A friend of mine is a Hungarian who fled Communism in the 80ies. He has a little agency hiring Eastern Europeans for construction work in the Netherlands. Two years ago we saw it coming a big flood of willing Polish, Czech and Hungarian workers coming to The Netherlands after their entry in the EU. They are wiping out the unskilled workers in industry, construction and farming.
Dutch newspaper "Trouw" runs an article on Polish workers running Turks, Morroccans and Blacks out of work. Not only are the Eastern Europeans cheaper, but they work hard and there is no violence. Amongst second and third generation Turks, Morroccans and Blacks violence in the workplace is endemic.
The immigrant are now on the dole. 1.800 agricultural and construction job agencies have gone broke in The Hague alone, which is close to the areas were labour intensive agriculture is strong with the characteristic glass house flower and vegetable businesses.
The idea that these immigrants were a boon to the Dutch economy ever is again exposed a the poppycock that it is. Although the cheap African and Middle Eastern workers helped out the farmers since the period of full employment in the sixties, when Dutch workers moved on to better jobs rather than work in agriculture 90 percent of the earnings are pocketed by the workers. The rest is the profit for the employer. But once these low skilled third worders are unemployed they go on the dole, which is financed by the rest of the working population. So the benefits are accrued by the employers, the immigrants, while the long term costs are born by the Dutch population.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Tribalism
An article (Hat tip Majority Rights) on the Christian Science Monitor.
Recent events - riots in many nations protesting cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, Sunni-Shiite warring in Iraq, the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan - confirm that the West is not in a clash with Islam. Instead, Islam, which is a civilizing force, has fallen under the sway of Islamists who are a tribalizing force.
Indeed the world of Islam is tribalising. Islam does not have a capital, that sends its decrees to its far flung provinces. But also the individual national states that are majority Islamic seem to have problems keeping its populations together. It seems that a large part of the Islamic world central authority is breaking down.
the emergence of ethnic warring in the Balkans and elsewhere confirmed that when societies crumble, people revert to tribal and clan behaviors that repudiate liberal ideals.
Western areas also seem to be falling apart. The Western elites are importing masses of third worlders. The US is discussing importing 30 million non-whites in the next 10 years.
Most antagonists, no matter how high-mindedly they proclaim their ideals, are operating in terribly tribal and clannish ways. Some, such as Al Qaeda terrorists, are extreme tribalists who dream of making the West start over at a razed, tribal level.
This is Al-Queda's proclaimed goal. To end the Westphalian era both in the Islamic and in the Western world. Crime rates are on the rise in the ethnic enclaves in the West. Mafias and religious sects including Islam are on the rise.
As much of the intellectual elite is thoroughly anti-Western it is impossible to discuss many destructive trends as they have been made taboo by the thought police in the university system and the media. The self-curing ability of the West has thusly been damaged.
Al-Qa'ida is an ideological cover for what is unlawful, criminal and mafia like activity. Ethnic and criminal mafia's are expanding both in the Middle East, in Africa, in the USA and in Europe. Only the Asians seem to be able to muster the will to fight disorder and tribalism in their societies.
Recent events - riots in many nations protesting cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, Sunni-Shiite warring in Iraq, the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan - confirm that the West is not in a clash with Islam. Instead, Islam, which is a civilizing force, has fallen under the sway of Islamists who are a tribalizing force.
Indeed the world of Islam is tribalising. Islam does not have a capital, that sends its decrees to its far flung provinces. But also the individual national states that are majority Islamic seem to have problems keeping its populations together. It seems that a large part of the Islamic world central authority is breaking down.
the emergence of ethnic warring in the Balkans and elsewhere confirmed that when societies crumble, people revert to tribal and clan behaviors that repudiate liberal ideals.
Western areas also seem to be falling apart. The Western elites are importing masses of third worlders. The US is discussing importing 30 million non-whites in the next 10 years.
Most antagonists, no matter how high-mindedly they proclaim their ideals, are operating in terribly tribal and clannish ways. Some, such as Al Qaeda terrorists, are extreme tribalists who dream of making the West start over at a razed, tribal level.
This is Al-Queda's proclaimed goal. To end the Westphalian era both in the Islamic and in the Western world. Crime rates are on the rise in the ethnic enclaves in the West. Mafias and religious sects including Islam are on the rise.
As much of the intellectual elite is thoroughly anti-Western it is impossible to discuss many destructive trends as they have been made taboo by the thought police in the university system and the media. The self-curing ability of the West has thusly been damaged.
Al-Qa'ida is an ideological cover for what is unlawful, criminal and mafia like activity. Ethnic and criminal mafia's are expanding both in the Middle East, in Africa, in the USA and in Europe. Only the Asians seem to be able to muster the will to fight disorder and tribalism in their societies.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Dutch Internal Intelligence Service: Terrorist threat homegrown and home bound
The Hague, The Netherlands
The AIVD, The Dutch Internal Intelligence Service reported (Dutch) to Dutch Parliament today in a public report that the threat of terrorist attacks against Dutch targets is mainly from locally organised networks or cells. The number of Muslims involved in Jihad is volatile and they are able to act violently without need for support or input from abroad. The number of active Jihadis bent on murder and mayhem is higher than 150. "Not all networks are MORE
The AIVD, The Dutch Internal Intelligence Service reported (Dutch) to Dutch Parliament today in a public report that the threat of terrorist attacks against Dutch targets is mainly from locally organised networks or cells. The number of Muslims involved in Jihad is volatile and they are able to act violently without need for support or input from abroad. The number of active Jihadis bent on murder and mayhem is higher than 150. "Not all networks are MORE
Hardline Verdonk will run for VVD leadership
Today Minister Verdonk of Immigration and Intergration made public to be run for the leadership of the Liberal-Conservative VVD party.
Verdonk is famous and infamous for her hardline management of the Immigration portfolio. She is hated on the Left who try to besmirch her as much as possible. She is also the only popular member of the right-wing coalition that has been governing The Netherlands since 2003 and gets lots of fanmail from the public. Verdonk has executed the policy of extraditing large numbers of illegals and 26.000 asylum seekers who had been turned down. In my opinion Verdonk has a good chance to win against the other leadership candidates Mark Rutte and unknown quantity Jelleke Veenendaal. Verdonk is popular because she keeps her word and does what she says.
The leadership position of the VVD came available after the desastrous municipal elections on March 7. VVD leader Van Aartsen stepped down.
National elections will be held in 2007.
This week Marko Pastors of Leefbaar Rotterdam (Livable Rotterdam) also announced to run nationally. This means there will be 3 contenders for on the rightwing. Verdonk, Pastors and Geert Wilders. Getting busy! The split right wing may mean loss of strength for the Right. But it will also mean that rightwing ideas will get more space in the media, which will be necessary education for the Dutch public.
