A murder in Holland

The relaxed liberalism of Holland overwhelms an outsider. Both the government and civil society demonstrate a degree of tolerance for ethnic, cultural and religious diversity that is unmatched in Europe. Minorities are not only free to practice their faith and observe their customs but, unlike in France, also to assert their identity an-ywhere, including in state-run schools, without raising eyebrows.Such tolerance can sometimes be disconcerting. The Dutch uphold gay rights with uncharacteristic aplomb. No one frets about pornography and prostitution. Users of ‘soft'' drugs like marijuana, which you can buy in every other cafe, do not have to fear intimidation or arrest. Euthanasia — bringing about a gentle and easy death under medical supervision — does not overly perturb the authorities. Another pointer to the pervasive liberalism is to be found in the media. Freedom of speech and expression is a value that the Dutch cherish over any other. Commentators have a field day heaping scorn or ridicule on the nation''s movers and shakers. The latter generally respond with a good-natured shrug.
However, in the wake of two political murders committed over as many years, tolerance is swiftly yielding place to xenophobic rage. In May 2002 an extreme right-wing politician, avowed homosexual and a Muslim baiter, Pim Fortuyn, was killed during an election campaign. The country heaved a sigh of relief only when it learnt that the killer was neither an immigrant, nor a Muslim nor an opponent of gay rights but an ethnic Dutch who disapproved of his stand on animal rights. It is after the second murder that all hell broke loose. On November 2nd, controversial film director and columnist, Theo van Gogh was done to death in broad daylight. The alleged criminal was a young Dutch Moroccan who could not stomach van Gogh''s ferocious criticism of Islam, especially in a film about the abuse of Muslim women within a marriage. Based on a script written by a woman politician of Somali origin, it showed a naked Muslim girl with verses from the Koran painted over her naked body. The verses ostensibly justify acts of violence against a wife. Police authorities revealed that the Moroccan was involved with hardcore Islamic activists. Some of them had proven links with terrorist groups in Spain and Morocco. Coming as they did in the wake of 9/11, the revelations instantly provoked a wave of anger against Muslims. Politicians of every ideological hue argued that an entire community could not be targeted for a crime committed by one of its members. Appeals for calm fell on deaf ears. Mosques and schools run by Muslims were attacked in different parts of the country.
A heated debate about the relevance of a tolerant attitude towards immigrants who refuse to subscribe to the values of a liberal society is now underway in Holland. Responsible leaders have begun to toy with the idea of deporting illegal immigrants even though they may have lived in Holland for several years. They would like to curb fresh migration from Muslim countries, compel all immigrants to learn Dutch and undergo courses to study Dutch culture and strip those convicted of terrorist acts of their citizenship. The word is out: either assimilate into Dutch society or face expulsion. Sooner than later Muslims in Europe will have to make this difficult choice. For, if anti-Muslim sentiments can flare up in a profoundly liberal country like Holland, the situation in the less liberal ones could spell a catastrophe. Can moderate Muslims persuade their community to denounce all forms of extremism and violence perpetrated in the name of Islam, learn the language of the adopted country and respect its cultural and political values? The omens are none too encouraging.