12 February 2008

STRASBOURG – A European watchdog for human rights warns that discrimination against Muslims is on the rise in the Netherlands. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) says that Islamophobia is gaining ground here.

The aversion to Muslims has reportedly risen dramatically since 2000, the ECRI writes in a report published on Tuesday. Tensions have reportedly been fed by national and international events like the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US and the murder of Theo van Gogh by an extremist Muslim in 2004.

The ECRI says the Muslim minority is increasingly being confronted with racist violence and discrimination. The group is also the target of security measures "to a disproportionate degree."

The commission talks of a worrying polarisation between the majority and minorities. The Moroccan and Turkish population groups reportedly suffer heavily as a result of stigmatisation and prejudices.

But the ECRI also sees a rise in anti-Semitism, especially among the younger generations. The word "Jew" is being used more and more as an insult. Anti-Semitism is also accompanied by denial of the Holocaust, the report says.

The ECRI investigates racism and intolerance and makes recommendations to the 47 countries of the Council of Europe.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2008]

Subject: Dutch news