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Iranians in the Netherlands

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Iranians in the Netherlands
Iraniërs in Nederland
Regions with significant populations
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and other urban areas[1]
Religion
Islam[2]
Related ethnic groups
Iranian citizens abroad

Iranians in the Netherlands form one of the newer and larger populations of Iranians in Europe.[4]

Terminology

Holland Persian Community's Demonstration "UNITED4IRAN", Amsterdam, 2009
See also: Name of Iran

Iranians/Persians in the Netherlands are sometimes referred to as "Dutch-Iranians", "Iranian-Dutch", "Dutch-Persian", or "Persian-Dutch".[5][6][7][8] Similar terms Iraanse Nederlanders, Nederlandse Iraniërs, Perzische-Nederlandse, Iraanse gemeenschap, Perzische gemeenschap and Perzen may be found in Dutch-language media.[9][10][11][12][13] However, one scholar who uses the term "Dutch-Iranians" also expresses reservations over such a "hyphenated notion of identity" in the Dutch context, in comparison to the less problematic term "Iranian American".[14]

Migration history

Though other European countries such as Germany and France have had Persian communities since the early 20th century, the Iranian population in the Netherlands is of relatively recent provenance; virtually all came to the country after the Iranian Revolution of 1979.[1] The overall migration was quite significant relative to the whole size of Iranian emigration to Europe; from 1990–1999, the Netherlands was Europe's second most-popular destination for Iranian asylum seekers, behind Germany.[4] However, from 1981 to 2001, only 1,292 were formally recognised as "invited refugees" (Uitgenodigde vluchtelingen), the vast majority in the period 1987-1990.[15]

Demographic characteristics

People at Sima Bina's Nowruz concert in Amsterdam, 2010

As of 2009, statistics of the Dutch Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek showed:

  • 24,535 Iranian-born persons (13,603 men, 10,932 women)
  • 6,082 locally-born persons of Iranian background (3,159 men, 2,923 women), of which:
    • 2,491 persons with one parent also born locally (1,321 men, 1,170 women)
    • 3,591 persons with both parents born abroad (1,838 men, 1,753 women)

For a total of 30,617 persons (16,758 men, 13,855 women). This represented nearly double the 1996 total of 16,478 persons. Numerically, most of the growth was in the foreign-born segment of the population, whose numbers increased from 14,628 over the period in question; however, the rate of growth was fastest in the locally-born segment of the population, which almost tripled in size from 1,850 persons.[3]

Religion

Iran is a largely Muslim country, a fact reflected in the backgrounds of Iranian migrants to the Netherlands.[16] However, most migrants do not continue to practise their religion.[17] Those who do often find themselves viewed as threats and suffer exclusion from Dutch society; this trend strengthened with the growth of political Islam in the 1980s.[2]

In 2007, Ehsan Jami, a Dutch politician of Persian descent, criticised the Islamic prophet Muhammad, describing him as a "criminal".[18] Together with Loubna Berrada (founder of the Advisory Committee for Integration, part of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy), Jami founded the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims in 2007.[19] The organisation, supported by Afshin Ellian, aims to support apostates from Islam. On 4 August 2007, Jami was attacked in his hometown Voorburg by three men. The attack is widely believed to be linked to his activities for the committee. The national anti-terrorism coordinator's office, the public prosecution department, and the police decided during a meeting on 6 August that "additional measures" were necessary for the protection of Jami, who has subsequently received extra security.[20]

Education

Fardad Zand receives 2006 "Rector Magnificus" Prize at Delft University

As a result of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737, which among other matters called on UN member states to prevent Iranian students from receiving specialised training which might be of use to the nuclear programme of Iran, the Dutch government implemented a variety of restrictions on Iranian students in the Netherlands.

At the recommendation of the government, the University of Twente went so far as to halt its admissions of students from Iran entirely, stating that it could not ensure they would have no access to nuclear-related information.[21] However, the government later backed away from this policy.[22] In July, they announced that Iranian students could be admitted but would be restricted from taking certain courses and visiting certain places related to the development of nuclear weapons. In response, a group of Iranian students filed suit against the government, alleging that the restrictions violated the prohibition against all forms of discrimination established by Article 1 of the Constitution of the Netherlands.[23]

Political activities

Angry Persian protester shouts "Death to Islamic Republic" at "Peace Concert" organized by the Islamic Republic Embassy at Rotterdam's De Doelen Concert Hall.
Dutch-Persians Shout for Freedom on Bike, June 2010, a demonstration organized by Iranian Progressive Youth in cooperation with the Persian Dutch Network[24]

