Far To The Right Way

There, the public has been heard from. A bellwether of sorts, in fact. For all of Europe suddenly focused on the reality that their countries have slowly been altered from what is familiar. Their heritage, culture, social mores, politics diffused, quite different from what they were, rather unfamiliar and in a somewhat alarming way. Countries that undertook to welcome strangers into their fold, reasoning that the stranger they hadn't yet met would eventually become a friend, if not a confidant.

Priding themselves on becoming open-minded, favouring pluralism, equality. It was the right thing to do.

To become egalitarian, and proud of it. A far cry from those days long past of rigid xenophobia. Of clinging to traditions and customs and a homogeneous society. Welcoming exotic newcomers whose traditions and cultures were so unlike one's own was exciting, and served to add another flavour to the old, tried and true. A way to learn more about other people, their cultures, their values, their heritage. Harmony would be achieved, and a deep appreciation one of the other.

Perhaps, perhaps not. Perhaps human nature is such that people prefer to cling to their own tried-and-true, not to expand their vision and venture into another culture's values, another society's mores and traditions. Particularly if the prevailing religion did not quite mesh with the introduced one. And, fact is, people seek comfort in remaining within an enclave that comprises itself of their own, excluding the others, the strangers.

An unequal collaboration occurs, where the host population eagerly welcomes the sojourners, and the new settlers take what is so generously given them, with a complacency of acceptance, and a denial of obligation, since no one ever informed them they were obliged to do anything, let alone become an integral portion of the society, accepting the prevailing values and mores as their own in return for being embraced as part of the new society.

And since the migrants found themselves a better life in their new homes where the government and the society so generously opened all doors and possibilities for them, why not insist that more doors and increased possibilities be countenanced? Which created some perturbation and backlash, when opposing values and social systems came into a concussive head-crash. Resulting in disappointment, in accusations of betrayal, in violence.

So here's the new Holland suddenly finding itself transformed in a way that is rather troublesome; wickedly worrisome, in fact. And a new election ousts the former leading party which had administered the country throughout generations of immigration - and a party considered to be 'far-right' bringing up the rear with considerable votes, leading to the very real potential of its being brought into the new government.

Not much divides the three leading parties in the popular vote they received: Peoples' Party for Freedom & Democracy with 31 seats, the Labour party with 30, and the Freedom Party - anti-immigration and led by the combative Geert Wilders, made notorious world-wide by his criticism of Islam and production of an anti-Islam film, Fitna - coming third with 24 seats. Good idea where Dutch society is heading.

With the powerful display of support of the Freedom Party, Holland's Muslim population feels somewhat unsettled. The CMO Dutch Muslim organization feels the vote outcome to be "shameful". Another group representing Dutch citizens of Moroccan descent claims Mr. Wilders' success represents "a slap in the face" to Dutch Muslims.

"Moroccan Dutch citizens ask themselves whether they still form part of Dutch society, whether their neighbours and colleagues see them as fellow citizens, whether there is a safe future here for them and their children". As perturbed as they are, they might find it useful to look beyond their immediate concerns to those of the native Dutch population who are concerned whether there is a safe future for them and their children in their native country.

For that is the singular issue behind the success of Mr. Wilders in the polls. He is a bad boy, to be sure, questioning the values of Islamists who defer to no governments, and who are taught to shun close contact with non-Muslims, and to demean the religious beliefs of non-Muslims. Great Britain is so aghast at Mr. Wilders' confrontational style they barred him from entering Britain, determined to halt his spread of "hatred".

Of course Britain's very own George Galloway, another rogue parliamentarian, who favours Hamas with gifts of hard cash and vehicles, and who protests the brutality of a democratic government in a non-democratic Middle East, and who defends the miserable plight of the put-upon Palestinians by the 'Apartheid Israeli State', makes Mr. Wilders look like a rank amateur in spreading hate.

It is fascinating, to a good degree, to observe how the pendulum has a tendency to swing back another way from time to time, to achieve some modicum of balance.