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More than a third of Dutch are afraid of Muslims: Poll
More than one-third of the Dutch are afraid of Muslims and nearly three-quarters have little or no contact with people from that cultural background, according to a poll published yesterday. Long known for its multicultural tolerance, the Netherlands has tightened its immigration policy since the 2002 general election, in which the party of murdered far-right politician Pim Fortuyn came second. The survey of 813 Dutch adults by TNS NIPO pollsters for De Volkskrant newspaper found that 36 per cent of the Dutch feel threatened by Muslims in the Netherlands and only 15 per cent regard the culture positively. Half of the respondents fear the Netherlands â which is home to an estimated 900,000 Muslims, or about 5.5 per cent of the population â could become the target of an attack by Muslim fundamentalists such as the Madrid train bombings. Such worries are so strong that 48 per cent of people said they would move house should their neighbourhoods become home to a significant Islamic community. Those who regarded Islamic culture negatively cited Muslim attitudes to homosexuals and women as reasons for their concern, and feared fundamentalists might try to impose their values on Dutch society. The poll found that only 33 per cent of people had regular contact with Muslims and just 20 per cent said they would like to have more. Posted by: TS(vice girl) 2004-06-27 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=36542 |