The first serious conflicts between the Persian government and students in The Netherlands goes back to 1970s. In August 1978 a group of Persian students occupied the Embassy of Persia [Iran] in Wassenaar, the Western Netherlands. They were arrested by the polic and their lawyer told the Dutch daily Nieuwsblad van het Noorden: "Wassenar Police gives the information to Persia".[25]

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the early migration of political activists and their applications for asylum in the Netherlands had a major effect on the development of the Persian community; the suspected links between the Islamic Republic embassies in Europe and the murders of prominent exiles such as the France-based former prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar, as well as rumours of information leaks to the Iranian embassy in The Hague from within the Dutch government, led to suspicion by Iranians both towards their fellow Iranians and towards the Dutch authorities.[26]

In 1996, Dutch daily Trouw revealed that one fairly prominent man in the Iranian community in Amsterdam, Mahmoed Jafhari (known by the alias "Anoosh"), had been working for the Iranian intelligence service to gather information on exiles; he had recorded on tape every conversation held in his house with his fellow Iranians, a fact which was discovered only after his death. The social environment created by that event has resulted in numerous difficulties for later academic research.[27] In July 2010, on the 14th anniversary of the revelation of Anoosh's espionage, Pejman Akbarzadeh did a retrospective on the story in a 20-minute programme for Radio Zamaneh (in Persian), interviewing those who had played key roles in the story; the Dutch Intelligence Service declined comment for the report.[28]

Since the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests, the Persian (Iranian) community in the Netherlands organised many solidarity demonstrations in Amsterdam, The Hague, Delft and Groningen. In January 2010, when the Islamic Republic Embassy in The Hague organized a "Peace Concert" at Rotterdam's De Doelen Concert Hall, it had to be stopped in the middle, because of physical confrontations between angry protesters and the embassy agents.[29]

In June 2010 the Dutch TV Channel NOS organized a visit for Ezzatollah Zarghami, director of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, to its headquarters in Hilversum. Radio Zamaneh revealed this news, creating a wave of anger in the Persian community.[30] The Hague-based Iranian Progressive Youth Network also published a press release entitled "NOS Welcomes the Terrorist".[31] The event was canceled a few days before the visit. The whole affair was reported in mainstream Dutch media such as NRC Handelsblad.[32]

Media

The Persian-language Radio Zamaneh in Amsterdam, 2008

In 2004 the Dutch Parliament agreed with the proposal for allocating 15 million Euros to set up a television station, which would broadcast in Persian language. This was the first time that an EU country had been involved in establishing a Persian television station on its own.[33] The decision caused a negative reaction from Iranian government. In the end, the project was stopped and the budget was divided between various projects, of which the main one is Radio Zamaneh.[citation needed]

The Persian-language Radio Zamaneh began operating in Amsterdam in August 2006 with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[34] The Islamic Republic of Iran has on various occasions criticised the Netherlands for funding the station. During the 2009 public unrest and demonstrations in Iran, Majid Ghahremani, Iranian ambassador to The Natherlands, accused the Dutch government of interfering in Iran's internal affairs. At the same time, a Dutch foreign ministry spokeswoman told Reuters that they had decided to continue to provide funding to the radio station, with the aim of improving the situation of human rights in Iran.[35][36]

The Dutch government also supports Shahrzad News, a Persian and English-language website which mostly focuses on women's issues. Since early 2010, TehranReview, which publishes articles on Iran in both English and Persian, has also been receiving financial support from the Dutch government. Rooz Online also receives financial support from Dutch government.[citation needed]

Integration and community

Iranians in the Netherlands have founded relatively few community organisations compared to Turkish or Moroccan migrants; this may be due to the general atmosphere of distrust and divisiveness among Iranians abroad.[5] In contrast to other migrant groups, there is little sense of community among them. Possibly as a result of this, many Iranians have redirected their ideological energies into participation in mainstream Dutch politics; prominent examples include politician Farah Karimi of the GreenLeft party or commentator and professor Afshin Ellian.[37]

Women tend to report far lower levels of discrimination than men.[38] However, they still often confront mainstream stereotypes of Muslim women, such as the idea that they are victims of domestic violence in need of emancipation from Muslim men.[39]

