The head scarf tax scandal.

Proud women.  

I am proud of Dutch women with an Islamic background. They walk ahead, as far as integration and emancipation are concerned.

They are doing well at school, at work, and within their families. Over the years, this has been scientifically proven. If you want to, you can see it for yourself as well. Just look at all the young women, doing professional courses, the women visiting our universities. Just look at the women working, at the till of your local supermarket, at school, the women working as cleaners, doctors, specialists, physicians, police officers, judges, civil servants, soldiers, politicians, artists, and journalists - with or without a head scarf. Look at them and really see them.

They are warriors, for equal rights. In our society, they often have to defend themselves against discrimination en prejudice, due to their background. They often have to fight for their dignity and their spiritual freedom. Within their own communities, within their own families, they often have to fight as well, against discrimination and prejudice, just because they are women. Thus, they are obtaining their autonomy step by step.

Humiliation.

I was shocked and appalled. I didn't expect to ever be confronted with this in my adopted home country, The Netherlands.

When Geert Wilders made a proposition to introduce taxes on wearing a head scarf, something sinister happened. There is an evil hidden in this triviality.

In this situation, an MP suggests using the government's monopoly to using violence and imposing taxes, in order to destroy fundamental civil rights, such as free entrance to public buildings, the right to dress as you wish, and the right to practice your religion.

By directing this violation of civil rights towards a specific minority, the MP is - at the same time - violating the principle that all citizens are equal. In the proposition, Muslim women are made into second-rate citizens, to whom the rights, which are perfectly normal for all other people, don't apply any longer.

The MP goes even further than that in his rhetorical attack. He does not actually speak of taxes on wearing a head scarf. He uses the Dutch term "kopvoddetaks" (which literally means "taxes on head rags", but the Dutch use "kop" to refer to the head of an animal - Freddy Konstantinou). This metaphor dehumanizes people and turns them into animals: they don't have a head, but an animal's head. On top of that, they pollute our streets, so the MP claims. Such contempt. In this situation, a minority is not just turned into a group of second-rate citizens, it's turned into a group of second-rate human beings as well.

Justice.

No one can force a girl or a woman to wear a head scarf. No one has the right to consider women or girls who wear a head scarf as being of less value, within their families, or within their communities.

Public support.  

I was disappointed by society's reaction to the proposition of Geert Wilders to introduce taxes on wearing a head scarf.

I missed the response and the voices of representatives of the different religious communities. A group of people is being humiliated and discriminated against, because of their religion, and because of the fact they are following the rules of wearing certain clothes, in accordance to their beliefs, and to their religion. Isn't this something which concerns all religions?

The most painful to me, was the lack of support from Dutch feminists. A group of women is considered despicable. A group of women is being denied to enter public space, or, at least, the rights of certain women to enter public buildings are being limited. Doesn't this call for an enormous protest? I miss this response even more, because I've always been convinced of the fact that Dutch feminists - with me - recognize the emancipation which is often hidden under the head scarf, here in The Netherlands.

Geert Wilders.

I have always respected Geert Wilders, because he recognized two problems, which were being denied or ignored by others.

He recognizes the world being in a state of war with fundamentalist Muslim terrorists. He also sees that the integration of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants is in a state of stagnation, within Dutch society.

I hardly ever agreed to anything he said or did. However, I have never stopped searching the dialogue with him. This is because I presumed we were both looking for solutions.

I don't believe that anymore.

If Geert Wilders really would want to solve the problems, he should look for ways to join forces with the Muslim community. If we want to fight terrorism, we need to unite with the billions of Muslims who are disgusted by fundamentalist violence, or even threatened by it. If he really wanted to stimulate integration, he would have to look for ways to join forces with all the hundreds of thousands of Turkish and Moroccan Dutchmen, who want to be successful in our society. Geert Wilders doesn't do that.

Geert Wilders slanders Muslims, he makes other Dutch people hate Muslims, he humiliates Muslims, and he is violating their human dignity.

Geert Wilders jeopardizes the values of the Dutch nation. He undermines the rights we, as citizens, have been taught to give and promise to each other.

Geert Wilders is destroying our society.

The person who damages society, the person who stimulates polarization, the person who isolates and humiliates a certain group within society, is wrong and evil.

Geert Wilders is wrong and evil.

In democracy, fortunately, there is a peaceful solution for the problem of an evil politician. Just take away his votes, and hand him over to oblivion. We are allowed to take a few years to accomplish that.

Ahmed Marcouch

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