France gives up on Muslim integration, embraces Islam

The murder of Theo van Gogh concerns all of Europe. Or it should, as the murderer makes clear in the letter he left at the dead body, pinned to it with a knife. In it he calls for the collapse of Europe. Also, it has become clear one week after the murder that the assassin did not act alone, but belonged to a group of Muslim extremists, with international connections.

But the Netherlands, currently chairing the EU, neglected to broach the subject at what would have been a perfect occasion for it: An EU summit in Brussels. It is tacitly admitted that on almost any subject discussed within the EU, the opinions and interests of the tens of millions of Arabs, Turks and Pakistanis living in the EU are always a very real consideration.

In a month from now, another EU summit will vote about the entrance of Turkey into the EU. The Dutch government has consciously decided not to 'complicate' that matter any further by raising the question "Just exactly how much Islam can Europe handle?".

Last week Nicholas Sarkozy - France's former Foreign minister, and hardly less powerful a politician than President Chirac - was asked about integrating Islam with European attitudes on government and democracy, he said:

It is too late to speak of integrating Islam. Wether I like it or not, Islam is France's second religion. Therefore, we have to integrate it by making it a French Islam.

Sarkozy never mentioned a French Secret Service report that was published five months ago in Le Monde, which states that there are about three hundred Islamic enclaves in France, where French laws and standards play next to no role, but it is clear that this report forms the background of his statements.

The Dutch government is not learning any lessons from the brutal slaying of van Gogh, or the situation parts of France. Already Balkenende, the Dutch Prime Minister has reverted to the usual babbling about tolerance, rationality, keeping cool. Nothing wronh with that, except that in this case, it is meant purely to calm people down and then subsequently FORGET about it, except maybe once a year when we have a remembrance at a memorial.

There is no political vision. No will to change the course of Islam overturning Dutch society. Already fervour and spirit are wearing off. Already we're handing out instructions on how to recognize extremist Muslims to Imam in Mosques, as if those Imams wouldn't know. As if many of those same Imams are not the very ones responsible for spreading the extremism.

If the death of van Gogh is not sufficient to afford a lasting new vision to the Dutch, and their government in particular, then nothing is.

Parts of this post translated from this article in NRC Handelsblad (Dutch)