Murder In Amsterdam: The Death Of Theo Van Gogh And The Limits Of Tolerance (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
"Buruma, who was born in the Netherlands in 1951 and has lived mostly abroad since 1975, is less interested in the details of the killing than in what followed: the ideologies vindicated or discredited, the prejudices revealed and the doubts cast on the workability of what only 10 years ago was considered Europe’s most easygoing society."The murder in Amsterdam at the centre of Ian Buruma's book is that of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in November 2004 by the Dutch son of Moroccan immigrants, acting "out of faith" because he felt obliged to "cut off the heads of al those who insult Allah and his prophet" (in other words, the act of someone entirely deluded and misguided). Buruma offers an interesting account of what led up to the crime and the parties involved in what is one of the most striking examples to date of the clash of cultures being played out especially in western Europe, where what likes to consider itself a tolerant and open society has to deal with the children of the (often Islamic) immigrants that have settled there en masse in recent decades. The provocative and often deliberately insulting filmmaker van Gogh is presented very much as a child of his times -- and his confrontational (if, in a sense, good-humoured) approach as something that was (more or less) understood and accepted in tolerant Holland. Meanwhile, his murderer, Mohammed Bouyeri, was a youth who for a time seemed to have some potential to become a productive member of society but instead became radicalized, embracing Islam, and coming to take it very, very seriously -- arguably because he could not find his place in Dutch society (although he seems always to have had what can be called anger management issues -- i.e. he was quick to react with violence). Buruma offers a good portrait of Holland and the changing conditions there: long priding itself as a centre of the Enlightenment and a tolerant society, the close-knit Dutch world has nevertheless had trouble adapting to some of the recent rapid changes, specifically in integrating the large influx of foreigners. (In 1999 45 per cent of Amsterdam's population was "of foreign origin", and Buruma says projections suggest it will be 52 per cent in 2015 -- though he doesn't look at the demographics more closely, not making clear how 'foreign' that population really is (i.e. are these EU citizens, or those from beyond EU-borders, etc.).) Some ghettoization has occurred, and Buruma makes a good case that it is especially the displaced second-generation -- the children of the original, often poorly educated immigrants who were made to feel at home in neither their parents' culture, nor in Holland itself -- that have the most difficulty in finding a place for themselves (and hence in some cases act out in unacceptable ways). (Some of the evidence, however, requires more explanation, as when he repeats a psychiatrist's claim that: "A young Moroccan male of the second generation was ten times more likely to be schizophrenic than a native Dutchman from a similar economic background", a claim that at the very least requires a clear definition of what is meant by 'schizophrenic'.) The appeal of the ultimate irrationality, religion, -- and especially Islam, which has so readily been abused for the most intolerant and outrageous actions in recent times -- to those who can not find a hold elsewhere comes as no surprise, but proves very dangerous in an open society. In each country the situation is a different one, both from the approach to those who choose to live there to the outside influences they bring with them: alone the Islamic immigrants in a variety of European countries -- say Britain (with the large South-East Asian contingent), France (Algerian), Germany (Turkish), and Holland -- each make for a very different immigrant community, and in each case the state's treatment of the foreigners (including how readily to allow them to become citizens) also varies widely. Buruma's book describes the special Dutch conditions and circumstances, and while it is illuminating -- even just in the questions it raises (offering, as it does, few answers) -- hardly allows for larger lessons that are applicable throughout Europe (much less America, where the immigrant-experience (and the immigrant-related issues) tend to be completely different ones). Buruma offers an interesting account, and a lot of insight into the Dutch world, but ultimately the van Gogh case isn't all that revealing. The case is too clear-cut: no matter what van Gogh's provocation, the murder was beyond the pale, and though Buruma is able to trace the evolution of Mohammed Bouyeri to the point where he committed this act there's no excuse or even any real explanation for what he did. Bouyeri is a weak, pathetic thug who couldn't channel his personal failure any other way than to harm another human being. The Allah-excuse is a feeble one; Bouyeri's belief that his act was in some way the 'right' thing to do nothing more than a delusion. His acting out fortunately remains an extreme example and certainly there's an interest in keeping those from similar (or, indeed, any) circumstances from following down the same path, but given his unique circumstances it's not clear what the solutions might be. Buruma suggests many of the reasons there is friction, problems, and the potential for disasters (such as the murder of Theo van Gogh), as well as the difficulties of remaining 'tolerant'. There are useful reminders of how intolerant parts of the Dutch model were until relatively recently: the separation by religion, or the fact that: "Until 1954, women in government jobs were automatically fired when they got married". Islamic fundamentalism poses a particular problem -- or at least is one which has garnered a lot of attention at the moment --, especially since it seems (at least in many of its currently popular manifestations) to be irreconcilable with European norms of tolerance. Still, given rapidly changing circumstances (economic, social, educational, and others) it's unclear what lessons can be leant -- or might be applicable -- from this even in just the near future. An interesting social-historical account, but not entirely satisfying as a discussion of the issues.
