Published 03 Jul 08

International Desk

By Abigail R. Esman
World Defense Review columnist

In Holland, the (Christmas) Party's Over

Two thousand eight: the year that Muslims cancelled Christmas.

Not for everyone, of course; but for the employees of Amsterdam's transportation agency (GVB), which oversees the city's trams and buses. For them, there will be no Christmas party this year, a decision made by the organization's leaders who noted that "because of the multicultural composition of our colleagues, a Christmas party is too one-sided" – an observation that comes as no news to the many Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, Jews, and others working at the GVB who have managed, somehow, either to ignore or to enjoy Christmas celebrations in the past.

Let's not kid ourselves. What the GVB means is, "the Muslims won't like it."

It is hardly surprising, though, that they would come to this conclusion – nor that they arrived at this decision as an effort to forestall a conflict. In May alone, construction workers wearing shorts and T-shirts during a heat wave caused complaints in a Muslim neighborhood in the town of Almere, who found the attire "too revealing." (We're talking about men, remember, dirty, hot, sweaty men in T-shirts. But whatever.) The response? The builders' union agreed to have workers in Muslim neighborhoods throughout the country don long pants and long sleeves – even at the risk of their health – in summer weather.

Quickly following this was the incident on a KLM flight from Istanbul to Amsterdam, when a Muslim woman complained to the flight attendant about the fact that she had been seated next to a man. As it turned out, in fact, her seatmate was not just any man, but Amsterdam city council member Lex van Drooge. But "we try to make our passengers comfortable," said KLM, and asked Mr. Van Drooge to find another seat. The airline later admitted to a newspaper reporter that yes, the attendants could have asked the whining woman to find another seat herself, but failed to explain why they chose not to do so.

No, I am not making this up.

And actually, one could pretty much see this coming. Every year, the Dutch celebrate the arrival of Sinterklaas (Sint Nicolaas), patron saint of children, on the 5th of December, which they often refer to as "children's Christmas" – the night for gift-giving. Traditionally, Sint Nicolaas brings along his trusted aid, Sint Piet, to help distribute packages, and to drop down chimneys as needed to fill shoes left by the hearth with goodies. For this, he is often called "Zwarte Piet," or "Black Pete." (It's that "black" moniker that often causes problems among those who view the character as a racist symbol: the black slave forced to serve his white master.)

But in December 2005, whether because of misinterpretations of the "Zwarte Piet" nickname or other reasons, children – and some adults – in the Transvaaalwijk, a larely-Muslim neighborhood in the Hague, pelted poor old Nic and Piet with stones and chased them from the streets. They haven't dared to visit since.

By now, Holland has grown accustomed to such displays, but it wasn't always so. In the early 1990s, when Muslim immigrants rioted in Paris, some feared the trend would catch on in Amsterdam.

"Not here," others declared confidently, and for a long while they were right. But in 1998, Moroccan youth clashed with the police on Amsterdam's Mercatorplein, marking a turning point in race relations in the country. Similar demonstrations have abounded ever since.

I was reminded of all of this by a recent conversation with a friend who is considering a move to Canada.

"Canada?" I said, "You mean where they recently considered legitimizing sharia law?"

"Oh, that," he said, and waved a hand dismissively. "That's not going to happen. Not there."

I wish I shared his confidence. But I don't.

— Abigail R. Esman is an award-winning author-journalist who divides her time between New York and The Netherlands. In addition to her column in World Defense Review, her work has appeared in Foreign Policy, Salon.com, Esquire, Vogue, Glamour, Town & Country, The Christian Science Monitor, The New Republic and many others. She is currently working on a book about Muslim extremism and democracy in the West to be published by Praeger in 2010.

Abigail R. Esman can be reached at esman@worlddefensereview.com.

Visit Esman on the web at abigailesman.com.

© 2008 Abigail R. Esman

Abigail R. Esman story archive

NOTE: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author, and do not represent the opinions of World Defense Review and its affiliates. WDR accepts no responsibility whatsoever for the accuracy or inaccuracy of the content of this or any other story published on this website. Copyright and all rights for this story (and all other stories by the author) are held by the author.