Murder in Amsterdam - book

His third wife said to have drowned
in a dry bathtub, later found to have
been beaten. Fourth wife missing.

I have just finished Murder in Amsterdam by Ian Buruma. You will recall that Theo Van Gogh, a filmmaker and critic of Muslim culture, was brutally murdered in broad daylight by a fanatic Muslim. There were witnesses who saw Muhammed B. shoot Van Gogh off his bicycle and then several more times, slash his throat with a machete, and then leave a note pinned to him with another knife. The long, rambling note was not addressed to Van Gogh but, rather, to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali born Dutch politician who had made a short film with Van Gogh. Buruma attempts to explain how and why this dreadful murder came about and in doing so exposes the conflict that exists between the Dutch and the many immigrants they have allowed into their nation, most of whom are either Turks or Moroccans. This is a classic case of the clash of two cultures, and what a clash it is. It is almost impossible for me to imagine two cultures so unlikely to mix. On the one hand there is the super liberal Dutch of Amsterdam who accept unlimited free speech, homosexuality, drugs, and prostitution, all of which is publicly flaunted, and on the other hand new Muslim immigrants who come from a culture that is almost unbelievably intolerant of all those things. But not only did the Dutch invite Muslims to settle in their country, they invited them in large numbers. After WWII the Dutch, like the French and Germans, needed laborers and needed to increase their diminished population. And, apparently motivated by guilt over what they had done during the war, became exceptionally tolerant of all others. Thus they welcomed the newcomers with open arms, provided them with support, and overlooked the problems that slowly grew over the years. Unlike immigrants in the U.S., who for the most part try to assimilate, the immigrants did not assimilate well, and in many cases not at all, into Dutch culture. They remained apart in ghettos, built mosques, and kept in touch with their relatives in Turkey and Morocco. Apparently the Turks did better at assimilation than did the Moroccans who have proven to be the most difficult when it comes to integration. The conflict arose not merely over religious or moral differences but also, of course, had an economic element. Dutch recruiters preferred illiterate
laborers who would not challenge the system. The earliest Muslims to arrive kept to themselves, often did not even attempt to learn Dutch, and were not such a grave problem. It's their children, the younger generations, who feel shut out of Dutch society, paternalized, looked down upon, and become rebellious.

This became a cultural problem as well as religious and economic. For Van Gogh and other Dutchmen, for example, free speech knew no limits and they could be both insulting and very provocative. This was for them simply the way it was, somewhat like a game where you could put-down your rivals in the most unpleasant ways but still be within the rules of the game. As the Dutch began to understand their problem with too many immigrants many turned against them and described them in extremely unflattering terms. Unlike their fellow Dutch colleagues who could accept this as just part of the game, the Muslims, especially the Moroccans, were terribly insulted and outraged. You remember the outrage over the Muslim cartoons drawn by Dutch political cartoonists. Mohammed B's outrage grew and festered for quite a while before he became so outraged he deliberately sought out and murdered Van Gogh. He intended to become a martyr and expected to die himself. The Dutch disappointed him there as well.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a beautiful African woman who, after arriving in Amsterdam, was overwhelmed by the freedom allowed, especially for women. She turned against her previous Muslim faith and, as many such converts do, became fanatic in her beliefs. Having been brutally circumcised herself and forced to marry against her will, she took up the cause of Muslim women with a passion that gained her a wide following and a great deal of fame. No cultural relativism or tolerance of Muslim culture for her, she agitated to basically forcing Muslim immigants to change and give up their traditional customs. She became a politician and, of course, was quickly picked up and admired by the far rightists in Amsterdam who were anti-Muslim and would have preferred to see all immigrants returned to their points of origin. It was she who convinced Van Gogh to make their short movie, Submission, which ultimately led to his death and forced her to move to the United States. Submission was deliberately contemptous of Muslim culture and insulting in the extreme. This is an extremely well-written and informative book and gives you a picture of culture conflict that would be hard to surpass.

We don't hear much about Sibel Edmonds from the MSM. You might think this strange given the fact that she has said she will risk going to jail to tell what she knows about widespread corruption in very high places. The problem is she is only willing to do this to one of the major networks and so far none has agreed. Daniel Ellsberg
says her story is more explosive than the Pentagon Papers. You might think that if we still had a viable fourth estate, whose role was to observe and police our politicians, any newspaper worth its salt would jump at such a sensational story. But, no, not our current MSM. It appears they either are completely on the side of the administration or they are afraid of it, or both. Probably both. She has been muzzled completely by the administration and not allowed to present her case at all. But those who have interviewed her and have been at least partly informed believe she is telling the truth and needs to be heard. But as you have probably figured out by now, our MSM decides for us what it is we should hear, and they take their orders from the White House. So much for freedom of speech in America. We will soon be voting for one or the other candidates of their choice.

LKBIQ:
"Road, n. A strip of land along which one may pass from where it is too tiresome to be to where it is futile to go."
Ambrose Bierce -- The Devil's Dictionary