Muslims In The Netherlands

Amsterdam, Shawwal 10/January 16 (IINA) - Out of Hollands population of 15.6 million, Muslims make up half a million, which is ten-fold what it was in 1971. Now the Islamic atmosphere in Holland has become common feature, with mosques and Islamic schools in existence in various parts of the country.

The Dutch government does not interfere in the religious affairs of any community, and seeks to integrate the various minorities in the country into the Dutch society, so that they can participate in the democratic practices of the country and do away with racial inclinations.

Holland itself was inhabited by very few Muslims since the last half century or so, though the majority of those that were encompassed by the Dutch Empire were Muslims, because, up to 1949, its borders included Muslim Indonesia. In Surinam also there is a sizeable Muslim community, of Indian descent.

In the sixties there was a shortage of manpower in Holland and the country had to look for foreign labor outside its borders, so that its economy could be activated, and for this reason there was a movement of people from such Mediterranean countries as Turkey and Morocco. Though in 1974 Holland put a stop to the importation of foreign labor, it did not stop the current of immigration from such countries, and many of the resident workers started to bring in their families. There was also a wave of immigration from Surinam, before its independence in 1975, and most of the immigrants were Muslims.

Muslims now comprise four percent of the Dutch population, with the ethnic Turks being the majority in the Muslim community, in that they number about 270,000. This is followed by the Moroccan ethnic community, numbering 225,000, while the Surinamese community comes third, numbering 50,000 in all. Additionally, there are Muslims who came to Holland as refugees, from such countries as Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Afghanistan, the former Soviet Union, and Bosnia. In 1971, Muslims in Holland numbered 54,000, in 1975 the figure went up to 108,000, in 1980 it was 225,000, and in 1997 it reached the 573,000 mark.

Clause No. 1 of the Dutch Constitution stipulates that all the residents of Holland shall enjoy equal rights, and the constitution also forbids any form of discrimination on grounds of religion, faith, politics, sex, or ethnic origin. This means that the Muslims also enjoy equal rights as those enjoyed by the Christians. But coupled with these rights, there are also responsibilities that go hand in hand with them, such as the payment of taxes, as well as compulsory education. This means that up to the age of 16, every child must go to school, including the children of residents.

Those who have taken up Dutch citizenship also enjoy equal rights as their Dutch-born counterparts, including the rights to vote or stand for election on the national level, while at the local level even residents enjoy such rights. It is reported that over 100 Muslims hold elective offices at the local level.

There is complete religious freedom in Holland, on both the level of the individual and at the communal level, and religion is separated from the state. This means that the government does interfere in the affairs of religious bodies, while at the same time such bodies do not interfere in affairs of the state.

At the moment there are about 200 mosques scattered in various parts of Holland, that were built by each of the various ethnic groups, while Muslim cemeteries also can be found in dozens of towns and cities. In fact, right up to the eighties, the Dutch Government used to give subventions for the construction of mosques and churches, but this came to an end after it was decided that this was contrary to the idea of separating religion from the state. So now the onus of building mosques has been left to the Islamic organizations.

Even in the private sector, Muslims enjoy a measure of freedom, such as flexible hours during the fasting month of Ramadhan, while some enterprises allocate special prayer areas for their Muslim workers. Circumcision is practiced in many of the hospitals in Holland, while the wearing of the Hijab by Muslim women has become a common sight at schools and at university campuses. But at some of the private schools the practice is somewhat discouraged, and there is nothing that the government could do about it, since they enjoy a large measure of freedom to run their affairs.

As far as slaughterhouses are concerned, and in keeping with the practice in other European Union countries, the government of Holland has set aside special abattoirs for slaughtering animals according to the Islamic Sharia. Thus there are more than 500 Islamic slaughterhouses, out of a total number of 4,500. But the government of Hollands policy is that of social integration, regardless of religious affiliation, though some of the ethnic minorities suffer from a number of drawbacks, such as the linguistic barrier and other stumbling blocks.

The rate of unemployment among the ethnic minorities is around 20 percent, though this segment forms only five percent of the labor force. The government is therefore working toward improving the lot of this segment of the society in Holland, and integrating them within the Dutch society as a whole, not only by providing employment opportunities for them, but also by teaching them skills and the Dutch language.

The government of Holland is now in the process of initiating the appointment of Muslim chaplains in prisons and asylums, and for this purpose will form an Advisory Commission, for purposes of reference. Thus, in order to take care of the spiritual life of the inmates of prisons, the government in Holland would shoulder the responsibility of paying the salaries and other emoluments of such appointees, provided the appointees can carry out their duties using the Dutch language.

There are denominational schools in Holland, such as those of the Catholics and the Protestants, but the Muslims also have about 30 such schools. But the secular curriculum applies to all, while education is compulsory for all, so that no segment of the society can be left behind as far as education is concerned.

Public schools are free to introduce religious education, and in this connection both Islamic and Christian studies are taught in many such schools. The studentat such schools are free to chose either Arabic or Turkish as a second language. Itis also expected thatthis year(2000) a Muslim secondary school will be established in Rotterdam.

Islam and Islamic studies, including Arabic and other Muslims languages, are also given their due importance at the higher level of education, and there are several lecturers who lecture on such subjects at the university level. AT the University of Amsterdam there is a Chair for Islamic Studies and it is funded by private organizations.

In 1998, the Dutch Institute for Islamic Studies in the Contemporary World was opened in Leiden, and, as the name implies, it focuses mainly on Islamic studies. The government is also funding the training of Imams, as it does with other religious denominations. At the moment, about 50 Imams are drawn from Turkey and Morocco every year, and the first year of their residence is used by the government to induct them in Dutch society, and this includes the learning of the Dutch language. Such induction courses are followed by examinations not only in the language, but also to assess the ability of the fresh waves of Imams.