No tolerance, please, we’re Dutch

The Spectator ^ | Issue: 5 February 2005 | Ron Liddle

[Eurotwit]

They’ve been doing a spot of mosque-burning recently, the Dutch. Couple of petrol bombs through the front door and woof — that’s Friday prayers postponed indefinitely. I don’t suppose they bothered to take their shoes off, either, the perpetrators.

It’s all very nasty and very, very unDutch. Holland is the country where everything is allowed, where everything is tolerated, from dope in the coffee houses, to fat-thighed whores baying for your money in frowzy shop windows, to imams suggesting that it’s OK to beat up women every now and then. The Dutch model seemed to be this: we’ll have our whores and our homosexuals and our cannabis over here and you can smack your women around over there in your Maghrebian ghetto. Live and let live. Mutual tolerance.

But all that is changing. What’s happened in Holland is a warning: one commentator calls it ‘Education By Death’ — the process which made the silent majority in America become militant after 9/11, which galvanised the Australians after the Bali bomb, which led to the fall of the Aznar government after the Madrid train bombing. The transformation of achingly liberal and endlessly tolerant Western people into resolute neocons. And in the case of Holland, the death which has been doing the educating was that of an iconoclastic film-maker and broadcaster, Theo van Gogh, a distant relative of that one-eared painter.

Van Gogh was murdered by a savage from the Dark Ages, a savage with extensive contacts within the world of militant Islam. It was not enough simply to kill him. The assailant, a 26-year-old Dutchman of Moroccan extraction called Mohammed Bouyeri, shot van Gogh eight times. But van Gogh was still not dead, so Bouyeri stabbed him through the heart with one knife and then attempted to hack off his head with another before plunging the knife through his stomach and affixing a scrawled letter of Islamic hatred and illiterate doggerel to the man’s body. A letter which also issued a fatwa against a bunch of Dutch politicians, some of whom are now in hiding with the benefit of police protection.

This was back on 2 November. Since then Holland has been in shock. Van Gogh was undoubtedly a controversialist and, despite a background on the unorthodox Left, was not well liked by the liberals. His last film, Submission, about Muslim mistreatment of women, was the one that did for him — that and a book called Allah Knows Best which showed the author mocked up as an imam. So he was not to everybody’s taste. And maybe the Dutch politicians could have been forgiven for expecting his murder — however brutal and horrific and very unDutch — to arouse little more than a passing sadness. But instead, it enraged and frightened the nation — the flowers placed at the site of the murder stretched across the street and around the corner. And then we had the mosque burnings and, by way of retaliation, a few church burnings, too. And, together with this, a fundamental rethink of that old notion, tolerance, and a re-evaluation of multiculturalism.

The Dutch immigration and intervention minister, Rita Verdonk, said this: ‘For too long we have said we had a multicultural society and everyone would simply find each other. We were naive.’

Still are, it might be argued. The government has responded to the public clamour by attempting to deport 26,000 illegal immigrants, mostly from Morocco, and introducing a rather more rigorous citizenship test than the one we have in Britain. In Holland, immigrants are responsible for their own integration and must pay E3,000 to take the test. Failure to comply results in fines or being booted out of the country. Again, all very unDutch. There are other encouraging signs, too: some two thirds of Holland’s lower house now wishes to revoke the 1930 Blasphemy Laws (exactly what Labour are now proposing, by the way).

But these are only small stirrings which have done almost nothing to address the fundamental problem — and the anger of the indigenous white population grows more splenetic by the day. I daresay this anger is exacerbated every time a ‘moderate’ imam appears on television to announce that although he regretted the murder of Theo van Gogh, he’s nonetheless very glad indeed that he’s dead. This happened just a few weeks ago. In truth, though, the liberal political elite still clings to this rather fuzzy notion of tolerance, despite the acceptance in government circles that Bouyeri was not a lone nutter but part of an organised Islamic cell known as the Hofstad Group, which constitutes ‘a violent movement against the principles and values of the state’. And despite the fact that, as ministers trawl the Muslim ghettoes attempting to make them feel part of a caring and inclusive society, the official Muslim denunciations of the murder are at best equivocal. It’s a bit naughty, but we can understand how it happened, they say, shaking their heads. (But not, as it happens, shaking the hands of the female government ministers, because Allah wouldn’t like it.)

Shortly after the murder of van Gogh, the Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, clambered aboard a bandwagon which had been set rolling by a bunch of ‘concerned’ media moppets. This was for everyone in the country to wear an orange wristband signifying unity and tolerance. You can also buy badges bedecked with a picture of a little bumblebee in support of the government slogan ‘Bee Tolerant’ (geddit?). But it has not done much to pacify the country. Right now, Dutch tolerance is in short supply.

