C L O S E R

Twee burqa-demonstraties: Baas over het eigen lichaam

Posted on November 30th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Ja voor het geval u het heeft gemist, er waren deze week 2 burqa-demonstraties. De eerste was op woensdag. Deze betrof Afghaanse vrouwen die burqa’s uitdeelden aan parlementsleden. Zij demonstreerden tegen de dreigende uitzetting omdat ze vrezen als ge-emancipeerde vrouwen met een Westerse levensstijl problemen te krijgen in Afghanistan.

De andere demonstratie was vandaag door enkele tientallen vrouwen die demonstreerden tegen het dreigende burqa-verbod.  Vrouwen met en zonder sluier (ik heb geen vrouwen in burqa gezien, wel enkele met niqaab/gezichtssluier) namen stelling tegen dat dreigende verbod. Enerzijds omdat een verbod de mobiliteit van vrouwen zou bedreigen, maar ook om andere redenen zoals het NRC vermeld:

Toch was strijdigheid met westerse omgangsvormen voor minister Verdonk (Integratie, VVD) een van de redenen om twee weken geleden een wetsvoorstel in te dienen tegen gezichtsbedekkende kleding. Aan het begin van de middag kwamen zo’n twintig moslima’s en actievoerders van ‘Stop Racisme’ naar het Plein in Den Haag om te demonstreren. De demonstratie is een initiatief van Ayse Bayrak-De Jager. „We hebben toch juist een multiculturele samenleving.

Dan moet je er maar aan kunnen wennen dat er vrouwen zijn die zo gekleed willen gaan.” De Almeerse, getrouwd met een moslimman, spreekt tegen dat een boerka een teken van onderdrukking is. „Moslimvrouwen zijn wel degelijk geëmancipeerd.

Juist onze kleding is daar een uiting van.”

Reden genoeg, vond Bayrak-De Jager – die zelf niet gekleed gaat in gezichtsbedekkende boerka of niqaab – om een „een stevig tegengeluid” te laten horen tegen het voorgestelde boerkaverbod. Het aantal politieagenten (Bayrak-De Jager: „We hebben dreigementen gekregen”) en toegestroomde journalisten is groter dan het aantal demonstranten, „maar dat is niet erg. Het gaat erom dat er een signaal komt van ons uit.”

Ruim duizend mensen ondertekenden de afgelopen dagen een petitie tegen het verbod. Die werd vanmiddag aan de Tweede Kamer aangeboden. Bayrak-De Jager schrijft over het boerkaverbod: „Dat willen wij hier niet in Nederland.

Met dit verbod wordt het culturele gedachtegoed van 1 miljoen Nederlandse burgers te kakken gezet.” „Waar houdt het op als dit verbod er doorkomt”, vraagt de actieleidster zich af. „Zijn dan straks ook de hoofddoeken aan de beurt?” De Tweede Kamer moet het wetsvoorstel nog behandelen.

Er wordt dus gesteld dat een burqa-verbod eigenlijk onderdrukking betekent. Daarmee lijken beide demonstratie diametraal tegenover elkaar te staan. Toch is dat niet helemaal waar. Waar de vrouwen vandaag het recht claimen om zelf te bepalen of en hoe ze hun lichaam bedekken, doen de vrouwen van woensdag dat eigenlijk ook. Beide groepen stellen zelf de baas te zijn over hun lichaam. De groep van woensdag vreest dat dat in het gedrang komt wanneer ze terug moeten naar Afghanistan en de groep van donderdag ziet een burqa-verbod (en wat er nog meer komt zo lijken ze te stellen) als een poging hun zeggenschap te ondermijnen.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Sinterklaas moet en zal gevierd

Posted on November 29th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Sinterklaas moet en zal gevierd

Posted on November 29th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

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Magharebia.com: The Tidjani brotherhood – the other face of Islam (Magharebia.com)

Posted on November 28th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News, Uncategorized.

The Tidjani brotherhood — the other face of Islam (Magharebia.com)

27/11/2006

A three-day international colloquium on the Tidjani Sufi order began November 23rd at the University of Laghouat in Algeria with a hundred intellectuals and cultural figures from 29 countries. Participants discussed contributions made by the brotherhood and giving Islam a “human face”. (more…)

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Burqa & Burgerschap

Posted on November 25th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues.

Het ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken mag dan grote problemen verwachten met betrekking tot het verwachte burqa-verbod, totnutoe valt dat nogal mee. Er wordt her en der flink gediscussieerd, maar daar blijft het bij. Als het echt om de burqa gaat, dan betreft het ook maar een klein aantal vrouwen. Wel is er een groter aantal mannen en vrouwen tegen een verbod, ook al willen ze het zelf misschien niet (laten) dragen.

Er is nu ook een online-petitie opgestart door Ayse Bayrak-de Jager die daarmee niet alleen de Almere Vandaag haalde maar ook CNN. Zij is een voorbeeld van die laatste categorie:

Bayrak roept via internet moslima`s op mee naar Den Haag te gaan. Getooid met spandoeken met daarop slogans als ‘Baas in eigen buik? Baas op eigen hoofd!’ ‘Geen besluiten over onze hoofden`. Donderdag moet het allemaal gaan gebeuren, tussen 12.00 en 14.00 uur.