Verdonk is famous and infamous for her hardline management of the Immigration portfolio. She is hated on the Left who try to besmirch her as much as possible. She is also the only popular member of the right-wing coalition that has been governing The Netherlands since 2003 and gets lots of fanmail from the public. Verdonk has executed the policy of extraditing large numbers of illegals and 26.000 asylum seekers who had been turned down. In my opinion Verdonk has a good chance to win against the other leadership candidates Mark Rutte and unknown quantity Jelleke Veenendaal. Verdonk is popular because she keeps her word and does what she says.
The leadership position of the VVD came available after the desastrous municipal elections on March 7. VVD leader Van Aartsen stepped down.
National elections will be held in 2007.
This week Marko Pastors of Leefbaar Rotterdam (Livable Rotterdam) also announced to run nationally. This means there will be 3 contenders for on the rightwing. Verdonk, Pastors and Geert Wilders. Getting busy! The split right wing may mean loss of strength for the Right. But it will also mean that rightwing ideas will get more space in the media, which will be necessary education for the Dutch public.
Dutch and Germans on top
The highest European IQs are found amongst the Germans and the Dutch, with an average of 107. The average Frenchman scores 94. The average Turk 90 (Hat tip, JMaria).
The cause for the differences are environmental pressures differing between European populations from one natural environment to another, according to Professor Lynn.
Professor Lynn is also the co-author of "IQ and the wealth of nations".
I guess Turkey will have some trouble participating in a knowledge society, then.
The cause for the differences are environmental pressures differing between European populations from one natural environment to another, according to Professor Lynn.
Professor Lynn is also the co-author of "IQ and the wealth of nations".
I guess Turkey will have some trouble participating in a knowledge society, then.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Hic sunt Pirates
Off the coast of Somalia a cruise ship was attacked again. The disorder areas are starting to affect the shipping lanes.
Australian town hit by cyclone
The Australian town of Innisfail was hit by a Cyclone. The population responded by: rioting, sniping at rescuers, looting and causing general mayhem?
No.
But even he (the Mayor) was amazed at the spirit and energy of a community that refused to blink when confronted with a category-five cyclone. He said many had waded straight outside into the wreckage with chainsaws.
What is wrong with these people?
No.
But even he (the Mayor) was amazed at the spirit and energy of a community that refused to blink when confronted with a category-five cyclone. He said many had waded straight outside into the wreckage with chainsaws.
What is wrong with these people?
Riots in France
In order to address the concerns of the French citizenry over the situation of enclaves of crime and anarchy developing in the poor immigrant suburbs of France, the French political class belatedly decided to crack down on crime. Hard. The result was nationwide rioting by Islamic youth for weeks.
In response the French government made available large funds to the administrators of the suburbs to "address the situation". The Administrators begged them not to give them more funds, because they did not know what to do with them.
So the French authorities looked at their inflexible labour laws and decided to relax them.
The result? More riots of course. This time white Frenchmen and immigrant scum combine their forces against the French police. Look at the pictures of the riotporn blog. More here.
Oh and in between the attacks on the police the immigrant wolf packs attack students, bystanders, journos. And the Frenchies never fight back.
They have been brain washed not to fight back and are not even ashamed by it.
In response the French government made available large funds to the administrators of the suburbs to "address the situation". The Administrators begged them not to give them more funds, because they did not know what to do with them.
So the French authorities looked at their inflexible labour laws and decided to relax them.
The result? More riots of course. This time white Frenchmen and immigrant scum combine their forces against the French police. Look at the pictures of the riotporn blog. More here.
Oh and in between the attacks on the police the immigrant wolf packs attack students, bystanders, journos. And the Frenchies never fight back.
They have been brain washed not to fight back and are not even ashamed by it.
Dutch parliament concerned over Venezuelan rearmament
El Presidente Chavez, the muy grande Maximo Jefe of Venezuela is making threats towards The Netherlands.
Come again?
Venezuela is threatening The Netherlands. A European country.
It is true, people. It is like this. In the Caribbean there are many, many Islands populated with happy brown people. Most of these island have their own Governments. But some other Islands are still nominally owned by European countries like France and the UK. And The Netherlands. The Netherlands own 6 Island in the Carribean. 3 are small and insignificant, laying a bit to the East of Puerto Rico.
And then there are Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao not far from the Venezuelan South American mainland. They have perhaps a population of 250.000 people combined, although there are many illigal immigrant from Venezuala, who nobody counts. A significant portion of the population has left the Island to seek greener pastures and welfare checks in The Netherlands.
Chavez has said that he will step in once the Dutch reduce their military presence. The matter has been raised in Parliament. Henk Kamp, the defense minister has assured that the Navy and Dutch Marine Corps are ready to protect MORE
Come again?
Venezuela is threatening The Netherlands. A European country.
It is true, people. It is like this. In the Caribbean there are many, many Islands populated with happy brown people. Most of these island have their own Governments. But some other Islands are still nominally owned by European countries like France and the UK. And The Netherlands. The Netherlands own 6 Island in the Carribean. 3 are small and insignificant, laying a bit to the East of Puerto Rico.
And then there are Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao not far from the Venezuelan South American mainland. They have perhaps a population of 250.000 people combined, although there are many illigal immigrant from Venezuala, who nobody counts. A significant portion of the population has left the Island to seek greener pastures and welfare checks in The Netherlands.
Chavez has said that he will step in once the Dutch reduce their military presence. The matter has been raised in Parliament. Henk Kamp, the defense minister has assured that the Navy and Dutch Marine Corps are ready to protect MORE
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Persecution
Western countries keep persecuting those who commit thoughtcrime. That's right. Our owners and masters tell us what thought are approved and may be thought and which not.
Thinking and saying that "Islam is a danger" to European will get you persecuted by hysterical Leftists armed with the power of the Law.
As is happening now in Belgium, were a Catholic clergyman, frere Samuel, who fled as a Christian from Turkey says that every Muslim child is a ticking time bomb for Belgian children. As they undoubtedly are.
DEFUSE THE TIMEBOMB. SEND MUSLIMS HOME.
Our elites try to imitate Soviet Russia in their approach to repressing political dissent. Only they are really PATHETIC repressors. Come on. Firing people from their jobs. Sending people to jail. Fining them. That is NOT going to impress us.
Thinking and saying that "Islam is a danger" to European will get you persecuted by hysterical Leftists armed with the power of the Law.
As is happening now in Belgium, were a Catholic clergyman, frere Samuel, who fled as a Christian from Turkey says that every Muslim child is a ticking time bomb for Belgian children. As they undoubtedly are.
