 17th century: Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten (east of Puerto Rico) in the Leeward Islands and Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao (off the coast of Venezuela) in the Windward Islands. They were centres of the slave trade. Nowadays, they are mostly known for their blossoming tourist industry.
In the 1950s, the first serious step was made towards independence: they received political autonomy. In 1986, Aruba became an autonomous part of the Netherlands. The other five islands became the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Dutch state, also with a degree of autonomy. It has taken decades to reach agreement on the latest changes to the islands’ status.
Netherlands Antilles no more – Stabroek News – Guyana
As of tomorrow a new chapter in the annals of Caribbean history will be written with the dissolution of the Dutch Caribbean federation known as the Netherlands Antilles.
10-10-10 will bring an end to 56 years of a constitutional arrangement between the Netherlands(Holland) and its Caribbean dependencies, except Aruba, as a group.
Caribbean Life: Netherlands Antilles to disappear on October 10
The Netherlands Antilles which includes such well-known commercial tax-free Caribbean shopping ports as St. Maarten and Curacao, will be dissolved on Sunday, Oct. 10, following the signing of new country status agreements with The Netherlands this month.
no-more-netherlands-antilles-as-of-10-10-2010 from examiner.com – StumbleUpon
One significant happening on Sunday, October 10th – 10-10-10 – is that, as of that date, there is no more Netherlands Antilles. This marks the end of a constitutional arrangement that has lasted 56 years, between the Netherlands and its Caribbean dependencies. The exception is Aruba, which became an independent country in 1986.
Wilders trial
A View From Israel: Madman or prophet?
While many regard controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders as alarmist, others say he has deep perception of perils of radical Islam; West should heed his warnings.
Charlemagne: A false prophet | The Economist
Mr Wilders should not be underestimated. By identifying the enemy as Islam and not foreigners, and by casting his rhetoric in terms of freedom rather than race, he becomes harder to label as a reactionary, racist or neo-Nazi. Mr Wilders does not want to associate with the fascist sort. He has no truck with anti-Semitism and fervently supports Israel. He is, for want of a better term, a radical liberal: he defends women’s emancipation and gay rights. He is fighting to defend the West’s liberties; the enemy is Islam (not Muslims, he says), which seeks, violently, to destroy them.
Powerful Dutch Politician Moonlights as Defendant in Hate Speech Trial – NYTimes.com
A court in Amsterdam watched a short film that attacks the Koran on Wednesday, as the trial of Geert Wilders, a powerful anti-immigrant politician charged with inciting hatred of Muslims, resumed.
“Islam Is Not a Religion” | Religion Dispatches
“Islam is not a Religion.” At least that is the argument being made in a court in Murfreesboro, TN, in a suit filed to stop the building of a mosque there.
Tennessee Lt. Governor and current gubernatorial candidate, Ron Ramsey took a similar position last spring.
Without a doubt, these two instances represent disingenuous attempts to gain an edge in a political dispute. But the ambiguity in what counts as a religion creates a space for such rhetoric as well as for some profound miscommunication in contemporary debates about religion.
Dutch politics: In from the wilderness | The Economist
NEARLY four months after its general election, the Netherlands finally looks set for a new cabinet. The leaders of the liberal VVD party and the Christian Democrats (CDA) have reached agreement on forming a coalition. But the minority government will rely on the parliamentary support of the far-right Freedom Party, led by the controversial Geert Wilders (pictured, left), known for his fiery anti-Islam rhetoric and currently on trial for incitement to racial hatred.
War on Terror logic – Glenn Greenwald – Salon.com
What a surprise: bombing Muslims more and more causes more and more Muslims to want to bomb the countries responsible. That, of course, has long been the perverse “logic” driving the War on Terror. The very idea that we’re going to reduce Terrorism by more intensively bombing more Muslim countries is one of the most patently absurd, self-contradicting premises that exists. It’s exactly like announcing that the cure for lung cancer is to quadruple the number of cigarettes one smokes each day. But that’s been the core premise (at least the stated one) of our foreign policy for the last decade: we’re going to stop Terrorism by doing more and more of exactly the things that cause it (and see this very good Economist article on the ease with which drones allow a nation’s leaders to pretend to its citizenry that they are not really at war — as we’re doing with Pakistan).
