Chris Brauer Media Project [BLOG]

Strange and bizarre happenings in the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) region of Europe and a far cry from 'Gezelligheid', the famous Dutch word for feeling the unique experience of coziness, of a comfortable, relaxing time and place that Dutch homes and cafes seek in their decor and atmosphere.

The tolerant image of this region has been badly shaken in recent weeks following the murder of outspoken filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and subsequent charge of a Muslim suspect. Since his death on Nov 2 there have been over 20 arson attacks on mosques and churches in tit for tat violence. And now a popular Dutch politician is calling for rejecting immigration from non-western nations. Geert Wilders has formed his own right-wing political party, the Wilders Group, and opinion polls shows his popularity soaring. Predictably videos have been released on the Internet calling for his beheading as a path to the reward of Paradise. Wilders has gone into hiding but continues to communicate with the media. Muslims make up about 6 per cent of the Netherlands' 16 million people. As often happens during times of inflamed emotions it is the radicals on all sides who are dominating the debate ... "No more Muslims in our country!" ... "Off with his head!" ... that sort of thing.

Meanwhile in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, the most popular national political party in recent opinion polls has been banned by Belgium's appeals court. The Vlamms Blok was banned for violating anti-racism laws and campaigns for forcible repatriation of immigrants and promotes fear of Muslim citizens. This is the most popular political party with over 25% support in opinion polls?? With a radical far-right agenda so deplorable as to find itself banned by a court of law for prejudice!

There is a lot of righteous conflict going on in the world today, negotiations increasingly marginalized to be replaced by war, terrorism and more conflict. Maybe it is extending beyond the soldiers in these conflicts to the streets of the world's cities where a common sense of shared humanity is increasingly elusive. Game after game is currently going by in Spanish football (soccer) at the national and club level with fans hurling racist chants at black players and joining together to brazenly make monkey sounds when these players are in possession of the ball. Where is the silent majority in all this, the ones who will not stand for these kinds of abuses in the name of tolerance and a fundamental understanding that all we share is our humanity? In the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, "when you demean the other, you demean yourself".

Labels: politics, sociology