Ayaan Hirsi Ali making a splash in Toronto, Canada

I've set a link up on my 'checker board' but I think it's worth mentioning my thoughts on an article in the Toronto Star entitled 'Islamic fundamentalists seem to be haunted by the female body?'.This story is about Ayaan Hirsi Ali who was a major player in Dutch politics and who for a time, greatly influenced the treatment and understanding of Islam here in the Netherlands.

In my opinion, Ali's writing is quite biased at times against Islam and its followers and in her latest book she is advocating that Muslims should leave their faith for what you could call 'safer religious outlets'. In my opinion, arguing that any one religion should be banned is unjust because there are many different forms and followers of Islam. While I heartily agree with her objection to female genital mutilation and do not envy her as an crusader against such phenomenon due to all the ethical dilemmas, I do take offense to how she's dumped certain negatively viewed practices on the WHOLE of Islam and ALL of its followers. While I think Ali is welcomed to her own points of view, I wish she could be more specific (although this categorisation would also come up very short and is also wrought with just as many unacknowledged nuances) so that one could have a more balanced reading of her point of view.

I think her position as a once-follower of Islam makes 'Western' journalists position her story as more credible because she's been to the brink and back. I do not wish to question her experiences of Islam or render judgement on her personal point of view however, I wish people covering 'her story' did a better job at giving an even perspective.

How can we do this? I ask myself why aren't I hearing more stories in the news about women who feel that Islam supports them? Is there an opportunity for this and would the Toronto Star take up this offer? Why am I not hearing stories about Christian or other religions and their potential faults in particular contexts? I also questioned why Ali was being featured in the Toronto Star and for what purpose at this particular point in time? I found out the answer to this question, apparently it has to do with the release of her latest book in Toronto. Should Ali make an appearance here in the Netherlands -where she's had quite a turbulent and infamous past- I think her appearance would seem a bit untimely if not out of place. It is my understanding that her kind of politics paved the way for the current rather negative view of Islam and Muslims here in the Netherlands but that her (and Wilders') theatrics are something no longer welcomed by the majority of the Dutch.

Ali's writing is at times very one-sided as I believe much, although not all, of this article from the Toronto Star is.

Anyway, see what you think yourself.

Photo credit goes to Tony Bock at the Toronto Star. The picture was featured with the article.

Hup Hup Holland!

Soccer mania is almost upon the Netherlands as the World Cup in South Africa slowly comes closer. To get ready for this event and also because of recent government works in the neighbourhood, Bergpolder celebrated the opening of the new soccer field by hosting a feest today!

Everyone in the neighbourhood was invited and news of the event was spread through word of mouth, distribution of fliers, articles in the local paper, and posters hung in windows of houses and neighbourhood organisations. The celebration organisers had rented children's games (including sumo wrestling, golf, and limbo), gave out free drinks and things to eat, and hired one of the players from a professional soccer team here in Rotterdam - Sparta! - to do a demonstration and then help host a soccer tournament! How exciting!

Despite these great activities, the turn out was not as big as it could have been. There were quite a few families there and the organisers were happy with the turnout but there was definitely room for more people to join.

While watching the football demonstation, a short break from my position at the drinks stand, I overheard a comment said to one of the volunteers at the feest, 'you don't see many Nederlanders here, do you? I wonder why not?' This comment was not new to me. I've been told that certain kinds of festivities tend to attract certain groups of individuals. By this I do not mean families and young children because the majority of event goers did fall into this category (maybe all except for the volunteers and the chess players who set up a large as well as small board. I bet my Chess teacher back home in Brampton, Ontario would have mopped the floor with almost everyone. I say almost everyone because we have a Chess Master living here in the neighbourhood and I think it would be a good game between them, however I don't know who would win). Instead, these comments are typically refering to a difference in 'allochtone' and 'autochtone' presence.

I think it's important to acknowledge that in my experience of three different festivals here in and around my area, I have noticed that there is typically more minority individuals (5th Mei, today) or majority individuals. Is this important?

Other questions that might be of interest are: If this is happening, then why? Does it have to do with the advertising of the event? Is it the type of event? (Obviously not as each person in the Nederlands is somewhat interested in soccer! sorry Football!) Why are there events, that seem to attract 'different groups'? In my opinion, I think it is the fact that people are noticing and discussing this phenomenon that is most important. In any case, it is a group of questions that I'm still working through in the last season of my field research here in the Netherlands.
Back to the playing field!

