Netherlands: Moroccans want more attention for discrimination against Moroccans, Muslims
Farid Azarkan of the Cooperation Association of Moroccans in the Netherlands (SNM) says that Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin should pay specific attention to inicdents against Dutch Morocans and Muslims in his action proram against discrimination. On Thursday the cabinet sent the action program on discrimination to Parlimaent. It does not deal specifically with discrimination and violence against Dutch Moroccans and Muslims, which the SMN says is a real problem.
The SMN is also critical about the presenation of police figures about discrimination, which were also sent by Hirsch Balin to Parliament. The main conclusion in the attached police letter said that discrimination against gays and Jews incraesed sharply in 2009, and that got a lot of attention in the media. Another importnat point in the report did not appear in the letter: the biggest categroy of incidents is of those based on ethnicity and origin - including those against Dutch Moroccans.
The attached letter was therefore incomplete and gives a biased picture of the police figures, says SMN. "This bias in the presentation of the research ultimately influences the images formed in society."
The SMN says that many people get the idea that it's mostly Jews and gays who are discriminated, and that this is often done by Dutch Moroccans. Discrimination of the latter group is, on the other hand, underexposed. The SMN says they are against all forms of discrimination. Azarkan says that the fact that Jews and gays are increasingly becoming vitims of discrimination and violence, is a sad and alarming devleopment.
Source: Telegraaf (Dutch)
