Long known as the bastion of liberalism and tolerance, the Netherlands has now been declared home to the least prejudiced people in Europe. But with Dutch Muslims complaining of being vilified by the press, some people are asking whether the county is resting on its laurels.

Listen to an interview with Professor Andreas Zick

The Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence at Germany’s Bielefeld university spoke to 8,000 Europeans about attitudes towards migration, religion and minority groups. Half of respondents said there are too many immigrants in their home country and 43 percent said homosexuals should not have equal rights.

Social distance
Professor Andreas Zick, who led the team, found the Netherlands is the country with the least hostility towards minority groups. But he also warns appearances can be deceptive:

“The Netherlands – as well as France and even the UK – seems to be very tolerant according to the attitudes against groups. But if it comes to discrimination intentions like ‘would you move into a district where there are many immigrants?’ you can see people are more resistant. So there’s high diversity…. But the social distance is still there.”

Lack of self-awareness
Others agree the study offers little cause for celebration. The Swiss-Egyptian Muslim thinker Tariq Ramadan said on a recent trip to Amsterdam he feels the Dutch lack self-awareness on the subjects of racism and prejudice.

“I think  there is a deep problem in this country, a self-projection as a very liberal society that says… ‘this is our tradition, so by definition we cannot be racist; by definition we are open; by definition we are dealing with all of these people and then if we have a problem with Muslims it should be the Muslims [that solve] the problem.’ And I say this is wrong.”

Professor Zick’s research reveals a trend towards Islamophobia across the continent, which he attributes to a growing perception of the religion as an intolerant one. He says it is being used as a scapegoat for the failure of ethnic minorities to integrate in Europe.

The survey shows a major difference between attitudes in East and West Europe, with 88 percent of Poles firmly against gay marriage, in stark contrast to the 83 percent of Dutch respondents who take the opposite view.

Shared responsibility
Tariq Ramadan argues there is a need for greater acceptance of one another and that everybody has a responsibility for breaking down prejudice.

“I would say the Netherlands should really start reassessing their own attitudes towards their own values – not even just towards Islam. It’s about their own values: how do we deal with pluralism, how do we deal with mutual respect and mutual dignity. This is where I think there is a problem.”