Shiver, shiver, shiver

In an article from the nrc.nl yesterday there was a discussion about how the different political parties (for the upcoming June 9th election) weighed in on the issue of immigration. I find the results a bit frightening and instead of posting it on the ‘checker board’ that I’m sure only some viewers get to see, I thought it important enough to include below. I apologise if I’ve misrepresented anything, the transcription was done to the best of my ability. Please see original link for more details:

In terms of where the parties weigh in on the issues of immigration and integration to the Netherlands, it was found that all of the election programs of the five parties went against European Union laws of immigration. According to professors migration law Thomas Spijkerboer (VU) and Kees Groenendijk (Nijmegen) the realization of the plans of VVD, PVV and SP would even be possible only after withdrawal of the Netherlands in the European Union. The SP platform calls for reintroduction of work permits for workers from Eastern Europe. This would be contrary to the free movement of EU citizens, which is one of the pillars of the European Union. The VVD wants integration seekers who fail the exam the Dutch language to be denying their right of residence. This is partly contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The PVV wants a quota set for asylum seekers to the limit of one thousand people per year. This contradicts the so-called "Dublin Regulation", which determines which countries are responsible for the recording of any asylum seekers. (one sentence omitted. Finally), the VVD would like these rules changed. Failing that, it would Netherlands through a so-called opt-out to take away a part of the Lisbon Treaty.


What else I took note of was the picture that the author and the
NRC used to signify this 'type' of immigration. Regardless if the women pictured in this photo are in fact the largest group(s) of migrants coming to the Netherlands (although from what I can tell the CBS does not analyse immigration in terms of religious identity) it is obvious from the association of the photograph which type of migrant that the leaders of political parties would like quash. This photo is, in short, very suggestive even if the political parties stop short of stating what this photo summarises in one snap shot.


Photo taken by: De inburgeringsplannen van vijf partijen stuiten op EU-wetten en -regelgeving. Foto NRC Handelsblad, Vincent Mentzel.


While I have no doubt that the above photo displays the kind of immigration that the leaders of the political parties are referring to (as evinced from the general context), the reader has no choice but to accept 'these types of migrants' in the photo as those migrants who the leaders are referring to. This is a bit of a simple observation I know but I feel the need to be critical of such an association since no such comments appeared as centre stage as this article did in yesterday's newspaper.


In my opinion, what I also think is important here is the fact that there is a very small likelihood of any of these immigration plans coming to fruition - if it means breaking ties with the European Union (EU). Breaking ties with the EU would (I'm guessing here...remember I'm an anthropologist and not a financial wizard) probably be much too expensive than any supposed solutions these policies would bring. I would also think that at a time of economic recession, breaking from the EU is not high on the Dutch populace's agenda.


My question is then, why are the parties even bringing these ideas into the public realm? Is this not just a cheap trick to get more publicity for the party? If so, I think that it is those who are, for example, pictured in photos concerning unwanted immigration to the Netherlands, the biggest losers in this political game; a game that from what I can tell, is taken from Wilders' play book. Counting the effects of both the conscious and unconscious messages that this article (and the election programs of the parties themselves) portrays, I believe the result will be an idea of a more separated instead of unified Dutch community. Is this really what elections are supposed to be about?


Okay, I'm done. I'd like to remind everyone (as I shiver in front of the computer, not from the cold but from this article) that this blog is a subjective work and as the author, I have the right to rant and rave every once and a while. Thanks for listening.

You said what?!

Just a quick note to say that I've begun conducting interviews in Dutch and funnily enough, am understanding what is being said to me! Don't get me wrong, I am very far still from understanding everything that is said to me and very, very far from being fluent in Dutch. In fact, I spent the larger part of last week being made fun of by my family for my pig-Dutch as I've come to call it!

Yet, despite this, there are certain topics that I am now able to understand, and able to make myself understood. These topics are themes in my research and other related information from people's everyday lives. Get me talking and listening to discussions about gardening or the cosmos and I am NOT your woman! Happily however, I find myself following along on those coffee appointments at my favorite cafe (Cafe Nika in Oude Noorden), asking questions in response to answers and yes, referring to my dictionary only twice an appointment, instead of twice a sentence.

