It has been bothering Marjo Rashid-Stals for weeks. It has been giving her stomach aches. And now that Geert Wilders' anti-Qu'ran film is about to come out she's had enough.

So she has written a letter to the Dutch government pointing out that as a Dutch citizen in Bahrain she is afraid of the repercussions the film could have for her. She is also afraid of the Netherlands' image. This is part of the letter she has written to the Dutch goverment:

"I'm deeply ashamed. Will I soon have to apologise for an entire country? I live in Bahrain with my Bahraini husband and two years ago we set up a factory which produces chocolate bonbons. The name of our confectionary is Chocolaterie Dutch Delight. Business is going well, but my heart fills with fear when I think of what will happen after the release of Geert Wilders' film. What will happen with the so-called dialogue between the West and the East? What will become of our image in the Islamic world?"

Powerless

Marjo feels powerless. She has been living with Arab people for years. She never has problems, and over the phone she explains that she is "just a Dutch person with a Dutch mentality". She has always felt accepted and has never had to account for what she stands for or believes. Margo was never too tired to boast about Dutch tolerance, but now she keeps her mouth shut.

"In our company's lobby hang pictures of Queen Rania, who visited us, and Queen Beatrix. Now I often get very nice reactions. First a lot of people ask if Beatrix is my mother and then they say that the Netherlands is such a good country. But I'm afraid of what will happen when the Wilders film is released. A Danish firm which has been in our neighbourhood for 30 years had to change its name as a result of the affair with the Danisch caricatures. Will we have to do the same?"

Deep shame

"Of course I can't predict what will happen, but I know that people are aware of the issues of Wilders and tolerance. There have been two articles about Wilders in the Arabic-language newspaper that I read, and people discuss the issue. How should I react towards people who feel insulted by Wilders' film? How can I defend myself if I am deeply ashamed? I can only offer my excuses and attempt to explain that not all Dutch people are like Wilders. But should I have to apologise for an entire country?"

Dutch image

Of course Marjo is worried about her own life and business that could be ruined by a film, but she is even more concerned with the Netherlands' image.
"I don't know if I'll get it across my lips to say that many Dutch people are just as understanding as before. I doubt that very much myself, which is one of the reasons I wrote the open letter to the government. Does the notion of integrity still exist in the Netherlands? It seems that in the Netherlands it's the most normal thing in the world to systematically cut people down and insult them. It's become a kind of trend. I'd like to ask the government what kind of limits there are when it comes to free expression. I understand that it's a difficult discussion, but what is freedom and when does it become an insult? It's very easy to offend someone to the very core. Is that democracy?"

Marjo ends her letter with the words:

"Is there anyone left who still believes in something? I beg the government to do something before it is too late."

By Conny van den Bor*
[* RNW translation (fs)]

 January 2008 

[Copyright Radio Netherlands 2008]