Bolkestein aims his guns at equality-driven Dutch society

THE HAGUE – A former conservative liberal party leader and EC commissioner, Frits Bolkestein (VVD), has turned his guns on the current equality culture in the Netherlands, which, according to him, is applied beyond reason. He rejects the idea that equality should be the norm in every situation and at all times. Not every person or religion is always equal to others, he argues, singling out Islam, he says, which should not have the right to establish state funded Islamic schools. In principle he also opposes Article 23 in the Dutch constitution, which grants parents, within a set of practical guidelines, state funded educational choices. He recognizes that Article 23 has deeply affected Dutch society over the past century but draws the line on allowing an Islamic ‘pillar’ to develop. He also fails to understand how the Free University, started as a Reformed Christian institution, now is home to an Imam school and lauds his former colleague in the Second Chamber, Reformed Political Party leader Bas van der Vlies, for identifying Islam as a false religion. Bolkestein is also perplexed by the way CU-leader Rouvoet was ridiculed when he pled to remove obstacles for young families to have (more) children. Bolkestein noted that equality-driven society lacks an inspiring vision, lamenting that Christianity was universal in the Netherlands in the 18th century when liberalism was formulated.