Others

First Persian piano recital in the Netherlands by Pejman Akbarzadeh, Amsterdam, 2008
  • There is an active "Persian Language and Culture" Departement at the University of Leiden in Holland.[40]
  • There are many Persian artists, writers, musicians, etc. who are active in The Netherlands, among them filmmaker Reza Allamezadeh and violinist Rahmatollah Badiee.
  • Persian traditional and pop music concerts usually take place every year in the Netherlands. Dariush, Sattar, Ebi, Mansour and Shakila are among Persian pop singers who have performed in The Netherlands.[41]
  • In 2006 The graphic designer Reza Abedini received 2006 Principal Prince Claus Award.[42]
  • In the summer 2008 Amsterdam Branch of Hermitage Museum in organized the exhibition "Persia: Thirty Centuries of Culture and Art" for six months.[43]
  • In March 2008 Pejman Akbarzadeh performed the first Persian piano recital at Amsterdam's Bethanienklooster.[44]
  • In July 2009, the Peace Noble Prize winner Shirin Ebadi gave a lecture in Amsterdam's Museumplein to support political prisoners in Iran.[45]
  • In December 2009 the prominent human rights activist Shadi Sadr won "2009 Human Rights Defenders Tulip Award" of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[46]
  • In 2010, in The Hague the garden of Islamic Republic of Iran's Embassy was occupied by a group of Persian and Dutch protesters for a few hours.[47]

Images

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b Ghorashi 2002, p. 140
  2. ^ a b Ghorashi 2002, p. 228
  3. ^ a b CBS 2009
  4. ^ a b Hessels 2002, p. 20
  5. ^ a b van den Bos & Achbari 2007, p. 171
  6. ^ Lindert et al. 2008, p. 581
  7. ^ Ghorashi 2002, p. 141, 182
  8. ^ "First Documentary on "Hayedeh, Legendary Persian Diva"", Payvand News, 2009-01-05, retrieved 2009-08-20
  9. ^ "Nederlandse Iraniër zit gevangen in Syrië", De Volkskrant, 2006-05-20, retrieved 2009-06-01
  10. ^ "Executie verijdeld van Iraanse Nederlander", De Volkskrant, 2003-06-30, retrieved 2009-06-01
  11. ^ "Iraniërs debatteren in 'Tehrangeles' – daar wel"", Volkskrant, 2009-01-15, retrieved 2009-01-15
  12. ^ "Het Informatie centrum voor Perzische (Iraanse) gemeenschap in Nederland.", PersianDutch.com, 2009-12-25, retrieved 2009-12-25
  13. ^ Mulder, Eildert (1996-07-27), "Spionnen von de ajatollah's", Trouw, retrieved 2010-07-23
  14. ^ Ghorashi 2002, p. 227-233
  15. ^ Hessels 2002, p. 19
  16. ^ Hessels 2002, p. 10
  17. ^ Hessels 2004, p. 57
  18. ^ Benneker, Bas (2007-06-23), "Ex-moslim PvdA: Mohammed was een crimineel (Labour party Ex-Muslim: "Muhammad was a criminal")", Elsevier (in Dutch), retrieved 2010-08-03
  19. ^ "Ex-moslims krijgen een stem: Ehsan Jami vecht voor geloofsvrijheid met nieuw Comité (Ex-Muslims get a voice: Ehsan Jami fighting for religious freedom in new committee)", Spits (in Dutch), 2007-05-06, retrieved 2010-08-03 {{citation}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  20. ^ "Extra security for Ehsan Jami", Expatica.com, 2007-08-07, archived from the original on 2008-05-27, retrieved 2010-07-03
  21. ^ Tenming, Ruben (2008-01-03), "Dutch university bans Iranian students", Radio Netherlands Worldwide, retrieved 2009-06-01
  22. ^ Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit (2008), "News of the Week: Dutch Revise Policy Blocking Iranian Students", Science, vol. 319, no. 5863, p. 556, doi:10.1126/science.319.5863.556b, PMID 18239096 {{citation}}: More than one of |number= and |issue= specified (help)
  23. ^ de Jong, Perro (2008-09-03), "Iranian students take Dutch state to court", Radio Netherlands Worldwide, retrieved 2009-06-01
  24. ^ "Dutch-Persians Shout for Freedom on Bike", Iranian.com, 2010-06-02, retrieved 2010-06-21
  25. ^ "Advocate Perzische Bezetters: "Politie Wassenaar gaf Perzië inlichtingen"", Nieuwsblad van het NoordenNieuwsblad van het Noorden, 1978-08-30, retrieved 2010-08-06
  26. ^ Ghorashi 2002, p. 141
  27. ^ Ghorashi 2002, p. 12. The newspaper article cited there is available online: "Iraanse broers blijken spionnen voor Teheran", Trouw, 1996-07-27, retrieved 2009-06-01
  28. ^ "Killing of IR Spy in Holland", Radio Zamaneh, 2010-07-30, retrieved 2010-07-31
  29. ^ "Holland's Persian artists in SOLIDARITY with their People", Payvand News, 2009-02-07, retrieved 2009-02-07
  30. ^ "Protests against Dutch TV's invitation to head of Iranian TV", Payvand News/RadioZamaneh, 2010-06-30, retrieved 2010-06-30
  31. ^ "NOS verwelkomt terroristen!", Iranian Progressive Youth, 2010-06-29, retrieved 2010-06-29
  32. ^ "Hilversum schrapt onder druk bezoek staats-tv Iran", NRC, 2010-07-02, retrieved 2010-07-02
  33. ^ "Dutch Parliament Gives 15 Million Euro to set up a Persian TV Station", Payvand News, 2004-12-22, retrieved 2010-08-02
  34. ^ "About Us", Radio Zamaneh, 2009-10-27, retrieved 2009-12-18
  35. ^ "Iran boos over hulp Den Haag aan radio oppositie", NRC, 2009-06-25, retrieved 2010-06-23
  36. ^ "Dutch-based Persian radio website defaced by hackers", Reuters, 2009-01-31, retrieved 2010-06-23
  37. ^ Ghorashi 2003, p. 147-148
  38. ^ Lindert et al. 2008, p. 578
  39. ^ Ghorashi 2003, p. 150
  40. ^ "Faculty of Humanities: Persian Language and Culture", Leiden University, 2010-03-06, retrieved 2010-07-29
  41. ^ "The key to freedom in Persian music", Tropentheater, 2010-07-29, retrieved 2010-07-29
  42. ^ "Reza Abedini: The Principal Prince Claus Award of €100,000", Prince Claus Fund, 1996-12-10, retrieved 2010-07-29
  43. ^ Perzië Geschiedenis van Perzië, Hermitage Amsterdam, 2008-05-06, retrieved 2010-07-29
  44. ^ "First Persian Piano Recital in Amsterdam", Payvand News, 2008-01-22, retrieved 2010-07-29
  45. ^ "Solidariteitsactie voor Iran op Museumplein", Amnesty International, 2009-07-29, retrieved 2010-07-29
  46. ^ Human Rights Defenders Tulip Shadi Sadr wins 2009 Human Rights Defenders Tulip Award, Netherlands: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2009-10-20, retrieved 2010-07-29
  47. ^ "Protesters 'Occupy' Parts Of Iranian Embassy In The Hague", Radio Free Europe, 2010-06-06, retrieved 2010-07-29

