Female Arab/Muslim Athletes on the rise

[galaxygirl]

but I understand that the Netherlands has separate special religious schools for Muslims.

We have special religious schools for more religions, not just Muslims. My public school was right next to a Catholic one.

[latraviata]

We have special religious schools for more religions, not just Muslims. My public school was right next to a Catholic one.

There a just a few islamic schools and they were founded by the muslim community itself.

Most muslim children are going to public, catholic and protestant schools.

In the context of integration muslim parents are incouraged to send their children to public schools.

The public schools have many additional programs, to tackle the laguage problems, integration programs, remedial teachers, social workers and all sorts of support to offer the children equal opportunities.

[latraviata]

We have special religious schools for more religions, not just Muslims. My public school was right next to a Catholic one.

I went to a catholic school.

[latraviata]

They weren't all yes or no questions.

Are you familiar with the experience of minority Muslim communities outside of Europe? I'm not saying that everything is 100% perfect, but the integration is better. You don't, for example, have the banlieu problem.

I've read Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book Infidel, which talks about the Dutch refugee system. There's no question that it is generous, but she does point out areas in which it is not working well. Muslim immigrants are not being integrated into the rest of Dutch society. I understand that immigrant groups naturally want to stay together, but lack of integration starts to affect employment, feelings of inclusion in the larger society and adoption of the social values of the surrounding society. In North American, public schools are one of the main tools of integration, but I understand that the Netherlands has separate special religious schools for Muslims.

You know what?

Just google integration of non western immigrants in the Netherlands. You get tons of hits.

[Austin]

I am an equal opportunity snarker when it comes to religious fundamentalists, of any stripe. I respect the rights of others to practice whatever religion they choose, even if I privately think it is stupid, as long as they do not try to oppress others with it. Just as wtih Christian fundamentalists, there seems to be plenty to snark on with Muslim fundamentalists, or any other religious fundamentalists. If the blogger that Sunnichick mentioned were Christian, I'm betting there would plenty here with lots to say about her blog.

I am no ally of Lat's, but even without considering her opinion, I believe there is some political correctness run-amok going on in this topic. There's no denying that fundamentalist Islam makes the lives of millions of women pretty miserable, just as with fundamentalist Christianity. I think people are rightly sensitive to the fact that Muslims are discriminated against regularly in the West, where Christians are not. But that doesn't give Muslim fundamentalism a pass.