Cover of the Dutch Magazine

By Khaled Shawkat, IOL Correspondent

THE HAGUE, July 9 (IslamOnline.net) – The dilemma currently suffered by Muslim communities in the West - forcing some to even be discreet about their faith in public for fear of security measures – is similar to the sufferings of the Moriscos (Muslims of Andalusia in the 16^th century) when they faced deportation and judicial trials, according to two senior Dutch Orientalists.

In a joint article entitled "Era of Discreet Islam", Dutch Orientalists, Professor Van Koningsveld, head of religion history department in the Dutch Leiden University and Professor Wasif Shadid of Palestinian origin, have likened the harsh conditions of Muslims in Western states to those experienced four centuries ago by their fellow brethrens in Andalusia .

Muslims and Jews had been forced to leave the towns and villages of Andalusia or pretend to abandon their faith for fear of being chased, tried or killed, after years of co-existence under the Islamic rule that lasted for seven centuries.

At that time, inspection courts had been set up and Muslims of Andalusia were forced during the 16^th century either to leave their country or adopt Christianity.

Four Common Features

In their article, published in the latest edition of the Dutch periodical MI magazine, concerned with foreigners' affairs in the Netherlands, both Orientalists said, "There are four common features among the Muslims of Andalusia in the 16^th century and the Muslims currently living in the West; namely: the type, classification, deportation and lastly violence."

As for the type (Regarding Muslims according to predetermined and typical provisions), they wrote, "The accusation leveled by the Spanish against Muslims of Andalusia of being disloyal to their homeland is repeated today, as western bodies doubt the loyalty of Muslims residing on their soil."

Regarding classification, both writers pointed out that Western Muslims suffer from the same official and social attitude towards them, as they are new citizens, expatriates or foreigners; hence, they are second-class citizens compared to the Christians of Spanish origin.

The writers reiterated that the sufferings of Muslims after the fall of Grenada are the same they confront today, as Western governments have called upon universities and departments not to allow Muslim students specialize in certain scientific branches or occupy certain posts and monitor their economic, social and civil activities.

Concerning the security sufferings and deportation threats, they said that "Muslims currently residing in Western states face nearly the same practices following the example of the Muslim detainees in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba ."

Repeated Inspection

In their article, both Dutch Professors criticize existing Western governments for following the path of black inspection phase Spain experienced during its darkest ages, as Muslims currently suffer close inspection with regard to their clothes, movement and even way of shaving and having their hair cut, making reference to the problems faced by bearded men and veiled women.

Both professors have called upon the Western governments "to correct legislation faults that lead to more restraints on Muslims in the West, which, in turn, push many of them to resort to violence as a reaction to the segregation in work field and social status."

They also called for "non confusion between Muslims in general and some Islamic groups that resort to terrorist acts."

A Warning To Western Governments

In his comment, Ali Korkmaz, a supervisor of the Dutch MI magazine, said that the article is "a protest, an outcry and an outspoken, unprecedented warning for the Dutch authorities in particular and the European and western authorities in general of the consequences of issuing more laws against the interests of Muslims and foreigners."

In a phone conversation with IslamOnline.net Wednesday July 7, Korkmaz, a Muslim political activist of a Turkish origin, said, "Such an outcry by Professor Van Koningsveld means that the legislative and legal situation concerning dealing with religious minorities has reached an unprecedented degree that should be promptly confronted."

Korkmaz expected that the content of the article would influence the trends of the Dutch center right coalition led by the Christian Democratic Party.

IslamOnline.net correspondent in Holland points out that the Dutch authorities led by the government and the parliament pin great importance on the viewpoints of academic experts and professors as such authorities constantly tend to consult them regarding the issues under debate.

It is worth noting that Muslims in Holland exceed one million out of the total 16-million Dutch population. Most of them are of Turkish and Moroccan origins.

They occupy seven seats in the parliament and have a great number of consultants in municipalities. Yet, their political and economic power is still moderate, compared to other minorities.

Estimates and statistics in the year 2000 point out that the number of Muslims in Western states exceeds 15 millions, according to 'Islam Memorandum' website that reiterates that that number is not that accurate due to the lack of official statistics.