Misc.
Constructing Amusement: Settling in at Delft, intro week, and lecturing
It’s been a week and a half since my arrival in the Netherlands, and an eventful time even beyond the usual drama of changing countries/cultures.
What will future generations condemn us for?
Looking back at such horrors, it is easy to ask: What were people thinking?
Yet, the chances are that our own descendants will ask the same question, with the same incomprehension, about some of our practices today.
Is there a way to guess which ones? After all, not every disputed institution or practice is destined to be discredited. And it can be hard to distinguish in real time between movements, such as abolition, that will come to represent moral common sense and those, such as prohibition, that will come to seem quaint or misguided. Recall the book-burners of Boston’s old Watch and Ward Society or the organizations for the suppression of vice, with their crusades against claret, contraceptives and sexually candid novels.
Still, a look at the past suggests three signs that a particular practice is destined for future condemnation.
Does NiqaBitch Enrich the Burqa Ban Debate? » Muslimah Media Watch
With articles in Der Spiegel, Rue89, The Telegraph, and a YouTube video in recent weeks, the two self-described web-activists called Niqabitch are making a splash in the French (and European) media landscape. As they said themselves in the Rue89 article, throwing on a burqa in protest of France’s burqa ban would be “too simple.” They wanted to see what would happen by mixing things up a bit and throwing together a niqab with a miniskirt.
So the ladies of MMW got together and discussed our feelings on Niqabitch:
Muslim Women: Balancing School, Work & Family | MuslimMatters.org
Working Muslim women have several things to think about when they’re trying to juggle between their career, home and children. Here are some of the thoughts, I gathered from a few of the women on Muslim Matters to better understand their unique situations and gauge the issues faced by Muslim women in balancing school, work, and family.
Asma Uddin is an international law attorney at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and editor-in-chief of Altmuslimah.com, a blog that explores gender and Islam (Altmuslimah @OnFaith has recently launched on Washington Post.com). Asma spoke with CAP’s Sally Steenland on September 24 about Muslim women and gender, religious liberty, hate speech, and balancing work and family life.
Politics in the Netherlands: Not exactly Dutch courage | The Economist
MEET the Netherlands. A small, affluent, densely populated northern European country, economically timid, with the potential for ethnic strife simmering just under its quiet surface. That is the picture painted by the agreement underlying the new Dutch centre-right minority government, consisting of the liberal VVD and the Christian Democrats. With the backbench support of the far-right Freedom Party and its leader, Geert Wilders (see Charlemagne), the new government will have a majority of just one in the 150-seat parliament.
tabsir.net » Nawal El Saadawi on Osama Bin Laden
Award-winning Egyptian writer and feminist Nawal El Saadawi hardly deserves an introduction. Author of over forty books—-translated to over 30 languages—-she has inspired women all over the world but particularly in Muslim world with her writings as well as courageous struggle against obscurantism. She has faced threats to her life, was fired from job by Egyptian authorities and imprisoned, has seen her books banned, even went in exile but has been steadfast and vocal when it comes to women rights and socialism.
The recent statement by German President Christian Wulff that “Islam belongs in Germany” has provoked something of a conservative backlash. The German press is divided on whether the presence of Muslims in Germany is self-evident or cause for concern.
Call for a worldwide ban on burqas | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
The burqa can only be worn behind closed doors from 1 January in France. From then on a full burqa ban comes into force following the ruling from the constitutional court which has approved the law. The government which is about to come into power in the Netherlands also wants to introduce a ban on burqas. “Very good,” says Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy, who visited the Netherlands this week.
The recent expulsion of Roma, or Gypsies, from France drew protests from all around Europe – from the liberal media but also from top politicians, and not only from those on the left. But the expulsions went ahead, and they are just the tip of a much larger iceberg of European politics.
Islamic beauty: Can halal cosmetics outgrow their niche? – Reuters –
Thursday evening at a luxury, Pharaonic-themed spa in Dubai. Emirati women, colourful eye makeup contrasting with their black robes, wait by a bronze statue of a smiling Cleopatra for their weekend beauty treat.