DEFUSE THE TIMEBOMB. SEND MUSLIMS HOME.
Our elites try to imitate Soviet Russia in their approach to repressing political dissent. Only they are really PATHETIC repressors. Come on. Firing people from their jobs. Sending people to jail. Fining them. That is NOT going to impress us.
The Church that does not want to be a Church
In a previous article I wrote: "You cannot separate State and Ideology (religion is a spiritual ideology) by uniting it."
JKayce:
"Do you think that state and ideology can be separated? I don't think that is possible, the laws in our society are a reflection of ideologies."
Snouck:
Do I think that State and Ideology CAN be separated? Well, no. An ideology is a more or less coherent set of ideas. A State is a political body, a social organism and exists in the flesh, in its members and their behaviour. But a political unit can also be envisioned as a "corpus mysticum", a spiritual body. When we think of the USA do we think of the people, their lives, endings, fears, ferment, rot, hopes and desires or of their laws and institutions?
The laws and institutions should be reflections of the people in the flesh and their real behaviour.
A nation has its acknowledged and unacknowledged legislators. The legislators express the set of ideas of the nation. In word or writ or whatever the Nation’s code is. So should the legislators legislate according to their elite ideology, to the ideology of the people below or to something else?
If the legislators make laws according to their own particular ideology, then their laws will be ignored. They will require force to coerce the people. If they take the laws from the ideas of the people they will find out that the people will ignore these ideas as well, because people will always ascribe to notions and ideals that are more beautiful than the ugliness of mortal men, themselves. Talk is cheap. So the legislators have to observe the people, see what they do already and then make that law. Most people will then obey the laws without prompting. If there are conflicts judges can resolve them according to the law, which is the actual behaviour of the majority of the nation.
If the legislators are close to the nation, then there will be little room between collective behaviour and ideology or the set of laws.
However, legislators are an elite and have a tendency to remove themselves from the people. To become estranged. Competing with other legislators in order to get attention and increase their power they will increasingly compete in the beauty of their vision for the nation. They will say they wish beautiful things for the people and do away with suffering. For this they will be recommended and endorsed, their idealism will be admired and their ideology will be advanced by groups that feel they will benefit from it. Because legislators are not productive groups of society they will never bear the cost of the implementation of their visions. These costs will be born by productive groups in society, those productive citizens which do not defend themselves. E.g. because they work 60-70 hours a week. Or more.
As the number of laws increases, as ideology increases its costs become increasingly difficult to bear by productive groups and they will run away, stop being productive or organise themselves in order to challenge legislators or ideologues.
Let’s get back to separating ideology from the state. This is indeed not really possible. As soon as we think about collective behaviour there is ideology. The Christian idea to separate Religion from State has the purpose to separate earthly power from spiritual speculation. As a result of this separation there is some freedom for the people who live in the State, both the Christians and the Non-Christians.
Social organisation begins with non-kinship societies, our natural or biological political unit. Extended families and clans. These organisations need very little in the way of ideology, because they are so natural and need very little culture to rule their politics. Once social organisation moves beyond kinship there will be a requirement for ideology to give society the identity and thus the cohesion of a kinship society. A cultural innovation. A non-kinship society is able to form bigger units than a kinship society.
Obviously we are living in a non-kinship society. 15 million Dutchman do not belong to the same family, although there is a high level of relatedness. We have cultural capital to bring us together: Nationalism and Christianity.
Nationalism and Christianity have grown over the centuries in The Netherlands and Europe. Without these cultural and therefore ideological developments we would not be able to run our political unit, The Netherlands.
Because all citizens are equal before the law in a Western society, kinship (family) or non-kinship sub societies must not be given special power to hijack the State and use it in the interest of a minority interest. This is the reason why churches as carriers of ideologies must be separated from the state. But because the modern state is in itself partly and ideological construct this is indeed impossible. If there is an ideology that supports the power and interest of an minority within the nation that does not call itself a religion than it can slip under the radar of the rule that Church and State must be separated. Secularism is an ideology. It has strong religious overtones, promising its adherents moral superiority and deliverance from the heaviness, the lack of freedom, in traditional religion. All over the Western world secularism attacks traditional Christianity denying that it is in fact an undeclared Religion with a diffuse Church.
This is the Church of the Left. The Church that seeks to liberate the peoples from the West from the deprivations of their Western culture.
JKayce:
"Do you think that state and ideology can be separated? I don't think that is possible, the laws in our society are a reflection of ideologies."
Snouck:
Do I think that State and Ideology CAN be separated? Well, no. An ideology is a more or less coherent set of ideas. A State is a political body, a social organism and exists in the flesh, in its members and their behaviour. But a political unit can also be envisioned as a "corpus mysticum", a spiritual body. When we think of the USA do we think of the people, their lives, endings, fears, ferment, rot, hopes and desires or of their laws and institutions?
The laws and institutions should be reflections of the people in the flesh and their real behaviour.
A nation has its acknowledged and unacknowledged legislators. The legislators express the set of ideas of the nation. In word or writ or whatever the Nation’s code is. So should the legislators legislate according to their elite ideology, to the ideology of the people below or to something else?
If the legislators make laws according to their own particular ideology, then their laws will be ignored. They will require force to coerce the people. If they take the laws from the ideas of the people they will find out that the people will ignore these ideas as well, because people will always ascribe to notions and ideals that are more beautiful than the ugliness of mortal men, themselves. Talk is cheap. So the legislators have to observe the people, see what they do already and then make that law. Most people will then obey the laws without prompting. If there are conflicts judges can resolve them according to the law, which is the actual behaviour of the majority of the nation.
If the legislators are close to the nation, then there will be little room between collective behaviour and ideology or the set of laws.
However, legislators are an elite and have a tendency to remove themselves from the people. To become estranged. Competing with other legislators in order to get attention and increase their power they will increasingly compete in the beauty of their vision for the nation. They will say they wish beautiful things for the people and do away with suffering. For this they will be recommended and endorsed, their idealism will be admired and their ideology will be advanced by groups that feel they will benefit from it. Because legislators are not productive groups of society they will never bear the cost of the implementation of their visions. These costs will be born by productive groups in society, those productive citizens which do not defend themselves. E.g. because they work 60-70 hours a week. Or more.
As the number of laws increases, as ideology increases its costs become increasingly difficult to bear by productive groups and they will run away, stop being productive or organise themselves in order to challenge legislators or ideologues.
Let’s get back to separating ideology from the state. This is indeed not really possible. As soon as we think about collective behaviour there is ideology. The Christian idea to separate Religion from State has the purpose to separate earthly power from spiritual speculation. As a result of this separation there is some freedom for the people who live in the State, both the Christians and the Non-Christians.
