The final nail in the coffin of Dutch tolerance.
Text to follow: the disgraceful behaviour of the Dutch system against Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
My least favourite person in Holland, that horrible Rita Verdonk, has declared that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an illegal person and is taking away her Dutch citizenship. This because a TV programme showed that she had lied about her name, her age and her country of departure, all facts which she had already admitted many times.
Ayaan is a member of parliament and is due to resign and leave the country, to take up a paid post at a US think tank. She is a member of the VVD party, the so-called Freedom Party, which is in government. The party knew of the facts surrounding her asylum request when they asked her to join. Now a member of this same party, indeed someone who wnats to lead the party (and the country), this Verdonk, is the one who is threatening to take away her citizenship. The party used her when it needed her (after the death of Fortuin), but now the party thinks it can do better without her they are dumping her... and in such a way. Being forced out of the country.
Earlier, she was being forced out of her home because she was an apparent danger to her neighbours (being a possible target of Islamic extremists). Not one politician has stood up for her.
She doesn't fit in Holland any more and the way she is being dumped has parallels with the way her collaborater Theo van Gogh was murdered, almost outside teh internet cafe in which I am sitting.
What is particularly galling is the way the establishment is closing her out, happy to see the back of a nuisance. The second most destable person in Dutch politics, ex-leader of the VVD Hans Weigel showed what a bad sport he is by saying she will not be missed and that we will probably never hear anything form her again.
I did not agree with the way she went about things, and I don't even agree with many of her views, but I do feel sorry for Ayaan Hirsi Ali, suffering from the Dutch tendency to demonise anyone who does not fit. The final nail in the coffin of Dutch tolerance.
A couple of extra points:
1 there are two curent ministers who have lied to the House of Parliament in recent times, at least two well known examples. Minister Verdonk and Minister Zalm. From what I hear, these two are a couple (as in having a relationship). They have lied and they keep their jobs as ministers. Ayaan Hirsi Ali lies and loses her nationality, job and home.
2 there is (yet) another unsavoury man lurking around in Dutch politics, namely Mr Nawijn. He was one of the first to scream that Ayaan Hirsi Ali should lose her nationality. And yet! HE was the responsible minister when Ayaan Hirsi Ali first admitted to lying... and he did .... nothing..... nothing either because he was lazy, incompetent in his job or was part of the system which was still USING her.
It stinks... but at least I hear that the majority of Dutch people are more in favour of Ayaan Hirsi Ali than they are of Verdonk.
posted by Charles Roffey and Fred O at 13:25
1 Comments:
"The final nail in the coffin of Dutch tolerance." I couldn't agree more.
I wasn't and am not a big fan of Ayaan either. I do not agree however with stripping her of her Dutch citizenship. It's hypocrite that the (of all others) VVD has the loudest voice on this matter. Again, however totally disagreeing on many of her views, taking away her nationality is way too harsh. Especially, as she made no secret of the fact that she wasn't completely honest from the beginning.
I believe that Ayaan has contributed (to say the least) in creating an intolerant climate in the Netherlands,in which everyone who's supposedly not integrated (read not-native Dutch) isn't welcome. This climate has made life in Netherlands extremely difficult for many people. Now she is being confronted with this climate. What goes around comes around.
As for the VVD (up?)- using her for political gain: the recent history of the VVD shows other examples of the party using particular public figures for temporary political goals and dumping them straight away when the that goal is reached. Sherribi is an example of these figueres. Somewhere in the nineties, he was listed on a electoral number on the VVD national electoral list, I believe it was number 16. Bolkestein used him in the French-Dutch softdrugs conflict and in supposedly researching radical mosques.The next elections, he wasn’t included on the list, although he wanted to
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