There are broader fears at large. One recent study suggested that within six years at least three large Dutch cities will have an effective Muslim majority. There’s also the nightmare scenario of the Low Countries’ caliphate. There are enormous and growing Muslim populations in towns and cities dotted along the coast from Lille to Rotterdam — populations which will one day be in the majority. That’ll put an end to the booze cruises, then.

And all of this is aided and abetted by the European Union, its liberal immigration laws, its espousal of multiculturalism and, crucially, its implicit disavowal of the concept of a sovereign nation state with a coherent national identity. Holland is a small country which has become accustomed to not throwing its weight around. It gave up the guilder without much of a fuss. Its very language seems happy to take a back seat: you will find Dutch far less in evidence at Schiphol airport, for example, than you would find Welsh at Cardiff-Wales airport, and the language of Holland’s capital city is, effectively, English.

How, then, do you attempt to inculcate a belief in unity and nationhood among new citizens when the nation is withering away in front of you? For the Islamists, democracy and nationhood are subordinate to the will of Allah, but for too long Holland has ceded its own democracy and nationhood — and language and currency — to Brussels. Brussels versus Allah. I wonder who would win?

I spoke to one of Theo van Gogh’s closest friends, Theodor Holman. He’s a columnist and film-maker too. ‘We fear the end for the freedom of speech in our country,’ he told me. ‘Now we are not allowed to say what we believe. We must be very careful. We might be killed. And the politicians who brought us to this mess are not doing anything about it. Orange wristbands!’ he laughed. ‘Still they tell us we must respect Islam. Why must we?’ It is a question you hear more and more frequently; in Holland but also in Britain, where the government pursues the same line of threatening to punish people who attack the Islamic creed while locking up others who espouse it.

Van Gogh was murdered on a cold November morning at 8.40 a.m., just down the road from the huge police station near the Oosterpark. After he had been shot eight times he lay on the ground incapacitated, and Bouyeri approached, gun held out before him. It was during this appalling, terrifying moment that van Gogh, a scourge of the liberals, uttered a very Dutch plea for tolerance.

‘Please ...stop...,’ he said. ‘We can still talk about this.’ And then, as Bouyeri removed his knife: ‘Please. Have mercy.’

But he was addressing someone to whom the civilities of Dutch life are anathema. There was no talking to be done. And there was no mercy.

[Eurotwit]

ping

[Dark Skies]

bump

[henkster]

The Dutch made their bed. Let them lie in it.

"If ya let them do it to ya, ya got yourself to blame." The Who, Quadrophenia.

[Dacus943]

‘Still they tell us we must respect Islam. Why must we?’

Why indeed!!!

[epluribus_2]

We can still respect "real" islam, as soon as they universally and unmistakenly denounce the horrors that the "unreal" islam fanatics are practicing. (crickets chirping...)

Actually, not a bad intro to "Unreal Tournament - Eurabia"

[KC_Conspirator]

Dutch needs to get even tougher or they will be on a rug 5 times a day and gone will be the dope/coffee houses.

[Tamar1973]

Dutch needs to get even tougher or they will be on a rug 5 times a day and gone will be the dope/coffee houses.

No. They will simply replace the dope w/ hashish and the coffee with Moroccan mint tea.

[CzarNicky]

We can still respect "real" islam, as soon as they universally and unmistakenly denounce the horrors that the "unreal" islam fanatics are practicing.

The sad thing is that the jihadists are the good muslims. The ones that want to live well amongst their neighbors are bad muslims and will be killed in good time if they don't shape up.

[bbenton]

I'll give 2 to one odds on allah vs Brussels. Thanks to myopic politicians and an anything goes identity they are in way over their heads. Those softies don't have the will to fix the problem.

[sassbox]

"What’s happened in Holland is a warning: one commentator calls it ‘Education By Death’ — the process which made the silent majority in America become militant after 9/11, which galvanised the Australians after the Bali bomb, which led to the fall of the Aznar government after the Madrid train bombing. The transformation of achingly liberal and endlessly tolerant Western people into resolute neocons."

I'm surprised the author included the fall of Aznar's govt with these other events. What the Spanish did last March was the opposite of transforming into resolute neocons. Instead, it was the epitome of appeasement to the terrorists.