Social organisation begins with non-kinship societies, our natural or biological political unit. Extended families and clans. These organisations need very little in the way of ideology, because they are so natural and need very little culture to rule their politics. Once social organisation moves beyond kinship there will be a requirement for ideology to give society the identity and thus the cohesion of a kinship society. A cultural innovation. A non-kinship society is able to form bigger units than a kinship society.
Obviously we are living in a non-kinship society. 15 million Dutchman do not belong to the same family, although there is a high level of relatedness. We have cultural capital to bring us together: Nationalism and Christianity.
Nationalism and Christianity have grown over the centuries in The Netherlands and Europe. Without these cultural and therefore ideological developments we would not be able to run our political unit, The Netherlands.
Because all citizens are equal before the law in a Western society, kinship (family) or non-kinship sub societies must not be given special power to hijack the State and use it in the interest of a minority interest. This is the reason why churches as carriers of ideologies must be separated from the state. But because the modern state is in itself partly and ideological construct this is indeed impossible. If there is an ideology that supports the power and interest of an minority within the nation that does not call itself a religion than it can slip under the radar of the rule that Church and State must be separated. Secularism is an ideology. It has strong religious overtones, promising its adherents moral superiority and deliverance from the heaviness, the lack of freedom, in traditional religion. All over the Western world secularism attacks traditional Christianity denying that it is in fact an undeclared Religion with a diffuse Church.
This is the Church of the Left. The Church that seeks to liberate the peoples from the West from the deprivations of their Western culture.
Dutchmen march!
Another clip (Dutch, dutch) by the "vliegende panters". Apparently this is made to make fun of fears of conservative Dutchmen. But basically it tells it really well. Muslims are not dangerous because they are rude, misogenistic, lazy, criminal, smoke weed, but because they explode in public places.
And because the demographic danger of their rate of family re-unification and the birth rate which causes them to be able to take over through the ballot.
It is a funny film. If you do not understand Dutch it is still nice to see all your cliches about Holland confirmed. If you DO know Dutch the text is ironic too.
Watch it here.
And because the demographic danger of their rate of family re-unification and the birth rate which causes them to be able to take over through the ballot.
It is a funny film. If you do not understand Dutch it is still nice to see all your cliches about Holland confirmed. If you DO know Dutch the text is ironic too.
Watch it here.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Bringing a new law to the land
When we bring a new people to a land we also bring a new law to that land.
In good old Amersfoort a Middle Eastern boy was killed in a silly conflict over a "slut". His gang bro's are now calling for revenge:
third World style.
Laws do not live in the abstract, they live in social settings. Change the setting and the laws will have to follow them. Laws travel with people. They do not live in a territorium.
In good old Amersfoort a Middle Eastern boy was killed in a silly conflict over a "slut". His gang bro's are now calling for revenge:
third World style.
Laws do not live in the abstract, they live in social settings. Change the setting and the laws will have to follow them. Laws travel with people. They do not live in a territorium.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Ayaan: zeroing in
Ferdy:
"Why attack so harshly a person who is one of the few critical voices about Islam in the Netherlands?"
Snouck:
It is not so much an attack on her, but rather my honest appraisal about where I think she stands. A difference of opinion is not the same as a "harsh attack on a person". If you read my post, you will have to agree that it is nowhere near ad hominem.
Ferdy:
"but unlike other politicians she wants to use it (the Government's tools, i.e. the State) to stop the Islamization of the Netherlands."
Snouck:
That is Statism. This is a Conservative blog. Conservatives oppose the use of Government's agencies to further ideological goals. You cannot separate State and Ideology (religion is a spiritual ideology) by uniting it. It is "casting out the Devil, by Beelzebub".
Ferdy:
I think Ayaan is a very positive contributor to the debat, but she is not the new messiah who should be followed blindly
Snouck:
Oh yes. I think she is smart, sensitive, vunerable, charismatic and wildly attractive. She is the muckraker of Multiculturalism. She is useful for our purposes as Westerners in that she opens discussions and raises point that would otherwise be left closed and unraised. But she is not one of us. She is a temporary ally. To be discarded when the time comes that she has outlived her usefulness. Harsh? Perhaps. But DO consider it. Follow her critically. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
"Why attack so harshly a person who is one of the few critical voices about Islam in the Netherlands?"
Snouck:
It is not so much an attack on her, but rather my honest appraisal about where I think she stands. A difference of opinion is not the same as a "harsh attack on a person". If you read my post, you will have to agree that it is nowhere near ad hominem.
Ferdy:
"but unlike other politicians she wants to use it (the Government's tools, i.e. the State) to stop the Islamization of the Netherlands."
Snouck:
That is Statism. This is a Conservative blog. Conservatives oppose the use of Government's agencies to further ideological goals. You cannot separate State and Ideology (religion is a spiritual ideology) by uniting it. It is "casting out the Devil, by Beelzebub".
Ferdy:
I think Ayaan is a very positive contributor to the debat, but she is not the new messiah who should be followed blindly
Snouck:
Oh yes. I think she is smart, sensitive, vunerable, charismatic and wildly attractive. She is the muckraker of Multiculturalism. She is useful for our purposes as Westerners in that she opens discussions and raises point that would otherwise be left closed and unraised. But she is not one of us. She is a temporary ally. To be discarded when the time comes that she has outlived her usefulness. Harsh? Perhaps. But DO consider it. Follow her critically. Nothing wrong with that, is there?
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Guns, Girls and Ghosts
Pim´s Ghost:
I too am a nationalist at heart. I'm an American as one, but I'd just as soon move to Holland and become quite political. Of course, due to my outspoken demeanor I'd never feel right having to leave my guns behind. I'd be a nice target I'm sure.
Snouck:
You can bring your guns. It is a bit of a procedure, but it goes as follows:
After moving to The Netherlands, you become a member of a "schietsportclub". This is a club for shooting guns. They will require to see your passport and a "bewijs van goed gedrag". This is a certificate of good behaviour. This means you need a letter from the police in your hometown that you have no serious offenses on your record. Then you have to regularly attend shooting practice at the club. I think once a month will be enough. After twelve months you can request a gun permit. This will permit you to keep a gun at home. I do not know how long it takes for the paperwork to be processed. Once you got your gun permit, you can keep your gun at home and take it to the shooting range of "schietclubs". There are "schietclubs" in most towns and villages. Most will be delighted to have American members, especially one from the American South. Do not be surprised to see Dixie flags at the bar or hall of most Dutch schietclubs!
The things is that the law says that you must have a "reasonable interest" in keeping a gun. And being a "sportschutter" or "sportsshooter" is enough. Once you got your permit for your first gun you have to wait another 12 months to get your permit for a second gun. Once you got that you can bring in as many legal guns as you want.
