ISLAMOPHOBIA DEBATE IN NETHERLANDS

MPs from the left-wing green party GroenLinks called for an emergency debate with integration minister Ella Vogelaar after an EU watchdog said Muslim minorities in the Netherlands are facing increasing violence and intolerance. The new report from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance said Islamophobia in the Netherlands has ‘increased dramatically’ since 2000. “The criminal justice system, and notably the police, still needs to enhance its role in monitoring and countering racially-motivated offences,” the report said. The tone of Dutch political and public debate around integration and other issues relevant to ethnic minorities has experienced ‘dramatic deterioration,’ the report says and goes on to warn of a ‘worrying polarisation between majority and minority communities’. It criticises the official approach to integration for focusing too much on the ‘perceived deficiencies’ among the minority population.
The Netherlands Muslims – around 6% of the population – face ‘stereotyping, stigmatising, outright racist political discourse and biased media portrayal,’ the report continues.