NIS Bulletin: Dutch Labour Party Leader Bos: Accept Islam Is Here To Stay
Dutch Labour Party Leader Bos: Accept Islam Is Here To Stay
AMSTERDAM, 17/12/05 - The Netherlands will never be what is was once. And that must be accepted, according to Labour (PvdA) leader Wouter Bos. "Islam is here to stay," he declares in his book 'Dit land kan zoveel beter' (This country can do so much better). People who deny that Islam forms part of Dutch society propagate "a politics of nostalgic illusions". Bos presses for "binding leadership" and a combination of solidarity, sympathy and fellowship among all residents of the Netherlands. His fear is that a middle class develops that feels no solidarity at all with a permanent 'underclass' that may eventually consist of two million people without prospects, Bos stated. Bos presented the first copy of his book to former Prime Minister Wim Kok on Friday. The first 62 pages are about his youth, his time as a student, his ambitions and his career with oil company Shell in Romania, Hong Kong and London. The other 97 pages contain an analysis of the present state of the Netherlands and a vision of the future.