Most revolvers, pistols and rifles are legal in The Netherlands. If they are registered in the USA that is enough. Automatic (rapid fire) rifles are not legal.
I think our gun laws make sense although they are a bit too cumbersome. Shorten the time span for membership of a club to 6 months and drop the requirement to apply for an additional permit after the first one and it would be perfect.
I too am a nationalist at heart. I'm an American as one, but I'd just as soon move to Holland and become quite political. Of course, due to my outspoken demeanor I'd never feel right having to leave my guns behind. I'd be a nice target I'm sure.
Snouck:
You can bring your guns. It is a bit of a procedure, but it goes as follows:
After moving to The Netherlands, you become a member of a "schietsportclub". This is a club for shooting guns. They will require to see your passport and a "bewijs van goed gedrag". This is a certificate of good behaviour. This means you need a letter from the police in your hometown that you have no serious offenses on your record. Then you have to regularly attend shooting practice at the club. I think once a month will be enough. After twelve months you can request a gun permit. This will permit you to keep a gun at home. I do not know how long it takes for the paperwork to be processed. Once you got your gun permit, you can keep your gun at home and take it to the shooting range of "schietclubs". There are "schietclubs" in most towns and villages. Most will be delighted to have American members, especially one from the American South. Do not be surprised to see Dixie flags at the bar or hall of most Dutch schietclubs!
The things is that the law says that you must have a "reasonable interest" in keeping a gun. And being a "sportschutter" or "sportsshooter" is enough. Once you got your permit for your first gun you have to wait another 12 months to get your permit for a second gun. Once you got that you can bring in as many legal guns as you want.
Most revolvers, pistols and rifles are legal in The Netherlands. If they are registered in the USA that is enough. Automatic (rapid fire) rifles are not legal.
I think our gun laws make sense although they are a bit too cumbersome. Shorten the time span for membership of a club to 6 months and drop the requirement to apply for an additional permit after the first one and it would be perfect.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Hirsi Ayaan Ali: hostile to Europeans
There is a tendency in The Netherlands and in the USA to look at Hirsi Ayaan Ali and her courageous fight against Islam and to come to the conclusion that she is a valuable part of The Netherlands and of The West.
This is incorrect. And Laurence Auster's View From the Right has the story.
The gist of it is, is that Hirsi Ayaan Ali is highly hostile to Western people and that she sees Western people only as an instrument to reform Islam. But Westerners who want to stop the threat of Islam to our societies find Hirsi Ayaan Ali on their path. She supported an action by a Dutch law court against the SGP, an extremely conservative Calvinist Party, because of their stance on women being unequal to men. This is the biblical view and has supported Western civilisation for 1,800 years! She recently advised the Belgian government to ban the anti-immigration party Vlaams Belang, due to their traditional attitudes. Vlaams Belang wants to stop immigrations, defends the rights of Flemish people, both their individual and their collective rights, has traditional views on marriage and family. This is anathema to Ayaan, she indirectly compared Vlaams Belang to genocidal Nazism by stating that their values lead to mass murder. Laurence Auster concludes:
"Thus Ali, the Muslim who has supposedly turned against her own religion, now wants to outlaw a European political party for being “Islamophobic.” The lesson is that in seeking to solve the Muslim problem we cannot depend on Muslims, whether they are “moderates” or “apostates” or whatever; we must depend on ourselves."
To which I add the following observation of secularists from Islamic countries. Often these people like what they see in the West, but they do not understand the West. They like the outcomes of the West, but not the values. This is how Turkish elitist love their secular Turkish state and at the same time support the surpression of the Turkish people because they are often radical Muslims.
Same with Afghanis who belong to the elite. They want freedom for their women and freedom to play music, drink alcohol and disregard the strictures of Islam. But because the population of Afghanistan is so traditionalistic and consists of pious Muslims they support the Communist Party. Communism surpresses tradition whether it is Orthodox Christianity in Russia or Sunni Islam and clannism in Afghanistan.
Conservatism does not support the surpression of the people. Conservatism believes in Limited Government, Low Taxes, Property Rights, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Association, Marriage, The Right to bear Arms and maintanance of the Customs, Habits and Culture of the people to guarantuee these Freedoms. There is no point in establishing Tyranny to bring Freedom.
Ayaan and many so-called Liberals want to ursurp the rights of the people in order to liberate them. This is not Freedom. This must be opposed. This was tried in Russia and it was called Socialism. Ayaan and her Leftist and Liberal friends are trying to repeat the failure of Socialism. They see Statist Multiculturalism for the failure that it is and try to repeat it with Statist Secularism or "Ayaanism". It is not going to work.
VERZET is het devies. RESISTANCE should be our banner.
This is incorrect. And Laurence Auster's View From the Right has the story.
The gist of it is, is that Hirsi Ayaan Ali is highly hostile to Western people and that she sees Western people only as an instrument to reform Islam. But Westerners who want to stop the threat of Islam to our societies find Hirsi Ayaan Ali on their path. She supported an action by a Dutch law court against the SGP, an extremely conservative Calvinist Party, because of their stance on women being unequal to men. This is the biblical view and has supported Western civilisation for 1,800 years! She recently advised the Belgian government to ban the anti-immigration party Vlaams Belang, due to their traditional attitudes. Vlaams Belang wants to stop immigrations, defends the rights of Flemish people, both their individual and their collective rights, has traditional views on marriage and family. This is anathema to Ayaan, she indirectly compared Vlaams Belang to genocidal Nazism by stating that their values lead to mass murder. Laurence Auster concludes:
"Thus Ali, the Muslim who has supposedly turned against her own religion, now wants to outlaw a European political party for being “Islamophobic.” The lesson is that in seeking to solve the Muslim problem we cannot depend on Muslims, whether they are “moderates” or “apostates” or whatever; we must depend on ourselves."
To which I add the following observation of secularists from Islamic countries. Often these people like what they see in the West, but they do not understand the West. They like the outcomes of the West, but not the values. This is how Turkish elitist love their secular Turkish state and at the same time support the surpression of the Turkish people because they are often radical Muslims.
Same with Afghanis who belong to the elite. They want freedom for their women and freedom to play music, drink alcohol and disregard the strictures of Islam. But because the population of Afghanistan is so traditionalistic and consists of pious Muslims they support the Communist Party. Communism surpresses tradition whether it is Orthodox Christianity in Russia or Sunni Islam and clannism in Afghanistan.
Conservatism does not support the surpression of the people. Conservatism believes in Limited Government, Low Taxes, Property Rights, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Association, Marriage, The Right to bear Arms and maintanance of the Customs, Habits and Culture of the people to guarantuee these Freedoms. There is no point in establishing Tyranny to bring Freedom.