,,Wie zwijgt stemt toe. Straks mogen we ook geen hoofddoek meer dragen, dan is het einde toch zoek?”, laat de 41-jarige Bayrak weten. Zelf draagt ze geen niqaab of burka, maar ze vindt dat vrouwen solidair met elkaar moeten zijn. ,,Burka`s worden in één adem genoemd met bivakmutsen of integraalhelmen. Maar dit is iets religieus.” Volgens de Almeerse heeft het dragen van een niqaab of burka niets met vrouwenonderdrukking te maken. ,,Juist niet! Als vrouwen volledig bedekt binnenkomen, worden ze niet beoordeeld op hun uiterlijk. Dan gaat het om de inhoud. Het is een recht, geen plicht. Bovendien vind ik het iets persoonlijks, het is tussen mij en God.”

Burka’s komen in het straatbeeld weinig voor, niqaabs wel. Dit zijn lapjes stof die vrouwen vrij gemakkelijk over hun gezicht kunnen doen. ,,Moslima’s staan zo echt niet voor de klas, het is alleen nodig als er mannen langskomen. En als je het over gezichtsbedekking hebt, begin dan met baarden van mannen!”

Kijken we naar de tekst van de petitie dan zien we dat Bayrak-De Jager een soort tegendiscours opzet. Waar Wilders en Verdonk de burqa presenteren als een vorm van vrouwenonderdrukking, Onnederlands en een veiligheidsissue, presenteert zij de burqa vooral als een kwestie van mensenrechten. (more…)

1 comment.

Burqa & Burgerschap

Posted on November 25th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues.

Het ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken mag dan grote problemen verwachten met betrekking tot het verwachte burqa-verbod, totnutoe valt dat nogal mee. Er wordt her en der flink gediscussieerd, maar daar blijft het bij. Als het echt om de burqa gaat, dan betreft het ook maar een klein aantal vrouwen. Wel is er een groter aantal mannen en vrouwen tegen een verbod, ook al willen ze het zelf misschien niet (laten) dragen.

Er is nu ook een online-petitie opgestart door Ayse Bayrak-de Jager die daarmee niet alleen de Almere Vandaag haalde maar ook CNN. Zij is een voorbeeld van die laatste categorie:

Bayrak roept via internet moslima`s op mee naar Den Haag te gaan. Getooid met spandoeken met daarop slogans als ‘Baas in eigen buik? Baas op eigen hoofd!’ ‘Geen besluiten over onze hoofden`. Donderdag moet het allemaal gaan gebeuren, tussen 12.00 en 14.00 uur.

,,Wie zwijgt stemt toe. Straks mogen we ook geen hoofddoek meer dragen, dan is het einde toch zoek?”, laat de 41-jarige Bayrak weten. Zelf draagt ze geen niqaab of burka, maar ze vindt dat vrouwen solidair met elkaar moeten zijn. ,,Burka`s worden in één adem genoemd met bivakmutsen of integraalhelmen. Maar dit is iets religieus.” Volgens de Almeerse heeft het dragen van een niqaab of burka niets met vrouwenonderdrukking te maken. ,,Juist niet! Als vrouwen volledig bedekt binnenkomen, worden ze niet beoordeeld op hun uiterlijk. Dan gaat het om de inhoud. Het is een recht, geen plicht. Bovendien vind ik het iets persoonlijks, het is tussen mij en God.”

Burka’s komen in het straatbeeld weinig voor, niqaabs wel. Dit zijn lapjes stof die vrouwen vrij gemakkelijk over hun gezicht kunnen doen. ,,Moslima’s staan zo echt niet voor de klas, het is alleen nodig als er mannen langskomen. En als je het over gezichtsbedekking hebt, begin dan met baarden van mannen!”

Kijken we naar de tekst van de petitie dan zien we dat Bayrak-De Jager een soort tegendiscours opzet. Waar Wilders en Verdonk de burqa presenteren als een vorm van vrouwenonderdrukking, Onnederlands en een veiligheidsissue, presenteert zij de burqa vooral als een kwestie van mensenrechten. (more…)

1 comment.

HLRecord: Justice and Spirituality / Al Adl Wal Ihsane – A Moroccan View – News

Posted on November 25th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Morocco, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Justice and Spirituality – A Moroccan View – News

Sapan Gupta
Issue date: 4/20/06 Section: News

Last Friday, the Islamic Legal Studies Program, along with the Moroccan Studies Program at Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies presented a talk titled “Legal Reform in Morocco: Views of a Moroccan Feminist Dissident.” Along with Nadia Yassine, Emad Shahin from American University of Cairo, and Ann Mayer from University of Pennsylvania were the other participants at the forum. Nadia Yassine is the leading spokesperson for the banned Moroccan Islamist movement Justice and Spirituality (Al Adl Wal Ihsane). Nadia Yassine was at HLS to present her book Full Sails Ahead, recently published by Justice and Spirituality Publishing. With a tight headscarf and loose clothing, the 47-year-old spokeswoman of the Islamic movement looks like a traditional Muslim woman, but often sounds like a western feminist.The group Justice and Spirituality rejects violence and is seen as the main opponent to the North African monarchy. It has a strong following in universities and is popular in poor areas. Many educated middle-class Moroccans see Justice and Spirituality as a backward movement, because of its emphasis on religious values, yet Nadia Yassine believes that Islam holds the keys to the progress that the country yearns for. A vocal social activist in Morocco, Nadia Yassine is now under indictment in Morocco for disrespect of “national sacred institutions.” The indictment is based an interview she gave to the Moroccan weekly Al Usbu’iya Al Jadida in June, 2005 where she adamantly criticized monarchy and favored the republic as the proper system of government, and closest to the Islamic theory of political power. She has been recurrently voicing such views for years. Nadia Yassine is expected to be sentenced from 3 to 5 years of imprisonment, and to be fined from $1000 to $100,000.

