Dutch discriminate against Muslims: Poll

The survey conducted by Maurice De Hond pollster found more than half of Muslim immigrants in the country complain about religious discrimination.

Fifty-eight percent of the respondents believed that the behavior of the Dutch government and people to Muslims is discriminatory in comparison to immigrants of other religions.

Two percent of the participants said they did not know whether such discrimination exists while 40 percent said the government and people of the Netherlands treated Muslim immigrants fairly.

The poll questioned 700 Muslim adults face-to-face and by the telephone from April 22-25, 2012 and was published on May 4.

The Muslim community in the Netherlands comprises mostly of workers from Morocco and Turkey who have moved to the European nation through legal channels.

The foreigners are normally granted Dutch citizenship after a five-year-long stay in the country, and enjoy the right to take part in local elections.

Muslim immigrants, however, seldom take an active role in elections due to the discriminatory behavior of the Dutch public and government.

On April 24, Amnesty International released a report, criticizing the Netherlands for discrimination against Muslims, particularly when it comes to education and the labor market.

Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland have also come under fire over the issue. Switzerland has banned the construction of minarets, while schools in Belgium, France and Spain have banned religious and cultural symbols, including the headscarf.

According to Amnesty, these bans conflict with the principles of freedom of expression and freedom of religion and run counter to European anti-discrimination legislation.

HMV/HGH/MA

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes