Wednesday, May 17, 2006

HYSTERIA IN HOLLAND The hysteria in Holland about the case Hirsi 'Ali' is making waves abroad. The Wall Street Journal, always ready to add a racist touch, is writing about the Dutch disease. Even the NPR has lost all objectivity: "A controversial Dutch lawmaker who has been told to leave the Netherlands may soon reside in the United States, according to reports. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born member of the Dutch Parliament and a vocal critic of conservative Islam, resigned her post after the immigration minister withdrew her citizenship." Hirsi 'Ali' was not told to leave; she had decided to leave the country months ago before this affair. The minister did not withdraw her citizenship, she only observed that Hirsi's passport was invalid, because Hirsi had provided a wrong name, a wrong date of birth; moreover, morally, she had no right to a refugee status as she was living in Kenya in prosperous circumstances. And she is not a critic of 'conservative Islam', she fights Islam tout court. Those are the facts. The hysteria reaches fever-pitch with someone writing about 'The stoning of Ayaan Hirsi Ali' and 'lynch mobs'. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not persecuted by the Dutch media or politics, she is by radical Islam, but not the tolerant Islam. We have a free press and as a controversial MP she is getting flak. But she will probably get a proper passport soon. It was her personal decision to leave the Netherlands and she is being protected by the government from threats. If she lost her apartment, the government is ready to give her a new one. That there is an increasing intolerance in the Netherlands is a fact. But Hirsi herself was an MP for a party with an intolerant agenda, she supported the hard immigration rules and the deportation of her fellow-immigrants, she supported the illegal war against Iraq. Now that she runs into a personal problem she is asking for clemency for her and the other 26,000 illegal immigrants. She has to a large extent contributed to the climate of intolerance here. The result was the murder of Theo van Gogh. Never have I heard her talk about the need to support the people in Somalia financially or otherwise. She has only been generalising about Islam, calling it 'a backward religion'. Did she achieve something here? No, she antagonised people and groups, she made the situation worse. If you see that your actions or speech are having an adverse effect, you change tactics. She didn't, because the controversy gave her coverage, fame and wealth. Several times she changed ideological camps, she reneged her own family and upbringing, jumped from Labour to the conservative VVD, now she is giving up the liberal principles of the VVD (conservatives, but still pro-gay) for a neocon fundamentalist Bush think tank. This all smells of manipulative and careerist behaviour. What can we expect as the result of all this? The left wants a softening of immigration rules and a general pardon for the 26,000 illegal immigrants on the list for deportation. The right is squirming to only make one exception for Hirsi 'Ali', which would breach equality and set a precedent for favouritism. I fear that Hirsi Ali has again managed to give this country a further swing to the right. She will get exceptional treatment, while others who need a legalisation much more than she does, will be refused. Hirsi 'Ali' is a woman of means. This is not a tragedy for her, it may be hurting her feelings of honour, but it is a boost for her neocon career. Hirsi may have some good ideas, but her behaviour is wreaking havoc. Irrationality and misfiring political correctness are ruining the dialogue. The only one who profits from all this commotion is Hirsi 'Ali', who will soon be able to cash in on her new book. She has never been a real boon for political improvement nationally or internationally. Her choice of the AEI proves she feels no need for tolerance or dialogue. 11:55:53 AM

© Copyright 2006 Hetty Litjens.