Sources

  • Ghorashi, Halleh (2002), Ways to survive, battles to win: Iranian women exiles in the Netherlands and United States, Nova Publishers, ISBN 978-1590335529
  • Hessels, Thomas (2002), Iraniërs in Nederland, een profiel (PDF), The Hague: Ministry of Justice, retrieved 2009-06-01
  • Ghorashi, Halleh (2003), "Iraanse vrouwen, transnationaal of nationaal? Een (de)territoriale benadering van 'thuis' in Nederland en de Verenigde Staten", Migrantenstudies, 19 (3): 140–155, ISSN 0169-5169
  • Hessels, Thomas (2004), "Iraniërs in Nederland", Bevolkingstrends, 52 (2): 54–58, ISSN 1571-0998
  • van den Bos, Matthijs; Achbari, Wahideh (2007), "Cultural migration: Networks of Iranian Organizations in the Netherlands", Migration Letters, 4 (2): 171–181, ISSN 1741-8992
  • Lindert, Annette; Korzilius, Hubert; van de Vijver, Fons J. R.; Kroon, Sjaak; Arends-Tóth, Judit (2008), "Perceived discrimination and acculturation among Iranian refugees in the Netherlands", International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 32 (6): 578–588, doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2008.09.003
  • Population by origin and generation, 1 January, The Hague: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 2009-03-11, retrieved 2009-06-01

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iranians_in_the_Netherlands&oldid=377530882"