Netherlands: Integration should not be confused with assimilation

Netherlands: Integration should not be confused with assimilation


Integration should not be confused with assimilation, the Netherlands’ European affairs minister said. “You can ask people to change their attitude according to social requirements, but you cannot ask them to change who they are,” Frans Timmermans said Wednesday, speaking with press at a roundtable meeting in Ankara.


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“After Sept. 11, all of a sudden, Turks, Moroccans and Somalis all became Muslims. Islam is perceived as a threat to their liberty,” Timmermans said.


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Source: Hurriyet Daily News (English)