This is a fascinating and thorough look at the contemporary social/political scene in Holland, where a massive influx of rural Moroccan immigrants, some of whom practice takfir, a particularly extreme form of Islam, challenges the ulta-liberal government's policies of tolerance and multiculturalism and the country's traditions. This issue came to a head in 2004 with the famous assassination of filmmaker and provocateur Theo Van Gogh. Buruma is very balanced, examining the issue from many sides and never taking one side as "right" and the other as "wrong." He's uniquely situated to write such a book, as he is Dutch by birth, but has lived abroad for the past three decades. This gives him an insider view with a bit of a detached gaze. The fundamental question of the book -- can a liberal society, one that believes in the value of diversity and of tolerance for other cultures, accept and incorporate a culture that doesn't share certain of its most important beliefs (in this case equality between men and women, acceptance of homosexuality, and separation of church and state) or are there certain things that are non-negotiable? -- seems to be something that must be addressed if we're to understand how Islam is changing Europe. Indeed, reading this book as an American who's never been to the Netherlands, I felt I was getting half the picture, and a distorted one at that. The American idea of immigration is so different from the Dutch one, especially for this reader, who lives in Los Angeles and takes for granted that Spanish shares nearly equal footing with English in the public sphere. But Holland is different, as it harbors a level of guilt for its relative complacency during the Holocaust (Anne Frank continues to be the ultimate Dutch trump card, her name ending all debate in a moment of shamed silence), and its more recent role as colonial oppressor in Suriname and Indonesia. This book is a fundamentally European book, just as the author argues, at one point, that Islam is now a European religion. One of the people Buruma profiles in the book, explains that "The heart of Islam is in the Middle East, but its head is in Europe," meaning that liberal European culture has given Muslims the intellectual space to feel out how it will interact with the West, with modernity, and with itself, the freedom to decide whether it will grow to reconcile life in a modern, multicultural society or whether it will ultimately reject it.The reason I give this book only 3 stars is that it felt repetitive at times, hammering home the same lessons about the "Dutch character" over and over, and in the end, it offered little in the way of a solution. While it isn't the author's job to find an answer to such an enormous question, I would've liked to have seen more than what he eventually concludes, that giving young Muslim men more economic opportunities to succeed and a chance to feel more accepted in Dutch society will curtail the spread of extremism. This seems like the typical leftist response to social ills, "All political strife and all crime is the result of economic disparity." It's not that I don't believe this to be true (it certainly couldn't hurt to give them greater economic opportunities, for example), but I would've liked to have seen something a bit more forward-thinking from a book that so often surprised me.
What do You think about Murder In Amsterdam: The Death Of Theo Van Gogh And The Limits Of Tolerance (2006)?
My Son in Law purchased this book, while working for the UN in Den Haag. I being Dutch Born, and leaving the Netherlands in the early 50.s I missed much of that part by of history. The Author Ian Buruma is Dutch born as well.The story deals with the murder of Theo van Gogh, who is a great grand-son of Theo van Gogh, Vincent's very supportive Brother.The Theo in the story has been a character from birth, being involved in T.V. interviewing persons of the day the controversial politician Pim Fortuyn , Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and other controversial characters during his life time. Theo was murdered by Mohammed Bouyeri, the story goes into the backgrounds of the characters which makes it an interesting book to read.Coming from a rigid Calvinist family background I am always amazed that a country that is basically rigid yet has the capacity of tolerance, especially in view of the fact that today.s Dutch society is filled with persons from every part of the world.I found the book very interesting, and well written and plan on looking fro other writing by its author Ian Buruma.
