Last week the Staatscourant reported the establishment of a new Dutch Islamic party. The report turned out to be a hoax. The so-called Islamic party had copied its program from that of the Political Reformed Party (SGP), a Christian party dedicated to having a Christian state in the Netherlands.
I had sent an email to the addresses given on their site and got back a reply with the reasoning for the hoax. The hoaxers have also posted it on their site, with slight variations. My translation follows, the emphasis is in the original:
1. There's a fear of strict Islamic ideas in the Netherlands, and some of those ideas are called un-Dutch, backwards, dangerous etc. However, the SGP believes in those exact same ideals and brings them into parliament. Therefore, those ideas are "more Dutch than people think". Also, the SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands which is still active. (started in 1918)
2. Democracy is not for fearful people. Sooner or later there will be an Islamic politicla party, and they will make use of their democratic right to propagate their religious ideas and notions in the political arena. Muslims are just regular people and also have many different political ideas. Not all Muslims would vote for a strict Islamic party just as not all Christians would vote for the SGP. A possible Islamic party with the same ideas as the SGP will probably stay as small as the SGP itself. And just like the the SGP, the principles will be loftier than the daily political reality, to which politicians (and their followers) usually add without any problems.
3. The third point is probably the most important. Besides giving a political voice to Muslims with which they will be able to defend in parliament against blame directed at them, an Islamic party in parliament will make Muslims politically approachable. Muslims could then be asked to be responsible for their followers on a political level. This will help solve a whole lot of misunderstandings in our society, and is in the interest of the whole of Dutch society.
Source: IDP Site (Dutch)
3 comments:
Sure, Muslims are politically approachable, just like fascist are political approachable. But does that make them less abject?
Hi Ferdy,
I think that democracy should defend itself against those who wish to harm it, not give them a voice. Comparing Islamic fundamentalists to Christian fundamentalists is a cute idea, but it's not grounded in reality, and like most things today, does not take the background of both parties into account.
In any case, the Netherlands already has an Islamic political party.
Esther, I totaly agree.
The PvdA is currently the biggest Islamic party muslims could wish for. No imam is so foolish to spoil the current leverage they currently have.
PS
Still don't believe that Socialist like the National Socialist love the Islam doctrines.
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