Morocco, located in the North African region known as the Maghreb, has a culture drawn from Arab, European, Berber, and African influences. A former French colony, the country has been ruled since 1956 by monarchs who claim executive and religious authority as “Commander of the Faithful.” Since becoming monarch in 1999, King Mohammed VI has introduced a radical and controversial new Islamic family code, the “Mudawwana,” which recognizes women as equal partners in the home, with equal property and divorce rights to men. In a groundbreaking development it eliminated the dictate that men are the head of the household. This created an opportunity for a tremendous cultural shift and revisions within many aspects of Moroccan life.

However, Nadia Yassine believes that Mudawwana comes within the framework of a desire by the North to dominate the South through setting up a standard model for the world in order to facilitate a better cultural domination of nations. In her view, an Islamic state could learn from the West in creating a truly representative democracy, but would not have to separate religion from politics and would create its own model instead of aping the West. Neither Iran, nor Saudi Arabia, nor Afghanistan provide an example to follow, Yassine believes, because nobody has yet managed to create a state faithful to the principles of Islam, she explains. Islam is a totally pacific religion, and people such as Bin Laden tarnish the reputation of other fundamentalist groups which follow a completely different path, she complains. She further subscribes to the view that Mudawwana should be changed. She believes that Mudawwana represents the image of ruling autocracy. Nadia Yassine clarifies that her movement is not against integrating the woman in development and her societal movement bases its activities on a constant intellectual effort of adapting the sacred text to the ever-changing context and advocates the vital need to promote and develop the status of women. “We are not only for amending the status of women, said Yassine, “we are changing such status in real life.” She claims that the proposal of her society concerning the status of women is well ahead of the Mudawwana’s advocated reforms.

Nadia Yassine said that her campaign is purely political and not religious. However, her talk did not explain that if Mudawwana helps in integrating the women to development, why her society is opposing it. During the talk, no particular provisions of Mudawwana were debated or presented as causes of consideration. Two other speakers made brief comments on the topic and were not called upon to answer any questions.In her book, Full Sails Ahead, Nadia Yassine does not blame the West for the Islamic fundamentalism. She commented that “our problems are internal and we should look from inside rather than blaming others.” She further said that “The Bible has not given the rights to Western women. They have earned their own rights and I salute it.”

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Telegraph | News | Town that breeds suicide bombers

Posted on November 25th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Morocco, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Telegraph | News | Town that breeds suicide bombers

By Fiona Govan
Their destination may be almost 3,000 miles away, but the draw of martyrdom in Iraq is proving irresistable for the young men of Tetouan.

American intelligence officials believe that the Moroccan town, less than 30 miles from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, has become one of the world’s most fertile recruiting ground for jihadists.

In the last eight months a group of young men, all worshippers at the same mosque, have left their homes to become suicide bombers in Iraq.

After DNA tests on their bodies, and Moroccan authorities asking families to provide samples, US intelligence traced at least nine of those responsible for recent suicide missions in and around Baghdad to Tetouan and its surrounding area in the foothills of the Rif Mountains.

Local reports suggest that another 21 individuals have left the area to seek martyrdom, following in the footsteps of five other Tetouanis who blew themselves up in a Madrid suburb when cornered by police, who believed they played a part in the train bombings in the Spanish capital in March 2004.

The families of the young men, all in their twenties, tell the same stories – of sons, brothers, husbands who became disillusioned with the daily struggle to earn. (more…)

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Telegraph | News | Town that breeds suicide bombers

Posted on November 25th, 2006 by .
Categories: International Terrorism, Morocco, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Telegraph | News | Town that breeds suicide bombers

By Fiona Govan
Their destination may be almost 3,000 miles away, but the draw of martyrdom in Iraq is proving irresistable for the young men of Tetouan.

American intelligence officials believe that the Moroccan town, less than 30 miles from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, has become one of the world’s most fertile recruiting ground for jihadists.

In the last eight months a group of young men, all worshippers at the same mosque, have left their homes to become suicide bombers in Iraq.

After DNA tests on their bodies, and Moroccan authorities asking families to provide samples, US intelligence traced at least nine of those responsible for recent suicide missions in and around Baghdad to Tetouan and its surrounding area in the foothills of the Rif Mountains.

Local reports suggest that another 21 individuals have left the area to seek martyrdom, following in the footsteps of five other Tetouanis who blew themselves up in a Madrid suburb when cornered by police, who believed they played a part in the train bombings in the Spanish capital in March 2004.

