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Heart and Soul: Rotterdam - The Dutch Melting Pot: Rotterdam: The Dutch Melting Pot

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Rotterdam: The Dutch Melting Pot

14/03/2015 GMT

Rotterdam - The Dutch Melting Pot

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Rotterdam - The Dutch Melting Pot, Rotterdam: The Dutch Melting Pot

Is there room for Islam in the wider Dutch society?

"Pack your bags and leave!”. This was the stark warning from the Muslim mayor of Rotterdam, issued in the aftermath of the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo magazine headquarters in Paris. Mayor Aboutaleb's words were aimed at the disaffected youth who may, he says, be considering using violence against the Dutch society. His comments reflect the clash between Muslims who are pushing for assimilation and the fundamentalists who believe Rotterdam’s faith groups must defend their religious and cultural identity.

Anna Holligan learns how the fear and loathing is being fuelled by the growing numbers of young people who are leaving the Netherlands to join the jihad in Syria. Many accuse the mayor of 'selling out' to the Western establishment and abandoning the young people who are now being forced to defend their faith. At the heart of this tension are what are known as ‘commuter-Imams’ – faith leaders who come to Holland but are accused of doing little to encourage Muslims to integrate into wider Dutch society. 

The Netherlands has traditionally been seen as the tolerant, liberal heart of Europe – yet the most popular party in the country says there is no room for Islam. Anna visits Rotterdam, the multi-cultural heart of the country, to find out if these faith communities can learn to co-exist while competing extremes are trying to tear them apart.

(Photo: Dutch Imams. Credit: Anna Holigan)

Heart and Soul: Rotterdam - The Dutch Melting Pot

BBC World Service

Anna Holligan reports from Rotterdam to explore the role of the faith communities in this diverse city.

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