Ayaan and many so-called Liberals want to ursurp the rights of the people in order to liberate them. This is not Freedom. This must be opposed. This was tried in Russia and it was called Socialism. Ayaan and her Leftist and Liberal friends are trying to repeat the failure of Socialism. They see Statist Multiculturalism for the failure that it is and try to repeat it with Statist Secularism or "Ayaanism". It is not going to work.
VERZET is het devies. RESISTANCE should be our banner.
Seeing
Susie:
Do they (The Dutch outside the areas of immigration) not see what is happening to the great cities of the Netherlands? Do they think this will not involve them?
Snouck:
Most people who do not live in theareas impacted by immigration do not see it. People have not been equipped with the concepts to see immigration as a concept. It was crimethink. To change that requires a main change of culture and a group of people who will equip the people with the ideas to see what is happening to their society.
Sure immigration is a concern to many people. Bo so are jobs, interest rates, the availability of housing, crime. Of course all these can to some extent be linked to immigration, but the Dutch need someone to do it for them. Right now people are focussed on Islam. Which is excellent. Most immigrants are Muslims and Islam is a very political faith so it is the main threat.
How to deal with this threat? Most people think in terms of using the power of the state to force the immigrants in a Dutch mold so the immigrants will become like us. It is a ridiculous idea, but this is what politicians tell them and Dutch people have a tendency to believe in this solution. I believe it is the same all over the Western world. This is why Bush went to Iraq. He thought the Western model was universal and could easily be transferred to an alien population. Most Americans believed him both Democrats and Republicans. So the only way the failings of this approach can be exposed is by trying it and seeing it crash and burn. The Americans are now seeing that democracy does not agree with Iraqi society.
And the Dutch will eventually see that culture is not a intellectual thing that can be programmed into people, but that it much more and that foreign population will resist their values being changed. By the time these lessons are learned another 10 years have passed.
So maybe the Muslims will indeed take over Holland and France. What can be done about it? I really do not know.
Do they (The Dutch outside the areas of immigration) not see what is happening to the great cities of the Netherlands? Do they think this will not involve them?
Snouck:
Most people who do not live in theareas impacted by immigration do not see it. People have not been equipped with the concepts to see immigration as a concept. It was crimethink. To change that requires a main change of culture and a group of people who will equip the people with the ideas to see what is happening to their society.
Sure immigration is a concern to many people. Bo so are jobs, interest rates, the availability of housing, crime. Of course all these can to some extent be linked to immigration, but the Dutch need someone to do it for them. Right now people are focussed on Islam. Which is excellent. Most immigrants are Muslims and Islam is a very political faith so it is the main threat.
How to deal with this threat? Most people think in terms of using the power of the state to force the immigrants in a Dutch mold so the immigrants will become like us. It is a ridiculous idea, but this is what politicians tell them and Dutch people have a tendency to believe in this solution. I believe it is the same all over the Western world. This is why Bush went to Iraq. He thought the Western model was universal and could easily be transferred to an alien population. Most Americans believed him both Democrats and Republicans. So the only way the failings of this approach can be exposed is by trying it and seeing it crash and burn. The Americans are now seeing that democracy does not agree with Iraqi society.
And the Dutch will eventually see that culture is not a intellectual thing that can be programmed into people, but that it much more and that foreign population will resist their values being changed. By the time these lessons are learned another 10 years have passed.
So maybe the Muslims will indeed take over Holland and France. What can be done about it? I really do not know.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Labour Party fears its new candidates after election victory
The fear of Muslim enablers
The Leader of the Dutch Labour Party fears the cultural incompatibility of the many new foreign council members after the Labour landslides in the municipal elections.
I doubt you get an interview like this with a Labour Party leader anywhere else in the Western world. Last Friday Wouter Bos was interviewed by "Het Parool" a Amsterdam newspaper.
In the elections there was a higher than usual turnout amongst Muslim immigrants. 80 percent of them voted for the Labour Party. Most did not vote for Dutch candidates, but instead chose to elect someone from their own ethnic group. This upset the party list.
On Dutch elections one can vote for a party list. All the candidates of a party are listed. Usually people vote for the party leader, who is on number one, but sometimes there are candidates with a big personal following, who receive many personal votes. The actual party will consist of those candidates who got the most votes. Because the immigrant Labour candidates can command such big personal voting armies there is a radical change in the party hierarchies. E.g. Derya Kaplan, a charming Turkish lady who is a member of Labour for less than a year. She received 6,746 votes! Enough to become number four on the Amsterdam Labour Party List.
Ethnic Dutch candidates who have long worked for a local Labour Party department and who received high positions on the municipal party list are pushed aside by new immigrant members who have just joined the party. They have not invested a lot of time in the party and have not become a part of the party fabric nor are they immersed in its ideology and culture. Giggle. This is going to be such fun!
Ethnic Conflict in Dutch politics
Labour Party leader Wouter Bos forecasts conflicts with new Labour party members. He doubts the quality of the new council members. For the next elections he demands a screening of candidates before the elections.
The Party leader expects nepotism and collusion between the candidates and their voters. As happens in the countries of origin were the voters expect special treatment for the group who delivered the vote. Bos recognises that the culture of immigrant voters does not match the Dutch culture. This is a difference the Labour Party has always strenously denied until now. Bos is very honest in this way. (He also admitted sending his children to a ethnically white Christian school, avoiding schools with considerable non-white immigrant populations.)
So what about the future?
Bos expects that everything will be alright in a generation or so. Funny man. The party has a special course teaching council members the ins and outs of Dutch political organisation and Dutch values with regards to the political game. A course. It is funny how many Westerners view Western culture as something that is purely cognitive. Simply memorise a few simple rules, and "hey presto!": a Western citizens! That non-Westerners will look at Western and still remain attached to their culture, to their values and to their ethnic community does not feature in many calculations.
Labour as the immigrant party
Asked whether he was not anxious that the "Labour Party" would become the "Immigrant Party" Bos replied that: "the Labour Party has one single story for all their voters. If we remain loyal to our narrative, we will remain the party for everyone."
One has to wonder whether the candidates featured by Labour do not speak louder than any story that Labour has spoken. In fact Labour has remained remarkably quiet during the campaign. I would venture that the choice of immigrant candidates is the only commitment Labour has shown during the municipal election at all. And the immigrants paid attention and rewarded Labour.
The ethnic Dutch have now also paid attention and polarisation between the Dutch and the immigrant community will increase. Because Job Cohen has warned for violence between immigrant youth and other groups in Amsterdam, it will be interesting to see what will happen. My prognosis is that ethnic candidates will have problems to disregard demands from their ethnic voting bases. This will hinder the ability of Amsterdam to deal with disturbances and increasingly communicate the disadvantage of Multiculturalism to white Labour Party members and activists.