—Neil Mudde
My experience with this work is a bit interesting. People who tend to oppose "multi-cultural democracies of difference" seem to me to hate this work for "apologizing" Islamic extremists. People who tend to desire a multicultural and a blanket tolerance policy in the conception for Western cultural identity tend to hate it for "celebrating" right wing politicians in opposition to Islam.I think this book is so full of primary sources that it is hard to immediately identify the opinion of the author. I think it is a very useful exploration of these important issues. Is as Popper said, "the tolerance of intolerance" impossible? How can democracy survive when people use democratic institutions to undermine democracy? These are important issues of our day explored by Buruma with grace and no short amount of engrossing storytelling. We are placed in the perspective of Dutch politicians, immigrants and everyday persons, and are confronted with these compelling multi-national issues where public policy meets everyday life.
—Christian Ness
I believe in freedom of speech. Tom Cruise has the right to sound like an idiotic jerk, and I have the right to refuse to see anything he's in. My local paper can publish those cartoons, and people can protest outside the paper's building and write strongly worded letters. The KKK can march in Grey's Ferry, and the mayor can say, "go ahead, but we don't have enough cops, just so you know."And if everyone isn't happy all the time, at least we're taking turns being miserable.The right to speak your mind is a very important right.Therefore, when someone gets killed for saying something, no matter how hateful or stupid (think of how many stupid things Hollywood people say) or gets threatened or the paper/publisher gets firebombed, I get angry. Yes, I can understand how those cartoons are hurtful; yes, if you feel its necessary march, protest, and boycott. But why are you killing that guy who had nothing to do it? Why firebomb the newspaper? And no rape or death threats. And leave children out of it.When Theo Van Gogh was murdered, it made the news even over here. I had vaguely heard of both Van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I followed the case in a haphazard way, interested in how the Netherlands I had visited twice before would change after the murder. Eventually, I read Ali's work. I picked this book up for much the same reason, and it was one sale.Buruma seems to be moved by much the same question of change, and he is far more knowledgable than I because he was raised in the Netherlands. The intent behind this book seems to be a desire to examine the culture and society both before and after the murder. To look at causes and effects. At times, Buruma seems to dance close to the line of blaming Ali and Van Gogh, especially when discussing the film Submission which is seen as the spark. But to see this book this way is too facile an assumpation. Buruma might disagree with Ali on some, if not all, of her points, but he seems to respect her immensely. Buruma, at times, seems a bit conflicted in a thesis for the book. It is more than a cultural war, he seems in part to argue that in some ways it is a cultural vaccum. He links in some ways Van Gogh's murder to Pym's murder (Pym was a Dutch politican who was murdered. He seems to be a mix of both what Americans would consider Conservative and Liberal. At one point, Buruma describes him as a giant walking penis). Feeliing conflicted seems to be a good thing. If anything, Buruma seems to feel that the problems are caused by a "welfare state" that for good or bad intentions, sections off a part of its society. He seems to interview anyone who is connected to the question and reveals some intersting ideas - perhaps American society is better suited for immigrants, Dutch schools are not required to treat national history. The best part of his book is the last section, where the people he seems to interview offer the best analysis. These include the Dutch historian Geert Mak and Ahmed Alaulteb, a politican and a Muslim.I'm not quite sure if I believe in the link to the guilt over World War II (Cohen's speech in the last section is very interesting), but the comparsion to football (soccer) fans is apt, considering what recently happened at a game - a fan ran on to the field, punched a player, and then took on the rest of the team. (Here, we have streakers who get tasered. Unless it's Basketball, in which case the team goes into the stands).Buruma's book is a thought provoking and good analysis.
—Chris
