Commentary by political editor Rutger van Santen*
13-09-2006
Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner believes that if, some time in the future, two-thirds of Dutch citizens believe that Sharia, Islamic law, should be introduced in the Netherlands, then it must be allowed. That, says the minister, is the ultimate consequence of democracy.
Mr Donner is a distinguished jurist, the product of a long line of Dutch protestant aristocrats and a prominent Christian Democrat politician. He presents this viewpoint in a book due to be published in the near future.
Uproar
The minister's remarks have caused uproar in parliament. His own Christian Democrat party is astonished, particularly since the chair of the parliamentary party, Maxime Verhagen, recently delivered a passionate plea against the democratic legitimisation of Islamic law. Verhagen argued that it should be possible within the democratic system in the Netherlands to outlaw political parties which advocate the introduction of a form of Sharia.
In his book Donner calls this kind of thinking "scandalous".
Critics
The largest Dutch party, the opposition Labour Party, also thinks the justice minister is on the wrong track. Labour point out that, in their view, Sharia is in conflict with the Dutch constitution on a number of points. For example, it could never be officially possible to discriminate against women or homosexuals. The so-called Wilders Group, a one-man far-right party, is calling for Minister Donner's resignation. MP Geert Wilders, who left the conservative VVD because of his anti-Islamic views, describes Donner as someone who has betrayed his country to the Muslims and therefore no longer has any right to remain a government minister.
Academic
Donner 's view is, of course, a purely academic one. Even the most pessimistic demographer sees no real likelihood of the Netherlands codifying Islamic beliefs in its laws in the next few decades. It's true the Muslim community, only a small minority in the Netherlands, is growing slightly faster than the Protestant of Roman Catholic congregations but the experts think it more likely that Islam will be subject to secularisation in the Netherlands and the number of active Muslims will comprise no more than 10 percent of the population by the year 2050.
Awkward
The background to the current upset has more to do with the awkward manner in which Dutch politics in general approaches Islam. Although in recent months the public debate has become slightly less antagonistic, under the surface politicians still seem uncomfortable. With general elections coming up in less than two months in the Netherlands, some parties are attempting to extract political mileage from Donner's remarks and act as if Sharia is on the point of being introduced.
Rather naive
When it comes to Minister Donner, you can say he has been rather naïve, to put it politely, to think his theoretical line of reasoning about the consequences of the democratic stance would not cause a storm. While he argues in his book that discussions about Islam in the Netherlands get far too heated, he has achieved the exact opposite. He has not contributed constructively to public debate and has landed the Christian Democrat party in some electoral difficulties. However, there is no reason to think Donner's remarks will lead to anything more dramatic than a little extra bickering and sabre-rattling.
*Translation by RNW Internet (imm)
Tags:
bickering,
book,
Christian Democrat,
constitution,
demographer,
Donner,
elections,
Labour,
Muslims,
Sharia,
Verhagen,
Wilders
Rune,
19-09-2006
- Norway
Kazemi is right - electoral minorities must be protected from the tyranny of the majority, this is a vital part of democracy. Even if Hitler had won a democratic majority it would not have made his actions right.
Juan Golblado,
18-09-2006
- UK
If you are going to lose your culture if you don't better manage immigration then you better start thinking about how to manage immigration. There's nothing illiberal about that. You don't have to give up democracy; you don't have to give up liberalism, you only have to plan your future.
Emi Sann,
16-09-2006
- Thailand
Maria is right. If this 7th century ideology is allowed in the country, you are doomed.
These people's birthrates are 3-5 times that of the native European. In a matter of decades they will reach critical mass, about 15-30% of the population (they don't need a majority because they don't do the democratic process) and they will agitate for sharia. Your options are: 1. become an islamic state. 2. partition your land. 3. civil war. In 1948 India chose option 2. Today south Thailand is struggling with option 3.
The only solution is to ban the ideology on the grounds that it sanctions mass-murder and sedition, and contravenes the consitution and the laws of the land. This is the only hope for you and your descendants.
Irene Buckler,
16-09-2006
- Australia
The logic of Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner's terrible prediction is both timely and irrefutable. If you doubt it's historical validity, reseach how the movements of ethnic groups and tribes have shaped and reshaped the face of Europe over time. The crux of the problem is that whether you relate or agree with their wishes, true democracy must reflect the wishes of the majority. Of course, Sharia Law is completely incompatible with Dutch values and the lifestyle hitherto associated with the Netherlands. So, if you want to ensure that the Netherlands remains recognisably Dutch, it is time to start rethinking policies to re-create a more homogenous society than that which exists in Holland today. While, it is easy to see that other liberal European democracies are facing the same threat, finding the answer is not easy. Many years ago, I read that, in time, nobody will have blue eyes because brown eyes are dominant and as populations mix, brown eyes will prevail. Are you going to accept that populations evolve and change, and nothing can be done against the force of numbers? Or are the Dutch going to find yet another original way to hold back the 'tide'?
Maria Martin.,
14-09-2006
- Australia
Sharia law is barbaric and does not belong in a civlized country. Any person suggesting such law should be silenced. It does not belong in Holland and it should be banned all over the world were it is practised."Jij zult niet doodslaan."'
kazemi,
14-09-2006
- Iran
Democracy is not a "tyranny of the majority". There are individual rights. No majority can take my freedom of and from religion away, and that is exactly what Shariah law would do, 2/3 majority not withstanding.
Nick Slater,
14-09-2006
- UK
Eric - that's a crucial axiom - "but by constitutional guarantees for minorities as well as majorities" - this is exactly what failed in croatia and then Bosnia also.
GJ Klaver,
14-09-2006
- the Netherlands.
Let's not kid ourselves. We don't know how many Muslims there are in the Netherlands. Children born out of Muslim-parents are registered as 'Dutch'. No-one asks what kind of religion a newborn has.
The original Dutch are fleeing to other countries, all over the world. Two thirds of Muslims in favor of Shari'a laws isn't a thing of the future.
The Shari'a law: when applied in a moderate sense, is an old-fashioned, strict law. When applied in the original sense - as written in the Koran - [which is more likely, since the 'moderate' muslims will go along with the radical ones] is a terrible, inhuman law. In complete contradiction of our democratic values. One shouldn't even bring the subject up.
To Mr. Donner: If two thirds of the Dutch want the Muslims out, it should be done, correct? Being a democracy and all?
Eric MacDonald,
13-09-2006
- Canada
This is an astonishing piece of news. It is like saying that, if a majority of the population votes into power a fascist government, then summary arrest and detention at the whim of the government is democratically affirmed. But democracy is not about majority rule, but that a majority can in fact defeat the government. But law itself should not be determined by majority vote, but by constitutional guarantees for minorities as well as majorities. Otherwise, there is no democracy but dictatorship. That is precisely what is happening in Iraq today, and this is an outcome which is dicrectly contrary to the intention of democratic governance. That the Justice Minister of a tolerant nation should think otherwise is extremely disturbing, and his point of view needs the sharpest possible refutation.