The Leader of the Dutch Labour Party fears the cultural incompatibility of the many new foreign council members after the Labour landslides in the municipal elections.
I doubt you get an interview like this with a Labour Party leader anywhere else in the Western world. Last Friday Wouter Bos was interviewed by "Het Parool" a Amsterdam newspaper.
In the elections there was a higher than usual turnout amongst Muslim immigrants. 80 percent of them voted for the Labour Party. Most did not vote for Dutch candidates, but instead chose to elect someone from their own ethnic group. This upset the party list.
On Dutch elections one can vote for a party list. All the candidates of a party are listed. Usually people vote for the party leader, who is on number one, but sometimes there are candidates with a big personal following, who receive many personal votes. The actual party will consist of those candidates who got the most votes. Because the immigrant Labour candidates can command such big personal voting armies there is a radical change in the party hierarchies. E.g. Derya Kaplan, a charming Turkish lady who is a member of Labour for less than a year. She received 6,746 votes! Enough to become number four on the Amsterdam Labour Party List.
Ethnic Dutch candidates who have long worked for a local Labour Party department and who received high positions on the municipal party list are pushed aside by new immigrant members who have just joined the party. They have not invested a lot of time in the party and have not become a part of the party fabric nor are they immersed in its ideology and culture. Giggle. This is going to be such fun!
Ethnic Conflict in Dutch politics
Labour Party leader Wouter Bos forecasts conflicts with new Labour party members. He doubts the quality of the new council members. For the next elections he demands a screening of candidates before the elections.
The Party leader expects nepotism and collusion between the candidates and their voters. As happens in the countries of origin were the voters expect special treatment for the group who delivered the vote. Bos recognises that the culture of immigrant voters does not match the Dutch culture. This is a difference the Labour Party has always strenously denied until now. Bos is very honest in this way. (He also admitted sending his children to a ethnically white Christian school, avoiding schools with considerable non-white immigrant populations.)
So what about the future?
Bos expects that everything will be alright in a generation or so. Funny man. The party has a special course teaching council members the ins and outs of Dutch political organisation and Dutch values with regards to the political game. A course. It is funny how many Westerners view Western culture as something that is purely cognitive. Simply memorise a few simple rules, and "hey presto!": a Western citizens! That non-Westerners will look at Western and still remain attached to their culture, to their values and to their ethnic community does not feature in many calculations.
Labour as the immigrant party
Asked whether he was not anxious that the "Labour Party" would become the "Immigrant Party" Bos replied that: "the Labour Party has one single story for all their voters. If we remain loyal to our narrative, we will remain the party for everyone."
One has to wonder whether the candidates featured by Labour do not speak louder than any story that Labour has spoken. In fact Labour has remained remarkably quiet during the campaign. I would venture that the choice of immigrant candidates is the only commitment Labour has shown during the municipal election at all. And the immigrants paid attention and rewarded Labour.
The ethnic Dutch have now also paid attention and polarisation between the Dutch and the immigrant community will increase. Because Job Cohen has warned for violence between immigrant youth and other groups in Amsterdam, it will be interesting to see what will happen. My prognosis is that ethnic candidates will have problems to disregard demands from their ethnic voting bases. This will hinder the ability of Amsterdam to deal with disturbances and increasingly communicate the disadvantage of Multiculturalism to white Labour Party members and activists.
Building up a movement
About the municipal elections and the landslide victory for Labour (PvdA), the Socialist Party and the Greens a reader writes:
Susie:
You leave out the most important factor -- what do the Dutch people want??? It's still a democracy, is it not? The immigrant vote can't be much more than 10%. If the Dutch wish to die, then it is their choice."
Snouck:
No it is not that simple. The impact of immigration is very unequal accross the country. There are vast areas were there are hardly any Mulsims and small urban areas were they are 50 percent of the population, city wide.
In the areas hitherto untouched by immigration the population is not so concerned by it. And they are creeping to the Left due to secularisation. And only in Rotterdam is there a strong right wing alternative for the Left. The weakening Christian Democrats and the Liberal-Conservatives are pretty Multicultural too. New political organisations do not come into existance overnight. It will take 15 to 20 years to built up a strong Rightwing party. The question is if we have so much time. Also a part of the Dutch population will always stay on the side of Multiculturalism, because it is their ideology or because their power increases because of it and they can insulate themselves from the effects. So it remains to be seen if a nationalist alternative will grow at the required pace, if they will be able to formulate an ideology and whether they will be able to attract cadre for the party. Moreover there is strong opposition from the Socialist Party against the Fortuynist movement. The Socialist Party knows how to connect to people in working class areas and that it the prime hunting ground for a right wing movement.
Because the Christian Democrats seem to be collapsing perhaps their cadre can be poached in order to quicken the buld-up of a political organisation.
Susie:
You leave out the most important factor -- what do the Dutch people want??? It's still a democracy, is it not? The immigrant vote can't be much more than 10%. If the Dutch wish to die, then it is their choice."
Snouck:
No it is not that simple. The impact of immigration is very unequal accross the country. There are vast areas were there are hardly any Mulsims and small urban areas were they are 50 percent of the population, city wide.
In the areas hitherto untouched by immigration the population is not so concerned by it. And they are creeping to the Left due to secularisation. And only in Rotterdam is there a strong right wing alternative for the Left. The weakening Christian Democrats and the Liberal-Conservatives are pretty Multicultural too. New political organisations do not come into existance overnight. It will take 15 to 20 years to built up a strong Rightwing party. The question is if we have so much time. Also a part of the Dutch population will always stay on the side of Multiculturalism, because it is their ideology or because their power increases because of it and they can insulate themselves from the effects. So it remains to be seen if a nationalist alternative will grow at the required pace, if they will be able to formulate an ideology and whether they will be able to attract cadre for the party. Moreover there is strong opposition from the Socialist Party against the Fortuynist movement. The Socialist Party knows how to connect to people in working class areas and that it the prime hunting ground for a right wing movement.
Because the Christian Democrats seem to be collapsing perhaps their cadre can be poached in order to quicken the buld-up of a political organisation.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Hubris
A picture speaks more eloquently than a thousand words.
As the Muslim population of The Netherlands is increasing they diverse Muslim ethnic and sectarian groups commission the building of places of worship: Mosques. Some of them are in old schools of churches and some of them specially designed as Mosques, striking markers of the takeover of Dutch neighbourhoods. The Ethnic Dutch call them "Hovels of Hatred" (Haathutten).
Growing up a young Dutchman sees images on TV of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, the areas were Islam is strong and were the Mosque is a part of the local architecture. Little does the Dutchman expect to find these elegant buildings in his own cities.
