Islam versus Europe

The general phenomenon of the secularisation of society doe not affect the Muslim community of the Netherlands, whose youngest members, by contrast, are turning back towards religion. This is one of the principal conclusions of a vast study, "Muslim in the Netherlands", published recently by the Office for Socio-Cultural Planning, an independent organisation that advises public authorities.

"Religion plays an important role in the lives of almost all Muslims in the country," states the study, which notes however that the degree of religious commitment of the different communities and their respect for the rules of their faith is rather variable. The large majority of the 825,000 Muslims living in the kingdom are of Moroccan and Turkish origin.

Although more than 90% of them define themselves primarily as "Muslims", only 40% of them regularly attend the 421 mosques in the country. By comparison, 16% of Dutch say they have a religious practise.

Contacts between indigenous Dutch and citizens of foreign origin have not progressed for 20 years: 56% of the former say they have "no relationship" with the second. There is no doubt that the youngest people more frequently have dealings with members of other communities, but that doe not change a basic observation: only 37% of Dutch people of Moroccan origin and 28% of those of Turkish immigrant origin say they feel attached to their adopted country.

Among the indigenous Dutch, 40% think the kingdom has "too many foreigners" and 80% that women of foreign origin enjoy too little freedom. Similarly, half of Turks thibk that dutch women are "too liberated".

The major questions of society also continue to divide the two camps: more than 70% of Turks and Moroccans think that having a homosexual child would be a problem for them, while only 17% of Dutch people think the same.