The families of the young men, all in their twenties, tell the same stories – of sons, brothers, husbands who became disillusioned with the daily struggle to earn. (more…)

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‘Religion of War, Religion of Peace’ – Arrival Lecture of Abdolkarim Soroush

Posted on November 25th, 2006 by .
Categories: Internal Debates.

On 7 december 2006 Abdolkarim Soroush will deliver his Arrival Lecture as ISIM Visiting Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and ISIM have jointly organized this lecture to mark the start of the cooperation by which they host Abdolkarim Soroush from 15 November 2006 through 15 September 2007.

Abdolkarim Soroush (Tehran, 1945) is a leading philosopher of Islam, a reformer, and a public intellectual.

(more…)

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Iraanse Rechtspraak of Hosselen?

Posted on November 25th, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Via verschillende sites en diverse mailtjes bereikt mij het Powerpoint bestandje iraanserechtspraak.pps met de volgende tekst:

Een kindje van 8 jaar werd op een markt in Iran betrapt op het stelen van een brood.
Uit naam van de Islam werd hij in het openbaar bestraft !!!
Zijn armpje werd verpletterd door een auto er over heen te laten rijden en hij kan hem nooit meer gebruiken.

Godsdienst van vrede en liefde?
Zeg het maar!!
Wat denk jij??

De foto’s in dat bestand kun je hier en hier vinden.

(more…)

1 comment.

Muslim Fashionistas

Posted on November 23rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Youth culture (as a practice).

While in several European countries there is a debate going on about the practice of veiling, the issue of Muslim attire in general is a very interesting one. Islam and fashion, or for women being a Muslim and a model, seems to be at odds with eachother now and then, this does not prevent Muslim women to become real fashionistas. In following the lastest fashion trends and combining it with so called traditional female Muslim dress, we can see the emergence of some kind of new trend (although I doubt if this is really new actually). And of course female designers are also busy taking part in the global fashion industry in a way that shows the relation with islam is completely absent.
The magazine Marie Claire has an issue called Mecca Stars out now.

The pictures are taken in Dubai:

First off, why Dubai? “It’s all over the media right now as it tries to put itself on the map as the ultimate travel and shopping destination,” explains senior fashion editor Eric Nicholson. “It seems a very culturally relevant place for a fashion shoot.”
Dubai2
After two days of location scouting, the first day of shooting came with a 5:30 a.m. call time. Once on the streets of Dubai, Eric was happy to see his vision for the shoot become reality. “I was concerned that the mixing of traditional dress and luxury fashion would seem odd, but when we arrived, I discovered that it is extremely normal and accepted,” he says. Three days—and a few hundred snaps—later, he and photographer Neil Kirk knew they had captured just the right look and feel. “It was hard to explain to the models that women in abayas toting Louis Vuitton is an unusual sight in the States.”

This causes some controversy in certain circles, accusing Marie Claire of collaborating with ‘islamofascists‘. Recent research depicts a more nuanced and more positive picture of that.

For some of the pictures, so you can judge them yourself: (more…)

1 comment.

Dutch Elections – The day after

Posted on November 23rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Four people have send me an email, asking me what did I vote. Well, I’m not going to tell you.

For a nice summary of the election result see the Washington Post. As expected, no party won enough seats for a majority in the lower house of parliament. The patterns shifted significant numbers of seats to parties with extremist views and robbed moderate parties of influence — a result that stunned government officials and political analysts. Of course this shift receives most of the attention, nevertheless the traditional social-democrats and christian democrats remain the largest parties in this country, with the christian democrats of PM Balkenende on top. I don’t think this points to a great change but I think it is evidence of a great divide in society. Between people who focus on bourgeois values and want to maintain peace and social harmony (even with Muslims) and others who want to seek confrontation. This latter group can be divided into two subsections. The first group (people who voted for Wilders) want to seek confrontation with, in their perception, intolerant (radical) Muslims. The other group wants to seek confrontation with, again in their perception, the growing intolerance towards migrants by people like Wilders and Verdonk.

UPDATE

The biggest winners in the election are Wilders’ party Party for Freedom, the Christian Union and the Socialist Party. All three parties promote a very idealized form of communitarianism: inward oriented, trying to uphold a sense of gemeinschaft/community and social cohesion among the people. The Party for Freedom does that by stressing the importance of being Dutch, Dutch culture, Dutch values and norms:

[…]to preserve our common heritage. The struggle for the survival of our traditional values is not limited to one country.

It is not very clear what that common heritage exactly is, but since Islam and Muslims play the role of the ultimate other in their program, it is clear what that common heritage is not. The Christian Union also focuses on social cohesion:

For a Sustainable and Relational Society

The ChristianUnion frames its political views on current political issues in obedience to the Word of God. […] Starting point for this election program is that people come to their right in relation with other people. People should never be shut out; that is our motivation to invest in opportunities at the labour market for everyone.

And the same goes for the SP:

The social divide has grown, health care and education have deteriorated. The soul has been torn from our society, by which I mean the mutual understanding. Recently someone said to me, “What belongs to all of us has been lost.” And this is also the case. Public space has disappeared and the public sector has fallen into decline. I adhere to the dialectical idea that the more intensely something becomes itself, the more likely it is, ultimately, to cancel itself out.. I am convinced that in the next few years the indifference and superficiality will give way to a greater involvement and engagement.

