Allochtonen Weblog is a Dutch language blog that collects news about the immigrant community in the Netherlands. Here’s a few interesting stories they’ve had this week.
Rotterdam Essalam Mosque
The work on the Rotterdam Essalam Mosque is moving along, with the placing of two 50 meter high minarets. The mosque is being funded by a minister from the United Arab Emirates and should be finished this year.
The mosque intends to use a real muezzin to call the Muslims to prayer, as compared to the more modern method of sounding tapes. In Rotterdam the muezzin calls only on Friday afternoon, for the weekly Friday prayers.
Imams for overseas missions
The largest Muslim organization in Holland (Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid, CMO) is calling on the gov’t to send military imams on overseas missions.
Parents not sending kids to 'black' schools
Less and less parents are willing to send their kids to “black” schools (ie, schools with a high percent of immigrants). The number has dropped from 20% last year to 12% this year. In general by the Dutch, the number has dropped from 27% to 22%. Meanwhile, the number of parents who feel Islamic schools have a right to exist has dropped from 50% to 40%
Shirts with Arabic text becoming popular
Said Dahchouri, A Dutch-Moroccan designer, says his designs are very popular both by Dutch and immigrants. The shirts are printed with various words in Arabic (famous, respect, peace, allochtoon/foreign)
Donner: Judeo-Christian tradition doesn't need gov't protection
Dutch Minister of Justic Donner says that the gov’t should not protect the “Judeo-Chrisitian tradition” and says many of those who support it, do not go to church themselves and are simply using religion in order to exclude immigrants. It is society which should protect moral norms, not the gov’t.
Working mothers in the Netherlands
New statistics have been published about working mothers in the Netherlands.
By ethnic Dutch the number goes from 90% working before motherhood to around 80% after the birth of their first child.
By 1st generation Turkish and Moroccan mothers this went from 70% to 40%. By other non-Western immigrants the number dropped as well, but not as much.
By 2nd generation Turkish and Moroccan women, 80% work before their first child, while only about 50% work afterward.
Parent-Teacher meetings
A parliament member is suggesting to force parents to show up for parent-teacher meetings, saying that especially immigrant parents are not coming to such meetings. However, one school official is saying there are better ways, for example – giving out reports only if the parents show up or revive the old practice of sending teachers to visit their students at home.
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