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Vlams Blok, Belgian right extremest party |
How are Muslims perceived by extreme right wing parties in Europe? Are those parties really afraid of Islam or is their Islamophobia merely a strategy to win votes? In this article, we have a closer look at two examples of extreme right wing parties: Vlaams Belang (VB) in Belgium and Partij voor de Vrijheid in the Netherlands.
Vlaams Belang: "A Muslim Cannot Be Democratic"
Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) is a political party in Belgium that supports Flemish independence (Flanders is the northern part of Belgium) and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants need to assimilate to the dominant Western culture. VB rejects multiculturalism, although it accepts a multiethnic society excluding Islam. The party defines itself as a traditional conservative party, but many observers describe it as far right. During the 2006 municipal elections, VB won a large increase in votes; the number of VB council members almost doubled, from 439 to about 800. Their program (www.vlaamsbelang.org) clearly states that Islam does not respect freedom of opinion, equal gender rights, and personal marriage choice and that Islam encourages a climate of violence against women. According to the program, the veil symbolizes this unequal power relation between men and women and should be banned in public places. Islam, as a religion that contradicts "the democratic Western values," should no longer be recognized as an official religion in Flanders and Muslims should take an oath to obey Flemish law. The program also states that Muslims are overrepresented in criminality and that zero-tolerance policy should be used against them.
In 2005, there was a TV debate (Polspoel & Desmet, VTM, March 18, 2005) about whether Muslims could be candidates on the VB list for elections. In that debate, Gerolf Annemans, coauthor of the 70-step plan of the Vlaams Blok — a plan that took positions in contradiction with a number of international human rights treaties and for which the party was convicted and as a result had to change its name to Vlaams Belang — said, "We respect the Western democratic values and as such it is almost impossible for a Muslim to be member of our party."
| "In Flanders we face many problems, and they are not only a result of migrants or Muslims." |
In another TV debate, Filip De Man, VB member of Parliament, stated that "a real Muslim cannot be a democrat" (De Zevende Dag van March 20, 2005). On one of the local party websites of VB (www.vlaamsbelangbrecht.org ), the following statement can be read on the opening page: "In Flanders we face many problems, and they are not only a result of migrants or Muslims." The sentence can also be read "Migrants or Muslims cause most of our problems." Also, on the official website of VB Antwerp (the city were VB won its first victory), Islam is perceived as the enemy of Western values and democracy. Filip Dewinter, chairman of the party, talks on his website about Islamic colonization. In February 2007, some schools in Antwerp with many Muslim students decided to serve only halal meat at lunch. Filip Dewinter commented on this: "We cannot accept this decision. Islamic colonization must come to an end" (www.filipdewinter.beFebruary 12, 2007).
Partij voor de Vrijheid: "The Koran Is a Violent Book"
The Partij voor de Vrijheid (Party for Freedom) is a Dutch political party. Its founder is Geert Wilders, who was the only representative in Dutch Parliament of the party's forerunner, the Group Wilders faction. The Partij won nine seats in the 2006 general election, becoming the fifth largest party in Parliament and the third largest opposition party. Geert Wilders used to be a member of another right wing party, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), but left it in September 2004 because he could not reconcile himself with the VVD positive stance towards a possible Turkey accession to the European Union. Geert Wilders is known for his anti-Islam speeches.
On its website ( www.pvv.nl), the Partij voor de Vrijheid clearly calls for a (temporary) immigration stop of Moroccan and Turkish people. The program also proposes the following rules:
- Adding a new article to the constitution that states that the dominant culture in the Netherlands should remain Christian/Jewish/humanistic.
- Not allowing new mosques or Islamic schools in the next five years.
- Closing radical mosques and expatriating radical imams.
- Illegalizing foreign finances or policy influence of mosques.
- Banning foreign imams from giving speeches and imposing Dutch as the only language used in mosques.
- Banning veils in public positions.
| Geert Wilders is known for his anti-Islam speeches. |
In an interview with Geert Wilders ( www.nu.nlNovember 2006), the founder of the Partij voor de Vrijheid stated that Islam is an intolerant and violent religion and that the Qur'an is a violent book. Muslims are overrepresented in statistics of criminality and domestic violence. Wilders explained that "we have to stop the tsunami of Islamic culture and people to the Netherlands and stand up against the building of new mosques. It does not make sense to invest in a liberal Islam, because our culture is better then the Islamic culture. Muslims just have to assimilate. Islam can never be liberal." February 2007, Wilders stated in an interview with newspaper De Pers ("A Violent Religion") that Muslims should abandon half of the Qur'an if they want to stay in the Netherlands. He called Islam the "greatest danger that is threatening us." On his website (www.geertwilders.nl) he said, "Enough is enough. We close our borders to Muslims, expatriate many Muslims from our country, and denaturalize Islamic criminals."
Ballot Box
Common to both extreme right parties is their aggressive way in addressing issues concerning Islam and Muslims. If you have a look at the personal websites of the chairmen Filip Dewinter and Geert Wilders, you find that many topics discussed concern Muslims and are written in a hateful style. In a climate of growing Islamophobia, this can be an efficient strategy to attract votes. After all, Islam is perceived by the public as a danger to society. Both Vlaams Belang and Partij voor de Vrijheid focus mainly on safety issues. Contributing to the picture of the Islamic threat assures them more chances in the ballot box.
Another strategy both extreme right wing parties have in common is their flirting with the Jewish community. Both Vlaams Belang and Partij voor de Vrijheid call for the protection and revival of the European "Christian-Jewish" culture. However, both parties have their roots in parties that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II and actively participated in deporting Jewish people to Nazi concentration camps. Defining the Jewish culture now as part of European civilization could be a way to reconcile with their past or just a strategy to increase their votes by creating one big enemy: Islam.
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