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New Dutch; Old Dutch

Reader comment on item: A Dutch Fissure in the Leftist-Islamist Alliance

Submitted by Fay Voshell (United States), Jan 1, 2009 at 09:19

There will be no integration of Muslims into the Dutch culture, for the battle is not a matter of superficial changes such as the removal of head scarves, but of deep, irreconcilable spiritual conflict.

The Dutch are largely secularized. For secularists, religion ( including Christianity, which once was the prevailing belief system in Holland) is a relic from the past. Dutch secularists adamantly oppose all the basic tenets of the Muslim faith such as the existence of God, the revelatory character of the Koran and the unique status of Muhammed the prophet. They also repudiate of all of Islam's basic moral code, accepting prostitution, pornography, and homosexuality--all of which are anathema to Muslims. To top it off, secularists even repudiate the values of other "people of the book," such as devout Jews and Christians.

So it is no surprise that the new Muslim Dutch adamantly oppose secular beliefs as intrinsically hostile to all they believe in. No one should wonder over the fact that the secularist Dutch way of life is a stench in the nostrils of Muslim immigrants, even among those who might willingly be moderate. No one should be surprised Muslims cling to their enclaves and refuse to assimilate. Indeed, devout Jews were inclined do the same not so long ago before they themselves were largely secularized.

All of the above is not meant to excuse the criminal behavior of radical Islamists who have taken advantage of a largely tolerant Dutch culture to permeate Muslim enclaves with the intent of making them virtually autonomous countries within a country. It also is not to say that actions which mirror those of Hamas and Hezbollah should be tolerated.

But if anyone thinks Muslims will lay down their distinct religious beliefs and customs to become Dutch secularists, they are deluded. It just isn't going to happen.

Fay Voshell

Submitting....

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Reader comments (14) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Time for backbone [30 words]aramkrJan 9, 2009 10:24147574
Coming out swinging... [30 words]Archimedes2Jan 6, 2009 00:15147093
Sure hope this lady manages to stay away from the radical element [80 words]kmanJan 5, 2009 22:10147076
We're all in Dutch [137 words]Peter HerzJan 5, 2009 14:15147026
Amazing and a breath of fresh air. [87 words]Ames TiedemanJan 5, 2009 09:24146979
Unholy Leftist Islamist Alliance-is not for members of any fath other than Islam [74 words]David GoshenJan 5, 2009 06:31146959
Indian context [19 words]S.N.hebbarJan 3, 2009 21:50146786
great, but... [244 words]EuroskepticJan 1, 2009 15:13146575
New Dutch; Old Dutch [307 words]Fay VoshellJan 1, 2009 09:19146541
A small point of light among the darkness [115 words]Duard HammDec 31, 2008 19:59146491
I must agree, that is an exciting development [50 words]Charles MartelDec 31, 2008 10:28146433
left islamic alliance is far too deep and will withstand dutch exception [14 words]SinghaDec 31, 2008 02:22146391
"voting" in this day and age is irrelevant ... [78 words]kmanJan 5, 2009 22:19146391
Excellent Article. [18 words]YnnatchkahDec 31, 2008 00:20146382

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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