Monday, July 16, 2007

“Islam is a Part of Our Culture”

Last year Jens Orback, the Democracy Minister in the former Social Democratic government of Sweden, caused a stir by saying on a state radio program, “We must be open and tolerant towards Islam and the Muslims so that when we become the minority they will be the same towards us.” (Vi måste vara öppna och toleranta mot Islam och muslimerna för när vi blir i minoritet kommer de att vara det mot oss.)

Now a Dutch government minister has added her own voice to the chorus of accommodation, capitulation, and dhimmification in Europe.

According to an article in Saturday’s Trouw, the people of the Netherlands will just have to get used to increasing numbers of Muslims in their midst. Many thanks to Yorkshire Miner for the prompt translation:

Vogelaar: Islam is a part of our culture
“Stop this fear of Islam”


The Islamic culture has nestled so deeply in Dutch society that in the long term the Netherlands can be described as a land with a Jewish-Christian-Islamic tradition.

Wilders strongly criticized minister Vogelaar over her comments about Islam

Ella Vogelaar“Muslims are not going away,” said Ella Vogelaar (PvdA) [Dutch Labor Party] today in a interview with Trouw. The Minister for Housing, Neighborhoods, and Integration hoped to end the negativism and fear of Islam. “I want to help Muslims feel at home here. Islam and Muslims must be able to put down roots here because Muslims are also citizens of this land.”
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Vogelaar has no problem if the local government financially supports religious organizations of the new Netherlanders. “As long at it is social aims you subsidize, and not religious activities. Otherwise you cross a line.”

Vogelaar sends with her pronouncement a completely different signal to the Muslim groups than have the politics of the last few years. Since the beginning of the Balkenende Cabinet in 2002 the policy was for immigrants to adapt to the Dutch norms and values.

Although the minister will not remove the obligation for assimilation and learning the Dutch language, she speaks of a mutual process whereby the cultures influence and stimulate each other. “It is important that such a large group root themselves in our society and become a permanent part,” said Vogelaar

The Minister made a comparison with the assimilation of the Jewish people in the Dutch culture. “Centuries ago the Jewish people came to the Netherlands and now we say, ‘the Netherlands is a land formed through Jewish and Christian traditions.’ I can picture a similar process with Islam.”


Hat tip: R. Hartman, in Dutch Concerns.

9 comments:

ENGLISHMAN said...

However the jews did not bomb us and seek to subject us to sharia laws.The ignorance of these supposedly intelligent "leaders" is breathtaking, they obviously live nowhere near this murderous scum,and thier feigned ignorance of the agenda of islam when it is common knowledge bespeaks a serious mental condition, whos cure can only be at the end of a rope.

shokk said...

How sad that things are so far gone that we will likely capitulate to the global caliphate in my lifetime. I can already feel their blade at my neck.

Unknown said...

Dont be so sad. Until now there have been a one sided war. They against us. We even didnot know that there was a war running. We just have to do what we are already good to: understand them and use this knowledge to win. A thing they are unable to do.

Subvet said...

The woman is delusional.

Tapline said...

i tried leaving a comment yesterday, but apparently it was edited out. Sorry if I offended anyone with my rantings, I assure you it wasn't intended. I will say just one thing. People who can make a difference should not take these delusional polititians laying down. It is not politics, but a way of life. wake-up

R. Hartman said...

"“Centuries ago the Jewish people came to the Netherlands and now we say, ‘the Netherlands is a land formed through Jewish and Christian traditions.’ I can picture a similar process with Islam.”"

Vogelaar's stupidity couldn't be demonstrated better than by this quote. The 'Jewish' in Europe's Jewish-Christian tradition is because Christianity is based on Judaism, not on a handful of marginalised Jews that happened to immigrate a century or so ago. She's just voicing a false excuse to create a plausible background for the statement. People like her should be banned from positions in which they can spend taxpayer's money.

Tapline said...

Didn't the uproar about the cartoon caper wake anyone up over there.. Come on people get rid of the blind peaceniks and elect reality based individuals...Good post Dy

Jabba the Tutt said...

My question is what 'culture' will the Moslems contribute to any European country? Pope Benedict quoted Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos:

"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

So, what contributions are Moslems going to make to Western culture? They've been stagnant for the past 500 years. They'd be a cultural zero today, if it wasn't for oil revenues, which they only get, because of Western culture.

Mike said...

We are making the work of the Islamist extremists easier by not supporting our christian churches and christian way of life. We allow our elected leaders to make decisions on matters for which they were not elected. No-one in Britain gave Tony Blair licence to use the position he attained by our votes to promote the views anfd aspirations of a culture seeking to dominate Europe