The other party that has claimed victory, the Christian Democrats, have lost votes but are still the largest. The parties mentioned above, PVV,CU and SP, have campaigned against the European Constitution. Not really in the sense that they are anti-international or anti-globalization but in a sense that they don’t want globalization at the expense of the Dutch people. The same sense of inward looking and more or less the same communitarianism can be found at the Christian Democrats (no quotation: they don’t have an english language section…..).

This trend of looking inwards and turning against globalization and European unification can also be discovered in the latest election campaign: migration, the war against terror, development aid and Europe were never a real issue. Parties like the Green Left, D66 and VVD, that have campaigned in favor of the European constitution, have a more international oriented perception (although one could not really discover this during the campaign), have lost big time.

Important to note is also the significant contribution of the migrants in this election. 69,7% of the migrants have voted: the highest number ever which results in 13 seats in Parlaiment. Ten out of 13 have gone to left wing parties:  PvdA receives 6 (35,8% of the Turkish migrants have voted for the social democrats), SP 3 (17% of the Moroccan migrants have voted for SP) and Green Left 1. Christian Democrats and D66 both one seat.
But I could be wrong of course.

3 comments.

AEI – Hirsi Ali: Setting Themselves Apart

Posted on November 23rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

AEI – Hirsi Ali: Setting Themselves Apart
British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the Muslim veil is a mark of separation, which makes the integration of Muslim women into society more difficult. He’s right. Those who wear the veil deliberately set themselves apart.

(more…)

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The Dutch Elections 2006

Posted on November 23rd, 2006 by .
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

So, today were the elections in the Netherlands and as i write this (yes of course I have voted) the votes are still counted. As Crooked Timber notes these elections might not be extremely important for the rest of the world, but there are some interesting aspects. Remarkable is that the theme of integration and religion (read Islam) was almost completely absent in the campaign. Nevermind the plans for banning the burqa, the tsunami of islamization and the comparison of the islamization with the emergence of the nazi-threat before WW II; these were just incidents and certainly not a sign of a consistent thread in the campaign.

At that after years in which the sense of self- identity clashed with the hardest edge of its Muslim population than in any other country in Europe. After 9/11, the Netherlands has lived through a populist revolt against the perceived problems caused by Islamic immigration led by Pim Fortuyn, (murdered by an animal rights activist); the murder of the filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, accused of blasphemy by a homegrown Muslim fundamentalist killer; and the departure from the Netherlands of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali woman who became a member of Parliament before being marked for death for her criticism of radical Islam.

The true change in this period is not that the the Dutch paradigm on the integration of its Arab and Turkish immigrant population (about 6 percent of a total of 16 million) has gone from one of accommodation to an emphasis on requiring compatibility from resident Muslims. There has always been discussion about that and it was certainly the main theme in government policies since 1994. Already in the 1980s it was established that the basis for living in the Netherlands has been defined as accepting the primacy of the Constitution, practical standards of engagement in society such as Dutch language competence, and the plain old cohesive value of work. Already in 1989 the government and several advisory boards maintained that there were limits with regard to social cohesion when it comes to allowing ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. The paradigm of integration with keeping your own culture and identity was abandoned in 1989 and 1994. However at the local level most of the old multicultural policies remained with all their positive points but also with its flaws and also it proved to be very difficult the tackle several issues that involved migrants in the public sphere. The Fortuyn revolt certainly has changed that and after his death the mainstream political parties (in particular the christian-democrats with PM Balkenende and the liberals with Hirsi Ali and Verdonk) have adopted several of his ideas. This probably means that issues concerning migration and islam are now part of the Dutch consensus and power structures; adressing this problem does no longer affect the consensus and power structures.

This is no reason however to sit back and relax. The extraordinary achievement of Wilders in these elections proves that for many people issues with regard to Islam are certainly not solved. Combined with the even more extradordinary result of the SP, socialists, that has become the third party of the country (after the christian-democrats and the social-democrats) also shows that the anti-establishment revolt of Fortuyn has not completely faded. The confusing aspect is then that the christian-democrats still are the largest in this country. This might reflect the attitude of some people that although they may agree with many points of Wilders and/or the SP, they don’t want populists and people they regard as extremists.

And indeed many issues are not solved but will only become more important in the coming years. Many of the Muslim youth see the traditional Muslim organizations as institutions that have sold themselves to the Dutch, professional-migrants and so on. This are people that are born and raised in the Netherlands and have gained public and political awareness in a time that Islam in the public sphere was in the center of everyones attention. The growing assertiveness, also evidenced by increasing numbers of migrants who vote, will increase their visibility in public life. Also the theme of religion, in general, in the public sphere in a country that increasingly sees secularism as the norm, will most likely remain in the coming years. This means that the themes that are hardly debated in the campaign, are the most interesting for other countries.
More blogs on the Dutch Elections: Peaktalk, OneWayStreet, KleinVerzet, Wis[s]e Words: ceci n’est past un blog, Sierra le oli, The Moderate Voice and European Tribune.

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Al Nisa – Islamitische vrouwen manifest (IV/M)!

