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Donner said that Shari`ah could be applied if two-thirds of the population supported it. |
THE HAGUE — Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner has unleashed a political storm with comments that Islamic Shari`ah could be applied in the Netherlands if two-thirds of the population supported it.
"For me it is clear that if two-thirds of Dutch people want to introduce Shari`ah that should be possible," Donner wrote in a book released on Wednesday, September 14, reported Agence France Presse (AFP).
"How could we legally oppose it? It would be scandalous to say 'that is impossible'," added the justice minister.
"It is the majority that counts, that's the essence of democracy," he wrote in the book "Land of Hate and Envy" about changes in the country over the past 15 years.
The Netherlands, which has a 16-million population, is home to one million Muslims.
A government study said earlier in September that Muslims would make up 8 percent of the population by 2020.
Donner's views have immediately roused political ire in the European country.
The leader of the Christian Democrat party's parliamentary bloc, Maxime Verhagen, said that people who want to introduce Shari`ah, even through democratic channels, should be stripped of their constitutional rights.
Anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders called for an emergency parliamentary debate on Thursday, September 14, to discuss Donner's remarks, a government spokesman said.
Theoretical
But the justice minister, who is known as a solid legal mind, defended his position.
"They are now suggesting that I am in favor of establishing Shari`ah in the Netherlands. This is not true," he told the ANP news agency.
Donner said he meant theoretically that if a majority of Dutch voters wanted to introduce Shari`ah, a two-thirds majority in parliament could amend the constitution to do so.
Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk, known for her tough stances on immigrants, agreed that Donner's remarks were theoretical.
"Our democracy is much more than the might of the majority. People fought for years for fundamental values," she said.
"These jar with Shari`ah. I trust in the fact that we will stick by fundamental values such as the equality of man and woman in our democracy."
After three years of research, the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) affirmed that Islam, in principle, neither conflicts with democracy, nor human rights nor Dutch values.
It said The Netherlands and the European Union should reach out to Islamic movements which embraced democracy like Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Lebanon's Hizbullah.
Integration
In his book, Donner also criticized the ongoing debate on the integration of immigrants in the Netherlands.
"I do not like the tone of the political debate. 'You must assimilate, you must adopt our values, be reasonable, do it our way'. That is not my approach," he stressed.
Verdonk said in March that those wanting to immigrate to the Netherlands would have to watch a film featuring a topless woman and gay men kissing to test their readiness to learn Dutch values and liberate in the country's liberal society.
The Netherlands has also imposed some of the world's toughest national entry laws to ensure newcomers are equipped with "vital integration skills".
They would have to pass exams on Dutch language and culture exams in their home country. |
