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This article was originally written on 22 April 2008 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. The Dutch like to think of the Netherlands as an enlightened nation — a beacon of civilisation in a sea of outdated, backward ideas. We were, after all, the first to give same-sex couples the right to marry, the first to legalise euthanasia. So we must be progressive! But is this really the case? Are we truly as emancipated as we think? ...

This article was originally written on 14 July 2007 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. Large parts of the United Kingdom are under water following heavy rainfall. The image reminds me of the Netherlands in 1995, when large parts of Limburg in particular were flooded. Unlike the UK, the Netherlands has since implemented a delta plan for its inland waterways, designed to protect the Dutch interior from flooding for the coming centuries. ...

This article was originally written on 14 June 2007 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. A debate is currently raging about the secular republic of Turkey. A new president is being chosen by parliament, in which the religious AK Party holds an absolute majority. In the first round, Gül, the AK Party’s candidate, won. But the constitutional court has declared the elections invalid. The military has already stated it will defend the secular republic by all available means — and last weekend hundreds of thousands of Turks protested against the election of a ‘religious’ president. His wife even wears a headscarf. ...

This article consists of two separate posts, originally published on 15 October 2005 and 14 March 2007 on blog.luxzenburg.org. They are republished here together as a historical document and reflect the author’s views at those moments. I. The Burqa Ban (October 2005) The Dutch parliament has voted in favour of banning the burqa in public spaces. As a Dutch person and as a Muslim, I find myself wondering what the advantages and democratic justification for this ban are. ...

This article was originally written on 15 May 2005 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. The French non has exposed several problems within the European Union. First, the democratic deficit. Politicians emphasise that citizens can vote for their national and European representatives, but for most people the Union has remained an invisible entity, even as its powers have risen to unprecedented heights. ...

This article was originally written on 15 May 2005 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. The New York Times is publishing articles from the Council on Foreign Relations about the military threat posed by China. One article describes how China has significantly expanded its military expenditure and capabilities over the past fifteen years — from a basic army to an advanced fighting force that can match the US in defensive power, though its capacity to operate outside China remains limited for now. ...

This article was originally written on 15 April 2005 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. The BBC reports that the treatment of minorities and foreigners attempting to enter Greece has been sharply condemned by human rights organisation Amnesty International. According to Amnesty researcher Olga Demetriou: “People at the margins of society — asylum seekers, migrants, Roma and members of other minorities — are most likely to be victims of discrimination in all its forms. Usually their attackers are representatives of the state.” ...

This article was originally written in September 2003 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org in December 2004. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s experiences at the time of writing. My interest in Islam began after a trip to India, where I came into contact with an Indian Muslim who became a very close friend of mine. His mother is Dutch and his father is an Indian Muslim. We discussed faith, the values of a good life, and all manner of things related to spirituality on a regular basis. We also talked about our doubts, choices and feelings. All those conversations inspired me enormously. ...

This article was originally written on 15 October 2004 and published on blog.luxzenburg.org. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. I read a short note on Wikipedia about the region of ‘Asir in Saudi Arabia, which included the following passage: Saudi Arabia annexed ‘Asir, Najran and Jizan from Yemen in 1934, but the culture of the region has more in common with that of Yemen than with the rest of Saudi Arabia. This is most visible in clothing and architecture, which have been adapted to the sometimes heavy rainfall. Moreover, ‘Asir has been much less influenced by the oil boom than the rest of Saudi Arabia, and the modern urban development of cities like Riyadh is entirely absent here. Tribal laws and customs are still exceptionally strong among the population of this region. ...

This article was originally written on December 12, 1996 and published on Google Knol. It is republished here as a historical document and reflects the author’s ideas at the time of writing. This is part of the Project Policrateia series. The New World is the alternative for a state with a community of citizens and can easily be adopted in the Project Policrateia. The New World will contain anarchistic, communistic, socialistic, altruistic and kibbutzim ideals combined with a strong pacifistic and environmentalist feeling. The community exists out of small colonies (kibbutzim) of approximately 50 persons. The membership is voluntary: if you like the way of life you can join a colony; if you do not like it anymore, you leave. The people make up together some targets and create a constitution in which they put basic rights for all life and all sentient beings. This is to prevent chaos as would otherwise happen with anarchism. ...