Submission in the Netherlands
Would be interested in any comments on the following article explaining the growth of Islam in the Netherlands.
The last sentence summarizes this writers belief:
"By doing so [the Amsterdam Appeals Court decision], it proves exactly what Wilders has argued all along: that fear and "sensitivity" to a religion of submission are destroying Dutch freedom."
http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon0122bb.html
The last sentence summarizes this writers belief:
"By doing so [the Amsterdam Appeals Court decision], it proves exactly what Wilders has argued all along: that fear and "sensitivity" to a religion of submission are destroying Dutch freedom."
http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon0122bb.html
Labels: Politics
posted by Jim | 12:54 PM
3 Comments:
Well, I'm no expert on the whole situation in the Netherlands, but a few comments...
1. As I stated, I don't think 'hate speech' laws are good, and if this trial is only about things Wilders said or his film, then I agree with Bawer that it's a poor decision to prosecute him.
2. I think Bawer goes overboard in saying that "Dutch cities are riddled with terrorist cells" - really? That's quite a strong claim, and I'm not aware of much to back it up.
3. If some people don't like what Wilders is saying, then I think they're perfectly within their rights (and are doing the exactly correct thing) to protest against his speech - not to shut him up - but to convey their opposite message.
It seems to me that the Netherlands is just the leading edge of a major problem in Europe and the United Kingdom. For instance in England some are even supporting sharia law for the Muslims in England. This amazes me!
I was in England two years ago and stayed near Hyde Park, and I could just as well have been in a Muslim country looking at the people and dress on the street.
What are your thoughts on this demographic change? A while ago you commented that "countries change" (a week paraphrase) and I do not see this as "change", but elimination and replacement of culture. Does the "country" still exist?
We should all think this through!
I don't know the history very well, in terms of what decisions were made in the Netherlands about immigration. But at this point clearly there are great tensions in regard to the immigrant populations and how they fit in to the native population.
In Germany, they had a 'guest worker' program that led to a great increase in Turkish immigration, which seemed to be causing a lot of tension back in the 80s but is less apparent to me at least these days.
The question is what is the best way forward? I'm not sure what people are proposing, but I think it's fairly clear that you can't 'put the genie back in the bottle'.
Note also that while the natives are concerned about the immigrants, the immigrants are also changed by their experience in a new culture; some try to adopt it fully, some try to resist change, most are somewhere in the middle, and it takes generations to really adapt.
America, despite its problems, has generally done quite a good job at being a successful 'melting pot' and it might be interesting to consider why that is...
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