Posted on November 22nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Op 21 november j.l. presenteerde stichting Al Nisa i.s.m. Onderzoeksschool ASCA van de Universiteit van Amsterdam en de faculteit Godgeleerdheid & Godsdienstwetenschap van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen het:

ISLAMITISCHE VROUWEN MANIFEST (IV/M)!

Dinsdag 21 november 2006 gaat de geschiedenis in als de dag van de presentatie van het Islamitisch Vrouwen Manifest (IV/M). Het manifest roept moslimvrouwen in Nederland op hun stem te laten klinken, en om samen met moslimmannen het principe van gelijkwaardigheid van vrouwen en mannen in woord én daad uit te dragen.
De presentatie van het manifest vond plaats in De Balie in Amsterdam en werd georganiseerd door de Onderzoeksschool ASCA van de Universiteit van Amsterdam, de faculteit Godgeleerdheid en Godsdienstwetenschap van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen en Stichting Al Nisa, met als speciale gast Asma Barlas, hoogleraar politicologie aan het Ithaca College te New York.
Het manifest krijgt binnenkort een eigen website, maar tot die tijd valt het te lezen op de website van Al Nisa. Op de Al Nisa-website wordt ook zo spoedig mogelijk plaats ingeruimd voor berichtgeving over het manifest in de diverse media en voor uw reacties.

Hieronder ook de tekst: (more…)

1 comment.

From hotdogs to herring: Taking back New Amsterdam

Posted on November 22nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Joy Category.

Gawker reports that ‘Brave Activists Fight To Take Back New Amsterdam’

The group Give us back New York. have embarked on a mission to revert the control over New York to its original colonizer: The Netherlands. :

1. The Empire State Building would shine with Red Light!
2. Wallstreet – was never meant to be a street.
3. Central Park would be a tulip field. How sweet would not the scent of tulips be in the buzzing city!
4. Times Square, now reachable by boat and filled with authentic Amsterdam canal water, nutrified by stoned British tourists since decades – how sweet would not the scent… eh, nevermind.
5. The Statue of Liberty would get rid of that silly torch and crown and get herself a tulip and a traditional Dutch dress. Any similarities to that American robe-and-pointy-hat thing are strictly unintended. We wore it first!
6. The yellow cabs would of course be orange!
7. And last but definitely not least, wellknown coffee shop Starbucks would be a … coffee shop.

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International Herald Tribune – Politicus: Nudging to consensus over Dutch Muslims

Posted on November 22nd, 2006 by .
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Multiculti Issues.

Politicus: Nudging to consensus over Dutch Muslims – Europe – International Herald Tribune

John Vinocur / International Herald Tribune

AMSTERDAM: The Dutch don’t talk about a victory because the word doesn’t really fit. But theirs is an accomplishment of some significance, because after years of rage and murder, they have reached what is pretty much a consensus about the integration of the Muslim immigrants in their midst.

It is a strange mark of an obviously fragile success, but the issues of integration and immigration just won’t play a big role when the country votes in national elections on Wednesday. Call it an achievement, all the same.

This is because, before the voting, the Dutch already have a measure of real results in two areas where much of Europe remains tortured: clarity in dealing with its Muslim population, and achieving economic growth through difficult reforms.

[…]

Could the Dutch have “polderized,” or nudged, the immigration and integration issue to a consensual middle- ground? Yes, says Victor Halberstadt, a Leiden University professor of economics, who served for 16 terms as the ranking member of the Social and Economic Council advising the Polder Model’s consultation process.

(more…)

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BBC NEWS | Middle East | Lebanese Christian leader killed

Posted on November 21st, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Uncategorized.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Lebanese Christian leader killed
Lebanese Christian leader killed
Pierre Gemayel
Gemayel’s death is the latest in a series of assassinations in Lebanon
Pierre Gemayel, a leading anti-Syrian Lebanese minister and Maronite Christian leader, has been killed in the capital, Beirut.

Mr Gemayel, 34, was shot in his car in a Christian suburb and rushed to hospital, where he died.

His death comes amid a political crisis in Lebanon, following the resignation of six pro-Syrian cabinet members.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said such killings would not intimidate the country.

“Assassinations will not terrorise us,” he told a press conference. “We will not let the criminal killers control our fate.” (more…)

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BBC NEWS | Middle East | Lebanese Christian leader killed

Posted on November 21st, 2006 by .
Categories: Uncategorized.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Lebanese Christian leader killed
Lebanese Christian leader killed
Pierre Gemayel
Gemayel’s death is the latest in a series of assassinations in Lebanon
Pierre Gemayel, a leading anti-Syrian Lebanese minister and Maronite Christian leader, has been killed in the capital, Beirut.

Mr Gemayel, 34, was shot in his car in a Christian suburb and rushed to hospital, where he died.

His death comes amid a political crisis in Lebanon, following the resignation of six pro-Syrian cabinet members.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said such killings would not intimidate the country.