The mineral-based skincare range used at the spa is free of pork and alcohol derivatives. Supplier Charlotte Proudman hopes to register it as compliant with sharia, or Islamic law, tapping into a growing trend for “halal cosemtics” in the mostly-Muslim Middle East and among the world’s estimated 1.6 billion Muslims.
Islamic beauty: Can halal cosmetics outgrow their niche?
“I really want to put this onto our packaging so that our clients can be reassured that our products are halal, and that they can feel consistent in their religious beliefs,” Proudman said at the spa, which uses the range she launched in 2008
Muslims Must Learn the Language of Bullies to Respond to Islamophobia | MuslimMatters.org
I believed – when I was growing up – that bullies had the right to inflict pain upon their victims. It was the cycle of life everyone must accept, I thought. To go against them was unnatural and futile. To deal with them I was going to have to come up with creative ways to avoid their wrath and earn their blessings and approval.
The Associated Press: France’s constitutional watchdog endorses veil ban
France’s constitutional watchdog on Thursday endorsed a divisive law forbidding face-covering Islamic veils anywhere in public, but expressed concern about applying it in places of worship such as a mosque.
Surveying religious knowledge « The Immanent Frame
Following the release last week of the results of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, which was widely reported as having demonstrated Americans’ considerable lack thereof, we invited a dozen leading scholars to weigh in on the survey’s significance.
Dutch
Antillen vrezen ‘rekolonisatie’ – DePers.nl
De nieuwe staatkundige herstructurering van de Nederlandse Antillen op 10 oktober 2010 wordt niet door iedereen met enthousiasme ontvangen. Vooral op Curaçao is er een sterke beweging tegen deze vorm van ‘rekolonisatie’.
C L O S E R » Blog Archive » Curacao, 30 mei 1969
“Het is geen offici�le feestdag en ergens vind ik dat vreemd, ergens ook weer niet. ”
Op 30 mei 1969 liep een conflict op Curacao volledig uit de hand. Vaag herinner ik me iets ervan op tv gezien te hebben, maar meer niet. Niettemin is het een belangrijk moment in onze koloniale geschiedenis; het is een opstand tegen de onderdrukking door de Hollanders en sommige gevolgen zijn nu nog merkbaar (zoals de oprichting van Frente Obrero).
Einde van de Nederlandse Antillen – Wereldkids
Vandaag op 10 oktober 2010 (10-10-10) houden de Nederlandse Antillen op te bestaan. De eilanden in het Caraïbisch gebied gaan ieder hun eigen weg.
Nederlandse Antillen vandaag opgeheven | Kontabai.NL
De Nederlandse Antillen houden vandaag (10-10-’10) op te bestaan. Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint-Maarten, Sint-Eustatius en Saba, maakten tot gisteren gezamenlijk, met Nederland en Aruba, deel uit van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden. Dat is veranderd. Curaçao en Sint-Maarten zijn zelfstandig landen binnen het koninkrijk, zoals Aruba dat al sinds 1986 is. Bonaire, Sint-Eustatius en Saba worden bijzondere gemeenten.
Historische dagen voor de Nederlandse Antillen, deze dagen. Zondag 10 oktober, 10-10-10, houden de Nederlandse Antillen in hun huidige staatkundige vorm op te bestaan. Het Antilliaanse kabinet nam vrijdagavond 22.00 uur Nederlandse tijd al afscheid van de bevolking in een laatste, live op televisie en radio uitgezonden en druk bezochte persconferentie.
NOS Nieuws – Liveblog 10/10/10: ontmanteling Antillen
De Nederlandse Antillen houden om middernacht plaatselijke tijd (6 uur ‘s ochtends in Nederland) op te bestaan. Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint-Maarten, Sint-Eustatius en Saba, maken tot vandaag gezamenlijk, met Nederland en Aruba, deel uit van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden.
Dat gaat veranderen. Curaçao en Sint-Maarten worden zelfstandig landen binnen het koninkrijk, zoals Aruba dat al sinds 1986 is. Bonaire, Sint-Eustatius en Saba worden bijzondere gemeenten.
In dit liveblog vindt u een alvast een voorschot op de ceremonies en feestelijkheden op de eilanden en in Nederland. Alle tijden zijn lokaal.