It has definitely taken me a bit longer than I had originally planned in my initial outline (!!) but at least I've gotten to this point and still have a couple of weeks left (between 10 and 12 since I haven't yet bought my ticket home) to use my new skills.

Politics

Over the last week and a bit, I've taken notice of how the coming national election (on June 9th) is rearing its head in the public space. Walking to the train station, or along a busy road, one can seen election posters on billboards as well as televised or printed debates featured in the newspaper. While the Dutch haven't gone to the lengths of the US, where campaigning starts at least one year before the election, it seems the Dutch put a year long campaign into approximately 3 weeks. This timing of course has to do with the untimely fall of the previous cabinet but in terms of public 'buzz' the election was only present in the past couple of weeks.

I can't vote in this coming election because I am not a Dutch citizen. However, in De Pers today there was a two page long piece about how Mark Rutte, the leader of the VVD, could possibly become the next MP if the results from the latest polls would be correct. Although these are only polls, the prediction of Mark Rutte from the VVD becoming the next PM could have serious consequences to how people live their everyday lives here in Rotterdam. Rutte is finally out on top of the electoral pack despite appearing to loose his party's seats since 2008. He was unfavoured in parliament and public debates because he was seen as the harbinger of economic death, telling everyone that there would be an impending economic recession that other political parties assured the Dutch public, would not be as devastating as Rutte predicted. As it turns out, Rutte came out looking like a genius and all other parties have stuck their tails between their legs and backed Rutte's plan for economic recovery plans.

I ask myself if having Rutte's party, the VVD, in parliament would be a bad thing? It wouldn't be if you agree with having a right-wing party (by Dutch standards although it technically falls into the liberal category), which advocates for a smaller government and champions individual freedoms. This doesn't sound that bad, does it? However, while this party tends to be relatively progressive on the social front by believing in a firm separation of church and state for instance, it is also a party that supports tough immigration legislation. When looking at the choices, the VVD is probably the safest right-wing party that could come to stand if the election garnered the right-wing more support than any of the other three more liberal parties that held onto the majority of seats during the last election.

If asked for my personal opinion, I would vote in a left-wing party (and that's all I'll say) to provide the next PM of the Netherlands. The government is notoriously split which is why I say 'providing the majority', not that left-wing parties can be counted on to push the same agenda, all the time. The reason for this is because I think the other more right-wing parties would definitely change the way that everyday life in the Krachtwijk/immigrant dominant region of Rotterdam Noord would occur. Less spending on community projects, more focus on integration that at the same time could be curbed or the bill footed solely on the immigrant themselves, would definitely change life here in the neighbourhood as I know it.

For a brief overview of each of the parties (in English) click on the following link from the nrc.nl website. This is also the article where I got most of the above information concerning individual parties so please check it out if you'd like more background on this post or to see where I recieved my information from.

While I can't cast my own vote and I try to refrain from giving my opinion too much I would be happier knowing that whatever decision people make, it's an informed decision.

The alternative is having the example that I had today at my biking lessons. After two and a half hours of hard work on the bikes the participants, the volunteers and I were enjoying a quick coffee before heading off to our other appointments of the day (my new coffee addiction that has come about through this fieldwork is a topic for another post). As we looked through the papers, which is where I found the article on Mark Rutte, we began to chat about who was able to vote and if able, who would choose to vote. One of the participants piped up and said that she would be voting for the VVD because they were going to give money to programs such as ours and that those with less money, would receive more (I'm sure picturing such families as her own family that moved to the Netherlands). This is unfortunately not what the party stands for (the exact opposite in fact) and while my colleagues explained this to her, I wondered how the turn out of this election would fall.

I'm guessing only time will tell.

Playing Dirty!

I'm sure the inhabitants of Amsterdam are breathing sighs of relief as the streets are cleaned and refuse workers are going back to work after reaching an agreement with their employers. I have to say, I never realised how clean the streets of the major cities in the Netherlands were until, well, they weren't. Walking around last Sunday with QueenB we literally had to negotiate our way through bags of garbage and refuse strewn everywhere over the streets, sidewalks and bike paths in Amsterdam.

One might think that delayed garbage service is nothing more than a small inconvenience. However, for those who lived through the garbage strikes in Toronto last summer, they know that something like garbage, which we take for granted and can seem invisible in our daily lives, has a way of making its presence known (and smelt!) when things work less than smoothly. This is especially the case in city centres, such as Amsterdam, which is a major trash…oops, I mean tourist hub.

QueenB and I began our stroll through the Red light district since I wanted to show her that the women in the red light district stop for nothing (!) or so I'd heard. This district is well known as one of the hot-spots for tourism all over the world and after a weekend full of revelling, the small cobble-stone streets were filthy with fast food wrappers, putrefying food scraps (there were many happy birds mind you, it's lucky that there are no raccoons here!), condom wrappers, and general junk. I took pictures of it because it was unbelievable, the difference a couple of days of garbage makes. Note: Refuse collection stopped for 24 hours on Queen's Day and between the 6th and 15th of May.

As we winded our way down toward the floating flower market we walked around a larger van that had just stopped on the side of the road. A man got out of the driver seat, opened up his trunk and began unloading bags of garbage onto the side of this small, out-of-the-way canal road. This didn't strike me as odd at first. I assumed that the man was a shop owner who was unloading his garbage in the appropriate space provided for his shop. Both QueenB and I continued past the car without much thought.

Just then a window slapped open and a man popped his head out from across the road. He began shouting at this man, telling him to "stop leaving your garbage here! I can see you! I'm going to call the police!" His cries brought other neighbours to their windows and out onto their balconies. More than one neighbour made a move to come down to the ground level to see what was going on. The man who was unloading his garbage said one or two things quickly (so I did not catch them) but instead of stopping what he was doing, he proceeded to speed up 'delivery'. By the time QueenB and I were at the bottom of the street the man in his newly-lightened truck drove away and the shouting had stopped. This early morning exchange got me thinking about all the small details and services that are necessary for a harmonious existence within city centres, where the roads and pathways are literally crawling with people and the things that they produce (like garbage).

This also had me thinking about the idea of proximity, that is, how closely people live and interact with one another, and how seemingly insignificant processes can influence the interaction of people in large ways. From the exchange above, it appears as though the garbage situation affects inhabitant's living arrangements and the interaction between individuals. One can also see that the demarcation or protection of space differs or is noticeable through such circumstances. In the dirtier parts, I wondered how the local inhabitants were feeling about all the tourists and their production of waste. Can they argue the benefits of tourism for the economy during such delicate times as a garbage strike?

While I did not read about any fist fights or slimy food wars happening in Amsterdam, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. The accumulation of stinking, dirty piles of refuse doesn't put anyone in a good mood and the connections and bonds between inhabitants are most likely strained during this time. Not to mention, as I saw from the trucked in garbage man above, some people are willing to play dirty!!

International Exchanges at Home

The streets are busier despite the colder weather as QueenB and I discovered during her four day trip here to the Netherlands. As some of you may remember, I visited QueenB in Poland back in November and now it was her turn to come and visit me. We had a wonderful time strolling through Amsterdam, Delft, Den Haag, and Rotterdam and we made the most of our four days by visiting churches, museums, libraries, markets, cloisters, shopping districts, and harbours. We documented all of it by taking oodles of pictures of canals, historic buildings, canals, monuments, canals, some canals, and a couple more canals. If I never see a canal again...just kidding. It was a whirlwind visit which I labelled 'vacation time' in my agenda but I couldn't help but learn some new things about my project.

On the first day, QueenB and I met up with some of her Dutch colleagues here in the Netherlands. QueenB had met these colleagues through their work in Poland when she helped them navigate through the wilds of her own field site for a couple of days. The perspective of these colleagues was quite intriguing and new to me since they were both photographers and looked at space and place solely from a visual standpoint but whose projects included a social twist. Not only did I learn about the importance of depth when taking a picture along with some other technical “know-how” (including how to fast-walk while holding a ladder); I also learned some very interesting ideas about the creation of physical space here in Rotterdam.

As 'The Lens' said (and I do not quote him directly since this discussion took place over rose bier in a bruin cafe): Space in Rotterdam is typically renovated at a faster pace than other city spaces in the Netherlands because there is less history of, and thus less connection to, the landscape. The Lens was initially referring to the fact that the Dutch create land out of nothing through their polders which is reclaiming land from the sea. However, this discussion moved into the politics of city place and specifically to Rotterdam.