“Assassinations will not terrorise us,” he told a press conference. “We will not let the criminal killers control our fate.” (more…)

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THE PETITION FOR WOMEN EQUAL RIGHTS IN IRAN – تغییر برای برابری

Posted on November 21st, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

تغییر برای برابری
THE PETITION FOR WOMEN EQUAL RIGHTS IN IRAN

Thursday 12 October 2006
Iranian law considers women to be second class citizens and promotes discrimination against them. It is noteworthy that legal discrimination of this type is being enforced in a society where women comprise over 60% of those being admitted to university. It is generally believed that laws should promote social moderation by being one step ahead of cultural norms. But in Iran the law lags behind cultural norms and women’s social position and status

Iranian law considers women to be second class citizens and promotes discrimination against them. It is noteworthy that legal discrimination of this type is being enforced in a society where women comprise over 60% of those being admitted to university. It is generally believed that laws should promote social moderation by being one step ahead of cultural norms. But in Iran the law lags behind cultural norms and women’s social position and status.

According to Iranian penal codes, a girl at nine years of age is considered to be an adult. If she commits a crime which is punishable by execution, the courts can indeed sentence her to death. If a man and a woman become paralyzed as a result of an accident, the punitive damages provided to the woman according to law is half that of those provided to the man. If a man and a woman are both witness to a crime, the law does not recognize the woman as a witness, but the man can serve as a witness. The law allows fathers, who obtain the permission of the courts, to wed their daughters even before the age of 13 (legal age of marriage) to a 70 year old man. The law does not allow mothers to serve as the financial guardians of their children, or to make decisions regarding their child’s place of residence, foreign travel, or medical care. The law allows men to take practice polygamy and gives them uncontested rights to divorce their wives at whim.

These are only a few examples of the inequities and discriminatory practices against women, which can be found in Iranian law. Without a doubt, women of lower socio-economic status or women from religious and ethic minority groups suffer disproportionately from legal discrimination. On the other hand, these unjust laws have promoted unhealthy and unbalanced relationships between men and women and as a result have had negative consequences on the lives of men as well. Specifically we can point to the high dowries, that many women demand as a condition of marriage, which in essence are reflective of the lack of a sense of security resulting from legal discrimination and their unequal status under the law.

On the other hand, the Iranian government is a signatory to several international human rights conventions, and accordingly is required to bring its legal code in line with international standards. The most important international human rights standard calls for elimination of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, etc.

The undersigned ask for the elimination of all forms of legal discrimination against women in Iranian law and ask legislators to review and reform existing laws based on the government’s commitments to international human rights conventions.

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Emmy Awards: Maryam Hassouni

Posted on November 21st, 2006 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Dutch actress Maryam Hassouni (her parents are Moroccan) has won the Emmy Awards for best actress for her role in the Dutch telepic Offers, directed by Dana Nechushtan.

This is the story about a man and women who get caught in the middle of the fight between terrorists and their opponents.

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Asia-Europe Foundation – ASEM Youth Dialogue 2006

Posted on November 20th, 2006 by .
Categories: Religion Other.

Asia-Europe Foundation – ASEM Youth Dialogue 2006
The Asia-Europe Foundation and Casa Asia, supported by the Government of Navarra, organize the First Asia-Europe Youth Interfaith Dialogue in Navarra, Spain from 19 to 23 November 2006.

The ASEM Youth Dialogues have been conceived to provide an opportunity for Youth in Asia and Europe to exchange perspectives on themes identified as priorities by the Asia-Europe Meeting during the biennial ASEM Summits, to create and foster human networks among young people by encouraging a common vision, and to increase initiatives in the field of Asia-Europe youth co-operation through the development of action-oriented Youth.

During this 4-day event, the young representatives of Churches, Faiths and youth religious organisations and networks, together with experts in inter-religious dialogue from the 38 ASEM countries, will be exchanging views and experiences based on their respective religions and spiritual traditions. The dialogue will also reflect on how religions can assist in facing critical issues that concern our societies, and will try to discover and create new pathways to peace through interfaith cooperation. These objectives will be captured in the ASEM Youth Declaration adopted by the participants at the conclusion of the dialogue, which is transmitted to the ASEM partners as a part of the youth contribution to the ASEM process.

Dutch participants in this event: Wijblijvenhier.nl (We-stay-here)

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De paradox van de islamisering van migranten

Posted on November 18th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues, My Research, Some personal considerations, Young Muslims.

Maarten Huygen wijst op een interessant fenomeen met betrekking tot moslims in Nederland.

Helaas deelt Nederland naar CDAmodel de publieke ruimte in religies op. Voor Turkse en Marokkaanse Nederlanders die de samenleving nog niet kennen, komt dat neer op religieuze apartheid. Turkse en Marokkaanse Nederlanders worden alleen aangesproken als moslims maar velen praktiseren niet. Ook onder actieve moslims groeit de ergernis over de reductie van hun identiteit tot hun geloof. In Marokko of Turkije worden burgers niet aangesproken als gelovigen maar als onderdanen van de Turkse staat of de Marokkaanse koning. Zo niet hier. „In Nederland worden wij niet gezien als gewone mensen maar als religieuze doelgroep”, aldus Can-Engin. „De fundamentalisten beheersen dan het debat.”

Het zou even absurd zijn, bedenk ik, als alle Europese immigranten in het religieuze Amerika als ‘de atheïsten’ zouden worden beschouwd en dat de regering naarstig op zoek ging naar ‘gematigde leiders’ van het Humanistisch Verbond, de Naturistenbond, de Internationale van Trotskisten en de wereldregering van Transcendente Meditatie die dan subsidie en een contactorgaan krijgen. Dan ga je ook ‘atheïstische ’ voorzieningen vragen. Op elke werkplek gratis naaktsauna’s.

