First Muslims sworn into Dutch cabinet

[sonz]

Two Muslims are being sworn into the Dutch government on Thursday, becoming the first Muslim cabinet members in the Netherlands.

Ahmed Aboutaleb, who also holds the Moroccan citizenship, and Nebahat Albayrak, of Turkish origin, will be sworn in as junior ministers in the new centrist cabinet being formed by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

Aboutaleb, the incoming deputy minister for social affairs, and Albayrak, the deputy minister of justice, are joining many Muslim immigrants who reached the inner core of political power in Europe.

Both succeeded to establish themselves in the Netherlands amid concerns that the country cannot comfortably absorb its Muslim minority.

About 1 million of Holland's 16 million people are from families of Muslim background.

"This is the new Europe, and the Netherlands is setting the example," said Sadik Harchaoui, a Moroccan who heads the national Institute of Multicultural Development.

"This is the moment when Dutch citizens of migrant backgrounds can take these kind of jobs, not only in government but in business," he added.

But Harchaoui said that there is still a long way to go. "In 15 to 20 years it will be a normal thing."

Although there are no hard statistics, Muslim integration appears to be happening in many areas of the Netherlands.

In the 2006 Dutch municipal elections, the number of city council members from Turkey and Morocco grew by 62%, to 223 from 139, according to a Dutch research group. Immigrants from the two Muslim countries in the 150-seat national parliament rose to seven from five.

”Political ambitions”

Albayrak, 38, came from Turkey with her six siblings when she was 18 months old. She joined the Labor Party while a university student, earned a degree in international law and was elected to parliament in 1998.

In last November's elections, she was placed second on the list of candidates after the party leader.

Aboutaleb, 45, left Morocco at age 15. He studied telecommunications and worked as a news broadcaster, but always had political ambitions.

Aboutaleb was credited with easing ethnic tensions which flared in many Dutch cities two years ago following the slaying of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh after he insulted Islam in his work.

"A lot of people who have trouble finding a job, who have difficulty adapting to this society, think they're not accepted. And sometimes that is the case," said Amsterdam councilman Lodewijk Asscher. "To them, it's a very important message that Ahmed Aboutaleb has made it to the national government."

Since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, and the deadly bomb attacks in London and Madrid, studies have shown that many Muslims are being unfairly targeted by the police and that the Muslim community is looked upon with suspicion.

However, this didn’t hold back many Muslim immigrants who succeeded in establishing themselves in Western countries, participating in the political process and setting an example to other Muslims who are struggling to live in the West.

-- AJP and Agencies