The Muslim community in the Netherlands is ignoring the relatively big percentage of Moroccan and Turkish loverboys. "The Turkish and Moroccan community has developed into a hotbed of pimps and loverboys," says Eindhoven youth counselor Ibrahim Wijbenga, an expert in the field of loverboys.
Wijbenga, a Muslim and half-Moroccan, calls upon the Dutch Moroccans and Turks to take a stand against youth who are active as pimps. "From the good families in our community I ask to come out and condemn this with me, to show that we're not all like that."
Wijbenga spoke after the sentencing of the notorious German-Turkish people smuggling gang of the B. brothers. Last week a court in Almelo sentenced the brothers to prison, from 2.5 to 7.5 years
According to Wijbenga it's not coincidence that Turkish pimps and Moroccan loverboys have "meanwhile built up a sad state of affairs" in the area of people smuggling and prostitution.
Wijbenga: "Only people who come from a culture where women are seen as second-class beings are guilty of such gross violence. In such a macho-culture the step towards women's trade is thus set. Women are then already objects with which the machos can do what they want."
Through his work with known criminologist Frank Bovenkerk in the field of loverboys, Wijbenga is a popular speaker about the subject in mosques and youth centers. But he says that information is not enough. "It's high time that Moroccan and Turkish community would be approached about this anti-female attitude and would itself do what is necessary. A radical culture upset is necessary."
Last year Eindhoven imam Ahmed al Ouarzani devoted time in one of his sermons to the problem of people smuggling, according to Bovenkerk's study. The imam said then that about 40% of the offenders are Moroccan.
Source: Spits (Dutch)
See also: Netherlands: Study of 'Wife-buying'
Wijbenga, a Muslim and half-Moroccan, calls upon the Dutch Moroccans and Turks to take a stand against youth who are active as pimps. "From the good families in our community I ask to come out and condemn this with me, to show that we're not all like that."
Wijbenga spoke after the sentencing of the notorious German-Turkish people smuggling gang of the B. brothers. Last week a court in Almelo sentenced the brothers to prison, from 2.5 to 7.5 years
According to Wijbenga it's not coincidence that Turkish pimps and Moroccan loverboys have "meanwhile built up a sad state of affairs" in the area of people smuggling and prostitution.
Wijbenga: "Only people who come from a culture where women are seen as second-class beings are guilty of such gross violence. In such a macho-culture the step towards women's trade is thus set. Women are then already objects with which the machos can do what they want."
Through his work with known criminologist Frank Bovenkerk in the field of loverboys, Wijbenga is a popular speaker about the subject in mosques and youth centers. But he says that information is not enough. "It's high time that Moroccan and Turkish community would be approached about this anti-female attitude and would itself do what is necessary. A radical culture upset is necessary."
Last year Eindhoven imam Ahmed al Ouarzani devoted time in one of his sermons to the problem of people smuggling, according to Bovenkerk's study. The imam said then that about 40% of the offenders are Moroccan.
Source: Spits (Dutch)
See also: Netherlands: Study of 'Wife-buying'