Voor imams en religieuze gezagsdragers komt de nadruk op de moslimreligie goed uit. Can-Engin geeft een voorbeeld: „Mijn werkkamer is wat klein. Als ik vraag om een gebedskamer in te richten, kan niemand mij belemmeren. Daar kan ik dan mensen ontvangen. Zo werken veel religieuze vertegenwoordigers. Ze speuren de wet af naar bepalingen waar ze gebruik van kunnen maken.
Dat kun je hen niet kwalijk nemen, want zo werkt het hier.”

Hij heeft hier een interessant punt. Om een voorbeeld uit mijn eigen onderzoeken aan te halen. Aisha is een meisje van 16 jaar. Tot voor kort het enige meisje dat ik kende dat zich expliciet geen moslim noemde: zij was gothic. Mooi lang zwart haar, zware zwarte make up, gothic kleding enzovoorts. Zij vertelde mij dat ze gek werd van alle vragen die zij kreeg over moslims. Dat nam ik altijd met een korreltje zout totdat ik op een gegeven moment ergens zag dat een man die ik ook kende haar vraag: waarom draag jij geen hoofddoek, vindt de islam dat goed? Die man wist dat zij de islam voor zichzelf verlaten had. Maar schijnbaar toch niet voor hem.

Een dergelijk verschijnsel, met name bij beleidsmakers, is door Sunier ook wel de islamisering van migranten genoemd: (more…)

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Individualisme & Hoop

Posted on November 18th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

In Volkskrant kunnen we lezen dat Hirsi Ali Soumaya S. als de hoop voor Nederland ziet.

AMSTERDAM – Ayaan Hirsi Ali noemt Piranhaverdachte Soumaya S., tegen wie tien jaar gevangenisstraf is geëist, ‘de hoop voor de toekomst’ in de strijd tegen radicalisering. Door het ‘verraad van haar leermeester’, de Haagse imam Fawaz, zijn haar de ogen geopend.
* Boodschap Hirsi Ali

Dit stelde Hirsi Ali vrijdagavond in een audioboodschap bij de presentatie van het boek Strijdsters van Allah. Hirsi Ali herkent veel van zichzelf in Soumaya. Ook zij is in de ban geweest van een radicale prediker als Fawaz. Ze zegt dat zelfstandig nadenkende Hofstadjongeren, niet bereid predikers als Fawaz zonder meer te volgen, naar de bron zelf gaan, naar de Koran.Die jongeren ‘zien dat het er echt staat; dat gebruik van geweld is toegestaan om beledigers van de islam de mond te snoeren. Dat het bij jihad niet alleen gaat om innerlijke strijd om jezelf te verbeteren, maar ook om gewelddadige strijd’. Volgens Hirsi Ali brengen moslims die beweren dat islam slechts vrede betekent, dergelijke gewetensvolle jongeren alleen maar in verwarring.

Het geweten van zelfstandig nadenkende jongeren zal eerder dan dat van ‘geïndoctrineerde meelopers’ gaan botsen met ‘de bevelen uit de Koran’, zegt ze. Daarom wil ze de strijd tegen radicalisering vooral uitvechten in de ‘ideologische arena’. Ze pleit voor een open debat. ‘Zonder taboes of kunstmatige scheiding tussen vreedzame en gewelddadige islam.’

Volgens mij staan hier twee belangrijke denkfouten in. Allereerst dat het geweten van zelfstandig denkende jongeren zou botsen met ‘de bevelen uit de Koran’. Een dergelijke houding ten opzichte van jongeren die op een individualistische wijze de islam beleven zien we vaker. Het zou best kunnen dat dit klopt, maar mijn punt is vooral dat dit geen automatisme is. Autonomie en individualisme zijn geen garantie voor een tolerante en vredelievende interpretatie van de Islam. Autonomie en individualisme betekent dat jongeren de teksten gaan interpreteren op eigen houtje en die koppelen aan hun andere opvattingen, bijvoorbeeld politieke opvattingen. Dit kan leiden tot een vorm van liberalisering, maar net zo goed tot radicalisering.

Het tweede punt is de wijze waarop men omgaat met de Koran. Hoewel je in radicale teksten zeker verwijzingen kunt terugvinden naar de Koran, wordt veel meer gebruik gemaakt van teksten van religieuze geleerden en lekenpredikers. De Koran neemt daarin niet de centrale plek in. Wel politieke ‘analyses’ en interpretaties van die andere geleerden.  Voor de interpretatie van Bin Laden met betrekking tot Jihad, neemt men niet de toevlucht tot de Koran of de traditionele conservatieve geleerden. Bin Laden’s Jihad doctrine is niet meer en niet minder dan een volledige nieuwe interpretatie (Bernard Lewis ziet het zelfs als travestie) van de traditie van de gewelddadige jihad. De reden dat er jongeren zijn die dat volgen, lijkt meer te maken te hebben met hun interpretatie van de lokale en mondiale politieke en sociaal-economische omgeving, dan met de Koran op zich.

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