AMSTERDAM, September 18, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Up to 6,000 Dutch people have staged a mass rally in the capital Amsterdam to say “enough is enough” to the right-wing government for what they called racism and discrimination against minorities.

“We took to the streets to say enough of discrimination at workplace, enough of discrimination against minorities and to tell the racists to raise their hands off the minorities,” Mohammad Al-Rabaa, chairman of the Genoeg is Genoeg (enough is enough) movement, which organized the march, told IslamOnline.net Saturday, September 17.

The demonstration kicked off at 13:00 (09:00GMT) and brought together politicians from the opposition Greens, Socialists and Labor parties along with representatives of Muslim associations, anti-Zionist Jews, socialists and refugee rights activists.

They raised a banner reading: “For equal constitutional rights in a democratic state.”

Another banner read: “Let’s together express our discontent at the government policy…Let’s work for a united and peaceful Holland.”

“It is almost the first time to see the Dutch united in rejecting the discriminatory moves taken by the government,” Rabaa added.

“It sends a clear message to decision makers that it is high time they turned off the current social turmoil they have caused over the years.”

Rabaa said a country like the Netherlands, which separates religion from the state, is not expected to tamper with the inner affairs of religions like putting imams to the test and seeing whether they are qualified to take this post.

He questioned Minister of Immigrants and Integration Rita Verdonk’s bids to “qualify” imams.

“She will just add insult to injury and restrain the already tense relations between the government and the Muslim minority,” he said.

The Muslim activist further said the ruling alliance of the Liberal and Christian parties are working tirelessly to amend constitutional article 23, which states that any religious community in the Netherlands has the right to establish faith-based schools.

“The alliance wants to amend the article to deprive the Muslims in particular of this right,” he added.

He said the Dutch government went far in comparison by other European governments by taking a series of decisions in contravention of international and European norms.

“The government, to mention but a few, makes it a must for a wife to join her husband, and vice versa, to pass what it calls a citizenship test, a law which is tailored for Turks and Moroccans.”

“The government is also forcing non-European citizens of the first generation, most of whom are pensioners, to learn Dutch and burden them with 5,000 to 6,000 euros to take language courses.”

Rabaa said the racist policies of the government existed even before the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a Dutch of Moroccan origin.

“They date back to 2000 when politician Pim Fortyn emerged on the country’s political landscape, and gained up momentum after his killing,” he said.

Anti-immigrant Fortuyn was shot dead by a Dutch animal rights activist in May 2002 just a few days before general election.

Rabaa further rejected equating Islam with terror as promulgated by Dutch media and some politicians.

“The problem with Muslims has nothing to do with their being Muslims, but because they are citizens who need to be given more attention with a focus on the root causes of their problems,” he said.

The Muslim minority has been the subject of racist attacks since the murder of Van Gogh.

Carrying banners reading “Islam is not an enemy” and “Hatred is not the solution,” Dutch Muslims and non-Muslims took to the streets in March of last year to protest the rising attacks against the minority.