NOS Nieuws – Antillen: wat er verandert
De Nederlandse Antillen, bestaande uit Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius en Saba, maken tot vandaag samen met Nederland en Aruba deel uit van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden. De staatkundige relatie tussen de drie landen is vastgelegd in het Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden. Hierin staat waarover de landen wel of niet zelf beslissen en hoe ze samenwerken.
Met instemming van de drie landen is het Statuut aangepast en zien de veranderingen er als volgt uit:
Caraibisch uitzicht: Vlag van de Antillen definitief gestreken
“Het is vreemd. Vanaf zondag zeggen we niet meer dat we van Curaçao, Nederlandse Antillen komen, maar geboren zijn op Curaçao. Of St. Maarten”
hoeiboei: De ware betekenis van de tekst van de Koran
Over de uitleg en de betekenis van een oude tekst bestaat altijd enige onzekerheid. Ook bij oude godsdienstige teksten als de bijbel en de koran is dat het geval. Twijfel over de ‘ware betekenis’ is bij zulke teksten normaal.
Lees de Koran zoals ik hem lees of ik sleep je voor de rechter – de Volkskrant – Opinie
De opmerking van Hans Jansen tijdens zijn verhoor – dat het bevreemdend is dat de rechtbank zich bezig houdt met de exegese van de Koran – is raak. Nog meer bevreemdend vind ik het dat de aangiftes niet zijn gecontroleerd op historische feiten. Een enkeling probeerde zijn vage, ‘emotionele’ redenen voor de aangiftes te onderbouwen met ‘feiten’.
Waar de aangiftes op neerkomen, is dit: ‘De Koran en de islam betekenen voor mij iets anders dan in de interpretatie van Wilders en veel anderen. En dat mag niet, want dat kwetst mij. En daarom zaait Wilders haat.’
Vredelievend
Met andere woorden: lees de Koran zoals ik hem lees of ik sleep je voor de rechter. Ik ben een moslim en ben dientengevolge vredelievend, daarom bestrijd ik u. Ik leef volgens de regels van de Koran en ik vorm geen bedreiging. Daarom doe ik aangifte.
De muilkorfbrigade aan zet – de Volkskrant – Opinie
Het proces wordt niet voor niets live uitgezonden, opdat een natiewijd publiek zelf kan oordelen. Driemaal raden wat dat aanricht. Per minuut rijzen de verdenkingen geleidelijk tot golemformaat: we zien politieke manipulatie en bestraffing, machtsmisbruik, medeplichtigheid van de rechter. Zo gaat dit proces ook over de kantelende Zeitgeist en de populistische revolte, de kloof tussen burger en overheid en de mate waarin decennia politieke correctheid de democratie hebben toegetakeld. Geen wondje, maar onverzoenlijke gangreen.
Jansen, Wilders’ arabist, nu ook al criminoloog? – Joop.nl
Jansen zegt: ‘Ik acht het onwaarschijnlijk dat een Marokkaanse jongen ooit een moslim zou beroven van zijn tas’. Ik zeg: Grootste onzin die ik ooit heb gehoord
Onze Geert heeft knettergekke vrienden – DePers.nl
In zijn streven te bewijzen dat de islam een godsdienst is die de wereld wil veroveren (brrrr…!) trad afgelopen woensdag de arabist Hans Jansen op voor de Amsterdamse rechtbank. Hans, een fervent katholiek, is het helemaal met Geert eens. Hem werd gevraagd of de Koran inderdaad vergeleken kan worden met Hitlers Mein Kampf, zoals Geert heeft gedaan. Zijn antwoord luidde: ‘In de Koran staan meer antisemitische passages dan in dat boek.’
Ach, zal hij hebben gedacht, wie gaat dat nou controleren?
De Hutu-strategie van Wilders – de Volkskrant – Opinie
Het is niet voor niets dat de PVV-leider grossiert in beelden, en niet in feiten. Want als Wilders feitelijk en zakelijk zou moeten zijn, is hij snel uitgepraat. Het werkt veel beter om de Hutu-strategie te volgen.
hoeiboei: De ware betekenis van de tekst van de Koran
Over de uitleg en de betekenis van een oude tekst bestaat altijd enige onzekerheid. Ook bij oude godsdienstige teksten als de bijbel en de koran is dat het geval. Twijfel over de ‘ware betekenis’ is bij zulke teksten normaal.
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