Militant Islam Monitor > Satire > Government study in Holland concludes : Muslims radicalised because of Dutch - who should stop being afraid of "bearded men"
Government study in Holland concludes : Muslims radicalised because of Dutch - who should stop being afraid of "bearded men"
July 2, 2006
MIM: A Dutch government study has concluded that a bad attitude on the part of the Dutch,who might have taken umbrage at the killing and near decapitation of Theo van Gogh by a Dutch born Muslim for 'criticising Islam' are the real cause behind radicalisation. According to the report - there is a difference between political and Jihadist Muslims - and that the political ones can convince the Jihadist ones that waging cultural,political and social Jihad, plays better in the media then slitting people's throats on Amsterdam streets. According to this pseudo scientific study the 'researchers' emphasized that "the radical path does not automatically lead to violence and "distinquishes between a political, political and jihadi salafis".The difference presumbably, is that a political salafi will slit your throat if you dont agree with them,an a political Salafi will slit your throat just because you are an infidel, and a jihadi salafi will use a bomb belt to kill as many non Muslims as possible for sex with 72 virgins.
According to Atef Hamdy, a Muslim co author of the study- the problem is really literally a hairy one.This Islamo facist academic wannabe claimed that:
By actively supporting the non-violent radicals, the Dutch authorities could try to isolate the jihadis."The Netherlands should stop being afraid of these bearded guys. Give the a-political and political salafis space in the democratic system and let them engage in discussions with the jihadis. They possess the Islamic arguments to refute the claims of the jihadis and to convince young Muslims to stay away from them."
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How Dutch Muslims become radicalised
by Michel Hoebink
16-06-2006
After the murder of Theo van Gogh in November 2004, the Dutch parliament asked Minister Verdonk to investigate why Muslims born in the Netherlands opt for radical Islam.
Professor Frank Buijs and two other researchers from the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES) conducted thorough research on the political orientation of young Dutch Muslims. Last week, they published their findings.
Salafis
Co-authors Atef Hamdy en Froukje Demant, conducted interviews with 16 democratically-active and 22 radical young Muslims, almost all of Moroccan background. Democratically-active Muslims seek a greater involvement in Dutch society while radical Muslims - who call themselves 'salafis' - turn their back on it. They emphasize the incompatibility of Islam and western society, which they view as corrupt and which some of them even want to fight.
In the Netherlands, radicalisation occurs almost exclusively among young Muslims of Moroccan background. According to the authors, it cannot be satisfactorily explained from the unfavourable socio-economic position of Muslim migrants. Its cause must rather be sought in the specific history of young 'second generation' Moroccans. Many of these youths feel misunderstood by their parents and at the same time rejected by Dutch society. As Moroccans are, more than Turks for instance, strongly oriented towards participation in Dutch society, this rejection is extra traumatic. Almost all respondents say that they suffer from a lack of recognition that is perceived as very painful and often viewed as discrimination.
The critical climate towards Islam since the time of the late Pim Fortuyn has only increased this sense of rejection. The authors are struck by the unanimous indignation among the interviewed about the way in which Islam is discussed by Dutch politicians and journalists. This indignation is even stronger among the 'democratic' Muslims, which is not surprising given their greater wish to participate in Dutch society. Atef Hamdy, one of the researchers:
"The impact of the late Pim Fortuyn's words 'Islam is a backward culture' is greatly underestimated in the Netherlands. That statement has led to an enormous alienation. Young people born in the Netherlands of Moroccan parents have a hybrid identity: They are Dutch as well as Moroccan and Muslim. The negative image of Islam communicated by Dutch politicians and journalists has forced these young people to make a choice. Many have concluded that as Muslims they are no longer allowed to identify with the Netherlands. This has led to a quest whereby salafism became an attractive option."
Fear of beards
The researchers emphasize that the radical path does not automatically lead to violence. The salafis agree that Islam is threatened by the West, but they are divided on the question whether violence is a justified means of defend it. The report distinguishes between a-political, political and jihadi salafis, whereby only the latter consider violence as legitimate. According to the researchers, this internal division among the salafis offers an opportunity for combatting violent extremism. By actively supporting the non-violent radicals, the Dutch authorities could try to isolate the jihadis. Atef Hamdy:
"The Netherlands should stop being afraid of these bearded guys. Give the a-political and political salafis space in the democratic system and let them engage in discussions with the jihadis. They possess the Islamic arguments to refute the claims of the jihadis and to convince young Muslims to stay away from them."
The ideas of Islamic modernism seem to have escaped their attention. The Swiss-Egyptian thinker Tariq Ramadan for instance, an arch-rival of the salafis and very popular in France, is hardly known in the Netherlands. Atef Hamdy considers this a deficiency:
"We need people in the Netherlands who can engage in discussion with the radicals and say: the essence of Islam does not consist in the literal application of mediaeval prescriptions but in values such as social justice. Democracy and human rights are means to realise these values and must therefore be considered Islamic."
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