When I visit Rotterdam with a passenger I like to get off the highway. Into the Spangen neighbourhood. As I turn through the cobbled streets of this working class neighbourhood we get into a street running towards a canal. The street is narrow and all the 4-story apartment buildings have sattelite dishes, a marker of immigrant populations. Beyond the canal, filling the full width of the street is the Mevlana Mosque.
On the streets little Arab and Turkish boys are playing "soldier" and the pavements is filled with veiled and burqa'ed women pushing wheel prams.
For most people the scene is a bit much to take in. They suddenly stop talking about whatever it was they were talking about and take a sharp hissing breath. Their eyes open wide and they look at the sattelite dishes, the lads, the prams, the burqas and the mosque.
A picture says more than a thousand words.
In Amsterdam, the Turkish Milli Görüs movement has been raising funds to build a show-piece mosque in Amsterdam-West, in the De Baarsjes borough. On the site of a former factory a Mosque will be build in combination with one-hundred-eleven apartments, seven-hundred-sixty square meter set aside for offices and shops, one-thousand-forty square meter of meeting rooms for "societal purposes" and a parking with room for two-hundred-thirty-eight cars. On a long canal called the Kostverloren canal.
It will boast the highest minaret in The Netherlands. Forty-two meters high. It MUST be forty-two meters high according to the golden rule. In order to place the top of the minaret at a 45 degree angle with the dome of the mosque. It will be higher than the Munt tower.But lower than the tower of the Westerkerk. The mosque will be build in the style of the "Amsterdamse School" of architecture to make it fit in the surroundings.
A final detail. The design is fundamentally inspired by the design of the "Aya Sophia" church, the main Church of the Byzantine Empire. This grand church was turned into a mosque in 1453, when Constantinopel became Istanbul. The capital of a mighty Islamic empire that ruled from Morocco to Croatia and from the Tigris to the Danube.
The commissioners of the mosque put special emphasis on this piece of history.
Anyway a picture says more than a thousand words.
So if I want to shock people with a picture of the Islamification of The Netherlands, I do not have to go to Rotterdam anymore. Who said progress is a thing of the past?
The old has to make place for the new. A long time ago, in the 17th century the factory site on the Kostverloren canal was already an industrial site. The site was occupied by a windmill for milling wheat. The windmill was called: "Eendragt". That is "Unity". That mill went a long time ago. In 1842.
Something else that had to go was a monument that had been placed on the quay of the canal. A monument were Dutch people gather to remember those who were killed by the German occupiers in the Second World War. According to the borrough the Islamic and Jewish communities had requested the removal of the monument, because it had the shape of a Christian Cross. When asked the local Jewish community said they had never asked anything and to be displeased that their monument was removed. The had also been miffed when Morroccan lads had been kicking the wreaths just after the wreath laying ceremony in 2003. The Turkish, Moroccan and Pakistani communities have confirmed (Dutch) that they asked for the removal of the offensive Cross. They do not like Christian symbols near their mosque.
O well. I got a monumental Mosque now. With a shopping centre. My cup runneth over.
And a picture says more than a thousand words.
As the Muslim population of The Netherlands is increasing they diverse Muslim ethnic and sectarian groups commission the building of places of worship: Mosques. Some of them are in old schools of churches and some of them specially designed as Mosques, striking markers of the takeover of Dutch neighbourhoods. The Ethnic Dutch call them "Hovels of Hatred" (Haathutten).
Growing up a young Dutchman sees images on TV of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, the areas were Islam is strong and were the Mosque is a part of the local architecture. Little does the Dutchman expect to find these elegant buildings in his own cities.
When I visit Rotterdam with a passenger I like to get off the highway. Into the Spangen neighbourhood. As I turn through the cobbled streets of this working class neighbourhood we get into a street running towards a canal. The street is narrow and all the 4-story apartment buildings have sattelite dishes, a marker of immigrant populations. Beyond the canal, filling the full width of the street is the Mevlana Mosque.
On the streets little Arab and Turkish boys are playing "soldier" and the pavements is filled with veiled and burqa'ed women pushing wheel prams.
For most people the scene is a bit much to take in. They suddenly stop talking about whatever it was they were talking about and take a sharp hissing breath. Their eyes open wide and they look at the sattelite dishes, the lads, the prams, the burqas and the mosque.
A picture says more than a thousand words.
In Amsterdam, the Turkish Milli Görüs movement has been raising funds to build a show-piece mosque in Amsterdam-West, in the De Baarsjes borough. On the site of a former factory a Mosque will be build in combination with one-hundred-eleven apartments, seven-hundred-sixty square meter set aside for offices and shops, one-thousand-forty square meter of meeting rooms for "societal purposes" and a parking with room for two-hundred-thirty-eight cars. On a long canal called the Kostverloren canal.
It will boast the highest minaret in The Netherlands. Forty-two meters high. It MUST be forty-two meters high according to the golden rule. In order to place the top of the minaret at a 45 degree angle with the dome of the mosque. It will be higher than the Munt tower.But lower than the tower of the Westerkerk. The mosque will be build in the style of the "Amsterdamse School" of architecture to make it fit in the surroundings.
A final detail. The design is fundamentally inspired by the design of the "Aya Sophia" church, the main Church of the Byzantine Empire. This grand church was turned into a mosque in 1453, when Constantinopel became Istanbul. The capital of a mighty Islamic empire that ruled from Morocco to Croatia and from the Tigris to the Danube.
The commissioners of the mosque put special emphasis on this piece of history.
Anyway a picture says more than a thousand words.
So if I want to shock people with a picture of the Islamification of The Netherlands, I do not have to go to Rotterdam anymore. Who said progress is a thing of the past?
The old has to make place for the new. A long time ago, in the 17th century the factory site on the Kostverloren canal was already an industrial site. The site was occupied by a windmill for milling wheat. The windmill was called: "Eendragt". That is "Unity". That mill went a long time ago. In 1842.
Something else that had to go was a monument that had been placed on the quay of the canal. A monument were Dutch people gather to remember those who were killed by the German occupiers in the Second World War. According to the borrough the Islamic and Jewish communities had requested the removal of the monument, because it had the shape of a Christian Cross. When asked the local Jewish community said they had never asked anything and to be displeased that their monument was removed. The had also been miffed when Morroccan lads had been kicking the wreaths just after the wreath laying ceremony in 2003. The Turkish, Moroccan and Pakistani communities have confirmed (Dutch) that they asked for the removal of the offensive Cross. They do not like Christian symbols near their mosque.
O well. I got a monumental Mosque now. With a shopping centre. My cup runneth over.
And a picture says more than a thousand words.
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