Amsterdam, Netherlands – The Dutch parliament has passed a motion that mandates government agencies to track the “cultural and religious” values of Dutch citizens with immigrant backgrounds.
Proposed by VVD parliamentarian Bente Becker, the motion calls for the Socio-Cultural Planning Office (SCP) to regularly publish reports on the cultural and religious norms of Dutch citizens with immigrant backgrounds. This initiative has drawn parallels to historical instances of religious persecution and surveillance.
The Dutch government’s decision to support this motion has ignited a heated debate about integration, diversity, and the role of the state in monitoring citizens’ beliefs and values. As the country grapples with these issues, it remains to be seen how the implementation of this policy will impact the lives of Dutch citizens with immigrant backgrounds.
The VVD MP Bente Becker, who wrote the motion, said she was appalled if the “upset” had affected people and that it was not a call for a register but for more research on groups in “parallel societies in which some people with a migration background do not subscribe to Dutch values such as the democratic, constitutional state or equality of men and women”.
She told the Guardian, by email: “It is not a plea to investigate one group and leave the rest of the Netherlands out of consideration … [but] to be able to conduct debates about how integration is going on the basis of what is actually happening in society, rather than gut feeling.”
Bamenga, who debated the issue with Becker at a parliamentary committee before the VVD motion was submitted, disagreed. “It isn’t about the intention but the effect,” he said. “Words matter.”
In his weekly press conference on Friday afternoon, the Dutch prime minister, Dick Schoof, said that the government will deal “carefully” with the motion because of its “social sensitivity”.
“It should be clear that the cabinet will not keep track of the views of people with a migration background,” he said. He suggested the motion, supported by 10 political parties, should be incorporated into a five-year SCP research project on the whole population.
Becker said in a video on X that she found it “very cynical and a little bit sad” that people did not properly understand her motion, which is entitled, “Motion from member Becker about keeping details on cultural and religious norms and values of Dutch people with a migration background”.