[satchmodog9]

This was for everyone in the country to wear an orange wristband signifying unity and tolerance. You can also buy badges bedecked with a picture of a little bumblebee in support of the government slogan ‘Bee Tolerant’ (geddit?).



Stupid librals and their symbolism.

[1066AD]

Brussels versus Allah. I wonder who would win?

No-brainer there !

[SoftballMominVA]

Here's a thought that I've been mulling on for years

Many European nations, especially France, are near or are at a "tipping point" with the Muslim population. Soon the Muslims WILL be the voting majority. So what happens then? Will we see in our lifetime full Muslim governments in Europe? What is to keep a Taliban like government from taking control?

What happens to the art work in France--everyone saw what happened in Afghanistan--what little historical art was there was blown up, against the wishes of the Western world.

How soon before European women are required to wear a full bourka and have all rights stripped away?

It seems that an insidious poison is creeping across Europe, so much more deadly than Hitler, but so quiet that one almost has a image of someone in a pot with the water slowing rising to a boil

And most importantly, how long before America is once again asked to rescue Europe?

[epluribus_2]

But I'll take 5 to 1 on the ghost of the Hapsburgs vs the moon diety any day. The day is coming.

(but alas, not the ghost of El Cid)

[Sir Gawain]

The hash is already there.

[epluribus_2]

Don't forget Poland and Italy. They actually were very helpful in stopping the last moslem hoard.

[mark502inf]

in your Maghrebian ghetto

Obscure geographic reference alert!

[gridlock]

Brussels versus Allah. I wonder who would win?

I'll take Allah and give you 11 points. The Church of England could clean Brussels' clock, two times out of three.

[untenured]

There are broader fears at large. One recent study suggested that within six years at least three large Dutch cities will have an effective Muslim majority. There’s also the nightmare scenario of the Low Countries’ caliphate. There are enormous and growing Muslim populations in towns and cities dotted along the coast from Lille to Rotterdam — populations which will one day be in the majority.

Post-9/11 I see a lot of remarks like this. It sounds plausible, but I've never seen solid demographic projections to back it up. It's easy to find (here, for example) overall demographic projections for a country. But perhaps because of the political sensitivity of it, I've never seen any serious demographers attempt to project the Muslim/non-Muslim breakdown over the next few decades in these countries. Has anyone seen any serious attempts of this kind?

[nosofar]

And most importantly, how long before America is once again asked to rescue Europe?

By that time, I'm not sure there will be any Europe to rescue. I suspect there will be another world war with Eurabia on one side and the U.S. on the other. Where would the rest of the world be? Hard to say completely. I'll probably be dead by then anyway.

[mark502inf]

Regardless of their domestic problems, they are good allies to the USA. And the main Dutch immigrant communities in the USA (in west Michigan & Iowa) are strongly conservative and reliably Republican. Let's hope they get their act together:

U.S. RELATIONS

The U.S. partnership with the Netherlands is one of its oldest continuous relationships and dates back to the American Revolution. The excellent bilateral relations are based on close historical and cultural ties as well as a common dedication to individual freedom and human rights. The Netherlands shares with the United States a liberal economic outlook and is firmly committed to free trade.

The United States attaches great value to its strong economic and commercial ties with the Dutch. The Netherlands is the third-largest direct foreign investor in the United States, and the United States is the largest direct foreign investor in the Netherlands.

The United States and the Netherlands often have similar positions on issues and work together both bilaterally and multilaterally in such institutions as the United Nations and NATO. The Dutch have worked with the United States at the WTO, in the OECD, as well as within the EU to advance the shared U.S. goal of a more open, honest, and market-led economy. The Dutch, like the United States, were firmly in favor of the recent EU eastward expansion.

The United States and the Netherlands joined NATO as charter members in 1949 and have been close allies ever since. The Dutch fought alongside the United States in the Korean War and the first Gulf War and have been active in global peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia. The Netherlands played a leading role in the 1999 Kosovo air campaign. They currently are contributing to NATO peacekeeping forces in Bosnia. They have been active participants in Afghanistan and also have led peacekeeping efforts in that country. During the recent Iraq conflict, they deployed Patriot missiles to protect NATO ally, Turkey, and have deployed a battalion of troops to Iraq to participate in stabilization operations.

[sassbox]

it is very scary to consider the future of Europe. I too fear for the artistic and cultural treasures there. I am glad that I studied in Italy a few years ago and had a chance to see all that art and architecture, as well as a trip to Paris. Because I don't know how much longer it will be til radical muslims destroy all of it.

