Social Question
Is the US getting unfair criticism regarding bans on countries that are majority Muslim?
I was against the total ban, now I see it has been tweaked a little to allow people with green cards and some other exceptions. Probably not enough exceptions to satisfy me, but I’m not up to date on the detail.
This morning on Daily Chatter I read about on of the Netherlands right wing politicians. I feel like America is looked down on now, but then I see things like this and I think screw that. I think there are a lot of pots calling the kettle black.
Below is the article.
“The Dutchman
Add Geert Wilders to the list of anti-European Union, anti-Islamic, convention-demolishing far-right politicians at the height of their powers.
Wilders and his anti-immigration Party for Freedom have been leading in the polls for Dutch parliamentary elections Wednesday throughout much of the race –the most recent polls show him neck-and-neck contest or slightly falling behind current Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
With his shock of dyed, white-blond hair and Indonesian heritage, the tall Wilders strikes a dashing figure.
His message, meanwhile, is among the most blatantly xenophobic in Europe.
Late last year, he was convicted of inciting discrimination in comments about Moroccans he made in 2014. Recently he referred to folks from the North African country as “scum.”
“He has said worse things about Moroccans and Muslims,” Ebubekir Ozture, a Dutch advocate for Muslims in the Netherlands, told the Associated Press. “As crazy as it sounds, people are a bit used to it from him.”
Wilders is calling for ending immigration from majority Muslim countries, shuttering mosques, banning the Koran and taxing headscarves. He would also schedule a Brexit-style referendum to pull the Netherlands out of the EU.
The vote could be an omen for what’s to come in general elections later this year in France, Germany and potentially Italy, too.
“The Netherlands is kind of a bellwether, a lot of trends manifest themselves here first,” Dutch political strategist Hans Anker told the New York Times. “I wouldn’t rule out that Wilders could be prime minister. This one is fundamentally unpredictable.”
A member of parliament from Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s Liberal Party told the BBC that the election was about the identity of the Netherlands, which many Dutch people feel as if they are losing.
“I think it is globalization, people travelling all around the world, people losing their jobs, so that’s why people need some security,” said lawmaker Anne Mulder. “People are looking for identity, our shared feelings, acting normal.”
It appears as if Wilders’ lead in the polls has diminished. But that’s only happened because other mainstream parties have veered right to compete for voters who agree with his agenda, NBC News wrote.
“A constitution is not something that is (set) in stone and can never be changed,” said Wilders in another Associated Press interview. “It’s alive as a society is alive and we are now being threatened by mass immigration and Islamic-ization.”
He also said he didn’t want to end the country’s long-held tradition of offering safe haven to the oppressed.
“I don’t want to get rid of the typical Dutch tolerance,” Wilders said. “But it’s cultural suicide that we, at the end of the day, keep on being tolerant to the intolerant. That should stop as soon as possible.”
Dutch voters might soon discover the limits of Wilders’ tolerance.”
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