Rotterdam's landscape (here I mean buildings, skylines, waterways, and areas dedicated to nature) was levelled after bombs were dropped on its city centre during the Second World War. After the war, instead of re-creating the buildings that were destroyed, city-planners decided to build the city anew starting with streets and continuing into its buildings. Thus, the physical history of Rotterdam before the war, while not lost, is not always visible today. Following this, there is less stress placed on the preservation of the physical aspects of Rotterdam and more emphasis put on the constant betterment of city workings (vehicle and pedestrian transportation, waterways, economic pathways). This is not to say that there are no historical heritage projects here in Rotterdam, in fact those buildings that predate the war and such projects like the Hofplein lijn are quite furiously defended, but that space here in Rotterdam is somewhat more flexible and can be seen as an open-palette with which to make and re-make, create and re-create, to no end. I myself have noticed the constant rebuilding and upgrading processes here in Rotterdam and marvelled at the different levels of instigation over change to physical aspects of space and was happy to see my thoughts supported by others.

It was truly an international exchange of some sort in my home space. What a fruitful vacation!

Come on, Let's Celebrate!

It has been a busy couple of days here in the NL with Queen's Day celebration on April 30th, Remembrance Day on May 4th, and Liberation Day on May 5th. I participated in of them, snapping pictures and taking in the scene as I tried to understand who celebrates national holidays here in Rotterdam (on a city and local level) and how.

To begin, if I have to make one observation about Queen's Day as it is celebrated here in Rotterdam (I experienced both the central festivities along the Coolsingel and Blaak Maarkt - i.e. the main arteries of the city centre- as well as local festivities here in my neighbourhood) is that it's focus may be the Queen but it's goal is to sell, sell, sell! From the wee hours of the morning, rommel maarkt (flea markets) dot the sidewalks on all the busy avenues in the city. Vendors can rent a small stall (Kramptje) or they can lay out a blanket or sheet and display their wares. I imagine haggling over prices must be one of the favourite things to do on this particular day; in addition of course to wearing Orange and painting your face. This is my observation at least for the majority of families. For those who did not have, or are not themselves children, the streets were alive with party-goers as "Queen's Day is an excuse to DRINK!" as I was told by one person on the street. I failed to see any orange beer (like our St. Patty's day green beer) in the crowds so maybe this is something I'll have to try and introduce for next year's celebration!

Following Queen's day is the Remembrence Day dedicated to the Second World War on May 4th. The service in Dam Square in Amsterdam was, if anyone saw the news last night, a bit more eventful than what the organisers had originally planned. News brief: half-way through the two minutes of silence, a man began to scream very loudly which panicked the surrounding crowd and made many people run in fear. This resulted in some injuries and much ado. This is a very interesting reaction to something as 'natural as a scream'. By natural as a scream, I mean that he didn't say anything in particular, just screamed, which is an odd and out of place reaction but at the same time, this man was not brandishing a gun or shouting threats. In my opinion, the crowds' reaction highlights the kind of fear culture that has possibly griped Netherlanders (as with many countries) today. I am going to write a future entry on this particular reaction to this example of asocial behaviour in public space at a later point in time, therefore I will not get into it here. Needless to say, Remembrence Day was observed and many ceremonies were held across the country some of which were more lively than others.

Finally, today was the celebration of the Dutch liberation from Germany during the Second World War, which was celebrated on the plein next to where I live. This year was chosen to be a national holiday, which only happens once every five years, and which I think added to the busyness that I witnessed today. Proceedings began with another rommel markt (left over things from Queen's Day?) and moved into a very lively Drum band, DJ, historical theatre, model show, tai kuan do presentation, children's games, karaoke and much more. It was interesting to see people from the immediate vicinity and from further afield come together to celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands (with help from the Canadians don't forget!). I should not discount however that people could be celebrating the free popcorn that was given out by the local housing corporation.

Whatever the case may be, the end of April and beginning of May period is quite busy with public events that seem to attract much response and participation in public places. These types of gathering have definitely been absent in the winter months and is a welcomed return to public life!