[Stultis]

You can also buy badges bedecked with a picture of a little bumblebee in support of the government slogan ‘Bee Tolerant’ (geddit?).

Talk about the contrast between conservative/realist "adults" and utopian/leftist "children"! The government of Holland has actually devolved to Romper Room rhetoric!

Mr. Do Bee - Yellow and black bee with  bouncing antennae seen on the 1950s kiddie show ROMPER ROOM/SYN/1954-94 originally hosted by nursery-school teacher Nancy Claster [replaced by Claster's daughter Sally in 1964]. The "Mr. Do Bee" (and "Mr. Don't Bee") characters were used to help pre-school children learn the differences between right and wrong.

[bowzer313]

"What’s happened in Holland is a warning: one commentator calls it ‘Education By Death’ — the process which made the silent majority in America become militant after 9/11, which galvanised the Australians after the Bali bomb, WHICH LED TO THE FALL OF THE AZNAR GOVERNMENT AFTER THE MADRID TRAIN BOMBING."

SAY WHAA?? You lost me with that last line!!

[Modernman]

Many European nations, especially France, are near or are at a "tipping point" with the Muslim population. Soon the Muslims WILL be the voting majority.

Not really. France and Holland have some of the highest percentage of Muslims in Europe (discounting Turkey, Bosnia, Albania etc.) and their Muslim populations are 5-10% and 4.4%, respectively.

The numbers of Muslims in Europe is overstated. The Europeans still have time to fix their Muslim problems.

Will we see in our lifetime full Muslim governments in Europe?

No. More likely, we'll see some type of coup or revolution in certain countries that will bring to power a totalitarian government willing to deal with the Muslim problem. Of course, that will lead to the deaths of many innocent people, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

[MisterRepublican]

The governments of Europe did little to stop Hitler's rise to power until it was to late. History seems to be repeating itself.

[MisterRepublican]

Too late.

[Balding_Eagle]

Think how fortunate we are that it's happening THERE soon enough so that we will have a model to point to.

If anything good came out of 9-11, it's that ALL WE EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT ISLAM, WE LEARNED ON 9-11.

[AngryJawa]

And most importantly, how long before America is once again asked to rescue Europe?

We're doomed to it. It's ingrained in our bones to protect them from themselves.

Don't expect a "Thank You" from them, either.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

The Muslimes, frigg'em and feed'em fish heads.

[Bogolyubski]

Trouble in crapweasel paradise? One interesting point to note is that Van Gogh was shot eight times a short distance from a police station - in a land where gun control is nearly absolute. Yet we have people here cheering an attorney general whose ideal on gun control would be to turn the US into another Holland - or worse.

Van Gogh is representative of today's Europen civilization as a whole: a nihilist who, after rejecting God, his own heritage and culture, invites the entire world into his house and is quite shocked to discover that some of the precious multicultural "other" don't share his degenerate libertine view of life but intend to colonize and take over.

Multiculturalism is rooted in the same utopian lies of all leftist movements: all people are the same - simply interchangeable units - blank slates for the social engineers who will turn them into model citizens of the new world order. All people are basically good and everything will be milk and honey if we just re-order society in this way .... if we just eliminate all vestiges of the evil Christian colonialist-patriarchal-homophobic culture ...if we just get rid of these stiff-necked Jews because they refuse to get with the program and continue to support Zionist oppression. The Euro ruling elite's solution to the destruction wrought by liberalism: We need more liberalism! We'll have to ban any artworks offensive to the Caliphate!

Despite a life's work characterized liberal nihilism - an absolute worship of death (not surprising in a country noted for its involuntary euthanasia), Van Gogh didn't embrace the death he'd worshipped all those years (the logical end of his worldview) when actually confronted with its reality. Instead, he ends up begging for his life as the Jihadi plunges the knife into his heart. Theo Van Gogh is emblematic of a dying culture. We in the US shouldn't boast though, for the same disease is steadily at work right here - eating us away from within like a cancer.

[ibbryn]

‘Please ...stop...,’ he said. ‘We can still talk about this.’ And then, as Bouyeri removed his knife: ‘Please. Have mercy.’

Great line.

When George Harrison was attached in his house by a nut he said he couldn't think of anything to do but yell "Hara Krishnia" at the nut. I'm not joking. Geo's wife stopped the attack by hitting the knife guy with a lamp.

[Eurotwit]

Agreed. I noticed that as well.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"Dutch needs to get even tougher or they will be on a rug 5 times a day and gone will be the dope/coffee houses."

"No. They will simply replace the dope w/ hashish and the coffee with Moroccan mint tea.."

