Wilders Visits Shariawijk

PVV leader Geert Wilders visits the Schilderswijk in the Hague on Tuesday. His visit is a reaction to an article which was published on Saturday in ‘Dagblad Trouw’. The newspaper concludes, from their own investigation, that a part of the Schilderswijk is developing as an enclave of orthodox muslims. “The Schilderswijk is a neighborhood, in The Hague, where more strict religious muslims live, close to each other, than elsewhere in the city, and they want to apply the strict muslim rules to the street,” according to Trouw, and, “Non-muslims en moderate muslims suffer from this.” People say that they are approached on the street about issues like smoking, consumption of pork meat and alcohol. Trouw also reported that women receive unwanted criticism about the way they are dressed. On Saturday, PvdA MP Keklik Yücel responded to the Trouw article by saying that the government should immediately do something about it. ‘Application of the Sharia Law can and may not be done in the Netherlands.’ PvdA and CDA announced on Saturday that they will ask questions about this during the weekly questioning round. PvdA-Tweede Kamerlid Keklik Y zei zaterdag naar aanleiding van het bericht in Trouw dat de overheid wat haar betreft onmiddellijk moet ingrijpen. 'Toepassing van shariawetgeving kan niet en mag niet in Nederland.' De partij kondigde aan vragen te stellen tijdens het wekelijkse vragenuurtje, net als het CDA. Of course one could expect that Wilders wouldn’t let go the opportunity to emphasize on negative aspects of muslims in the Netherlands. Therefor he will on Tuesday, starting 12 noon, visit the Schilderswijk. First he will be briefed by the police en then he will walk through the neighborhood. On Twitter, he announced that the PVV wants a debate in the House about this matter. He says it is unacceptable that the “Islamofascism is gaining ground in the Netherlands”. Three councilors from The Hague visited the Schilderswijk already on Saturday in a reaction to the article in Trouw. CDA Group Chairman Gert-Jan Bakker told the NOS that it is well known that in the neighborhood, the majority of the citizens is muslim. “We didn’t notice that they are ruling there on the streets.” Bakker went to the Schilderswijk with his VVD colleague Ibo Gülsen and D66 colleague Rachid Guernaoui. They have spoken to youth, women, community elders and the police. On the criticism, on the street, that women encounter about the way they dress, the councilors were told that this only happens occasionally, but that most people never encounter such remarks. Bakker said to the NOS: “A child has once told the teacher that she was dressed as exposed, something that was not allowed by Allah, and another woman heard by hearsay that somebody at the market made a remark about the length of her skirt.”