News Items, Articles, and Films about Dutch Multicultural Society

News

Local Muslim Mayor Seeks to Change Intolerant Attitudes toward Homosexuals

07/07/2009 "A harassed gay minority in a conservative suburb in otherwise tolerant Amsterdam has found a guardian angel in the local Muslim mayor. Ahmed Marcouch, 41, is on a self-appointed mission to end homophobia in Slotervaart, just a stones' throw from the capital but light-years away from its anything-goes mentality."

Google News story: [1]

Amsterdam Seeks to Reclaim 'Gay Capital' Crown

06/21/2009 "For decades Amsterdam was known as the world's 'Gay Capital', a place where gay and lesbian couples could kiss in public without worry, and where local homosexuals enjoyed levels of social acceptance and legal equality unimaginable elsewhere. A series of violent attacks on the openly gay have recently tarnished Amsterdam's crown. The city council has set aside 1.2 million euros to polish it back up."

Radio Netherlands Worldwide story: [2]

Articles

[3] Imams on Dutch culture course, by Clarisse Pereira. (2002) BBC article on the introduction in 2002 of a course on modern Dutch culture for imams.

[4] The Documentation and Evaluation of Anti-Discrimination Training Activities in the Netherlands, by J.P. Abell, A.E. Havelaar, and M.M. Dankoor. (1999) This report covers historical problems with discrimination in the Netherlands, review of training programs to reduce discrimination in the workplace especially, and the results and effects of these training programs.

[5] Committee on Rights of Child Offers Preliminary Conclusions on Report of the Netherlands, press release from United Nations. (1999) This report covers reviews the finding on the conditions and rights of children in the Netherlands, noting issues of immigrants and immigrant children, such as children seeking asylum.

[6] The Strange Death of Multiculturalism, by Ian Buruma (2007) In this article, Buruma discusses the problems inherent in dividing "modern" people and Muslims into simplistically discrete groups.

[7] Should UK Immigration Go Dutch?, by Dominic Casciani and Laurence Peter (2008) This article from the BBC discusses the differences between the immigration systems in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom, with special focus on problems related to multiculturalism and integration.

[8] In the Jungle of Amsterdam, by Jeroen Dewulf (2008) In this article, Jeroen Dewulf discusses the debate in the Netherlands about "Dutch identity" after the murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh.

[9] The State of Multiculturalism in the Netherlands, by Jeroen Doomernik (2005) This article provides an overview of formerly lenient immigration and integration policies in the Netherlands. The author explores changes in national attitudes regarding immigrants, reflected in the popularity of such political figures as Pim Fortuyn, who publicly criticized Islam and championed the rejection of multiculturalism.

[10] The Nonintegrated Moroccans in the Netherlands by Manfred Gerstenfeld, a review of the study "Het Marokkanendrama" (The Moroccans' Drama) by Fleur Jurgens (2009).

[11]‘Multiculturalism’ Beyond the Pillarisation Myth, by Maarten P. Vink (2007) This article criticises the persistent idea that Dutch accommodating integration policies since the end of the 1970s are an extension of the historical tradition of ‘pillarisation’.

[12] Reinventing Multiculturalism: Urban Citizenship and the Negotiation of Ethnic Diversity in Amsterdam by Uitermark,et al (2005) This article reports on research conducted in Amsterdam, in which a ‘minority policy’ has been replaced by a ‘diversity policy,' which generates its own forms of exclusion even while trying to accomodate multicultaralism. It concludes that the stress on intercultural interaction can in practice produce results that run counter to the intentions of policymakers. (Access Restricted)

[13] Living apart or together? Multiculturalism at a neighbourhood level, by Peer Smets (2005) This paper discusses the dynamics between the different groups in a Dutch neighbourhood,including its norms and values, and the role of intervening agencies.

[14] Muslim Responses to Integration Demands in the Netherlands since 9/11 by Abdulkader Tayob (2006) This paper takes a closer look at the debate over the value and meaning of Islam for Dutch society and politics in the aftermath of 9/11.

[15] Imams and Homosexuality: A Post-gay Debate in the Netherlands by Gert Hekma (2002) This article describes a growing conflict between Muslims and gays in the Netherlands, highlighting the denunciation of gays by the Rotterdam-based imam Khalil El Moumni in 2001.

[16] In knots over headscarves: Antwerp's cautionary tale about the complexities of educating Europe's Muslim children 2009.

This article describes controversial decision of Antwerp's school system to ban the muslim head scarf at public schools and the debate that followed. It also focuses on the larger issue of European attempts to integrate Muslim school children into public school systems.

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This page was last modified 03:48, 28 October 2009.