If what the Iranian people are saying is true, the ruling mullas there are flooding the country with cheap hard drugs to keep the lid on and turn the youth into drug numbed serfs.

So, seems the religion of peace has no problems with corruption of the eternal soul, so long as it serves their perverted purposes.

[PAR35]

You can also buy badges bedecked with a picture of a little bumblebee in support of the government slogan ‘Bee Tolerant’

If I lived there, I would start selling badges with a picture of a Wasp, with stinger ready.

[technochick99]

Another FReeper gave me a high res copy of Submission. I finally watched it this week. It was quite disturbing and heartbreaking. I felt a strong bond of sisterhood with the actress. That van Gogh was murdered over it was all the more terrible. It spoke truths that needed to be spoken.

If anyone wants to download a copy, please FReepmail me. I will be uploading it to my website this weekend.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"(but alas, not the ghost of El Cid)"

Ah yes, "El Cid," the case of the dissappearing un-PC movie about casting out the Muslimes from Europa. Anyone seen the flick on the bkoop tube as of late?

I have tried to find the movie to rent, but to no avail.

Today, Spain, the poster child of terrorist appeasment, would tell El Cid to, vamoose muy pronto, take a hike Jack, and don't come back.

[Eurotwit]

But El Cid joined forces with the moderate muslims (already in Spain) in order to fight the radical invasion force.

That is, at least according to the movie.

El Cid is the spanish version of Sayed.

Someone correct me, but isn't Sayed the term for someone directly related to Mohammed...black turban and all.

[epluribus_2]

well, maybe Sid (El Cid) is gone forever but those Hapsburgers were nuts and knew just how to put the creeps in their place. When is the last time you heard of a Muslim Navy?

[ut1992]

I worked in Amsterdam for two years ('99-'01), and am in Holland at least 2-3 times a year on business/vacation. I have always found the Dutch are probably some of the nicest people you'd want to meet. Granted, I hardly ever agree with any their political believes.

However, when it comes to true allies, the Dutch can be counted on to stand. I remember reading about Dutch PM Wim Kok sending a frigate (I believe and I've forgetten her name) of Her Majesties Royal Dutch Navy to patrol both NY harbor and cost when Afganistan was invaded in November 2001.

They have also been with us in both Afganistan and Iraq.

I've had over the years the privilage of meeting many Dutch Army/Air Force NCOs and Officers, and I can say that I would be proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.

De Nederlanders zijn ware vrienden aan de V.S. Lang levende Koningin Beatrix

[untenured]

Has anyone seen any serious attempts of this kind?

Replying to my own question, I found this argument that the whole Eurabia scenario is overblown.

[franksolich]

Good point, sir; that is my own speculation, too, that sooner or later as the Europeans come to their twits, er, wits, in some cases (but not all) we very well may see totalitarian coups.

The inevitable, inexorable movement of history; when a culture is threatened, and when those within that culture recognize the threat, with their backs against the wall, they finally stand up and fight.

Whether they "win" or not, they do fight for survival.

[muir_redwoods]

If Islam wants total war with the West it'll be short, ugly and there will be a bunch of riderless camels to deal with when it's over.

[DrampireXIV]

The murder of theo-van gogh was beyond horrific: according to eye witnesses, he was cut-up like an animal.. all for saying the truth !!

Unfortunately, I dont see the dutch being anymore resolute than the weak spanish were, after madrid bombing.. their society is too liberal to deal with the Islamo-fascists.

[Eurotwit]

Apparently the Norwegian government has done such analysis, but refuses to publish them, because the results would be "too politically sensitive"

[muir_redwoods]

The wise do not tolerate infections and for those that do, their tolerance is no virtue. The Dutch have shown a spine in dealing with islamism, a cultural infection that would subvert the European culture and destroy Holland if given the chance.

[ArmyTeach]

The Dutch, like the British, are a great people to whom we owe much of our own traditions of freedom and tolerance. When naivete replaces tolerance, you've got a problem. I think the Dutch people are way ahead of their government on this. I hear that many are emigrating. Unfortunate if they leave their country to the Islamofascists.

[guitfiddlist]

No. More likely, we'll see some type of coup or revolution in certain countries that will bring to power a totalitarian government willing to deal with the Muslim problem. Of course, that will lead to the deaths of many innocent people, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

Bingo. History always shows this. So all the muslims who issue roaring silences concerning the atrocities of jihadists better wise up in a hurry. They will be the ones that pay. That's not a threat, it's just a sad fact of life.

[Vision]