Human rights group: Islamophobia on the rise in Holland
By Jan Sliva, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRUSSELS, Belgium - A human rights watchdog groups says Islamophobia
has increased dramatically in the Netherlands in the wake of
terrorist attacks in Europe.
In a harshly worded report, the European Commission against Racism
and Intolerance says even Dutch politicians have resorted to
derogatory remarks about Muslims in recent years.
It says Muslims now are the subject of stereotyping, stigmatization
and frequent racist violence.
The report comes as the Netherlands is embroiled in a debate over
what some Dutch politicians call an "Islamization" of the country.
The Dutch have traditionally welcomed immigrants but put little
pressure on them to embrace western values.
Now, some Dutch are saying that the country's multiculturalism and
tolerance have provided a breeding ground for Islamic radicalism.
Fears of such radicalism crystallized after the 2004 murder of
filmmaker Theo van Gogh for his movie "Submission," a fictional
study of abused Muslim women with scenes of near-naked women with
Qur'anic texts engraved on their flesh.
Right-wing Dutch legislator Geert Wilders has generated widespread
concern with plans to make an anti-Qur'an film portraying the
religion as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and
homosexuals.
"Islam has been repeatedly presented as a subculture and Muslims
have been presented as the carriers of backward values, generally
incompatible with democracy and the values of western societies,"
the report said.
"In the period after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and especially in
the months following the murder of Theo Van Gogh, the Netherlands
has witnessed a sharp rise in racist violence and other racist
crimes, essentially targeted at its Muslim population," the report
said.
It said Muslims have also been disproportionately targeted by state
security policies.
The report said sweeping associations between Muslims and terrorism
made in virtually all types of Dutch media - newspapers, radio and
television - have aggravated Islamophobic views, which are
increasingly becoming part of mainstream thinking.
The Netherlands is home to approximately one million Muslims, or
about six per cent of the country's population of 16 million. Most
are of Moroccan and Turkish origin.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, an
independent monitoring body, assesses racially motivated violence,
intolerance and xenophobia in 47 European countries. The commission
is based in Strasbourg, France.
Along with concerns about Islamophobia, the commission's report on
the Netherlands said anti-Semitic insults and Holocaust denial are
growing more widespread.
"As an illustration, the word "Jew" is reported to be increasingly
used as an insult and different aspects of the Holocaust are
reportedly questioned in everyday situations, such as in schools,"
the commission said.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/02/12/4841934-ap.html
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