The Year 2004: Historiographical Issues Concerning Islam in The Netherlands

What is it about?

This article argues that Dutch policy makers, and Dutch society at large, for that matter, have become stuck in time when it comes to Islam-related matters. The 'stick-moment', so will be demonstrated, is the year 2004. The creativity that was so typical for the way that Islam-related issues were approached between 2001 and 2004, seemed to have disappeared in the years after 2004. The ways such issues were discussed, analysed, and handled became similar and repetitive. It was very much like a treadmill, which may explain a wide-spread sensation in Dutch society that things do not seem to move ahead when it comes to Islam. This article will explain why 2004 is such a pivotal year when it comes to Islam in the Netherlands and analyse the reasons why it has become the frame of reference for all the years to come.

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