I think *all* immigrants, even the highly educated, feel less welcome and are thinking more often about leaving. What can happen to one minority group, i.e., Moroccan's, can happen to us all.

By Quest | July 20, 2009 1:46 PM

Well, as they say in the Netherlands, tot ziens.
I don't mean that in a racist manner, it's just that if you really don't like it here, then what, besides money, is keeping people here?

By TomKat | July 20, 2009 1:51 PM

Well, it is understandable they are unhappy when they are the target of over representation by the media and discriminated against on a daily basis. This is not just anti religous discrimination, it has gotten to the nasty racism against ethnic backgrounds on all immigrants that is disturbing in the Netherlands and across Europe.

By sandra | July 20, 2009 2:06 PM

I beg to differ....The Dutch in Holland are most unhappy. They are emigrating. I know many Dutch living abroad. They don't want to go back to Holland

By yugtrams | July 20, 2009 3:03 PM

I always say, if you don't like it here then why would you want to stay, besides the financial benefits?

Morocco is not a war torn country, and if after all these generations you are still feeling out of sorts, then go back. I really don't see what the big deal is. You can't tell me that all these people feel that Holland is their promised land. It feels like home to some, to others not.

As a non-Moroccan, I too feel sometimes like I'm not welcome, but I also know that I can go back to my homeland or I can stay here and attempt to integrate in some form or another.

By TomKat | July 20, 2009 3:10 PM

I am an immigrant and I feel like leaving. I am frustrated by the slow pace of adopting features, products, standards, laws, etc. that most other European countries have already adopted years ago. I feel like this is not really the Europe I know. The increasing intolerance just makes it worse and makes it less likley to be welcoming to expats.

By Matt | July 20, 2009 5:03 PM

Great Idea: If you don't like it here then you should leave, by all means please do not stay and be unhappy. You should go home to your own country where your culture fits your needs and try to make your own country the kinda place that makes you proud to wanna live there again. Why would you want to live in a place that you do not feel welcome??

By DR | July 20, 2009 5:23 PM

They're statistically the least educated part of Dutch society, I wonder if that's a factor

By hlm | July 20, 2009 6:04 PM

To all those who use the "If you don't like it here then you should leave" kind of statements, please remember that many of us married Dutch people, have half Dutch kids and families, invested a lot of time and money, bought houses, started business, paid a *lot* in taxes, etc. It's not as easy as saying "just leave", or we probably would have done it already. It's just not that simple, and my guess is that if any of you who say these kind of statements ever lived in other countries, you would know that!

By Quest | July 20, 2009 11:09 PM

@tomkat && DR, Globally your comments sound logic but practically it sound otherwise. we are talking of 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants who themselves have never known any place apart from Holland. Holland is the land of their of their birth, they only know Holland as their country but suddenly like 1940s Jews they have been target of marginalization in the society they call home. like those who praised him when it is not you and condemned him when he turn to you.why can we be our brothers keeper.For that is love which the world need. History will always repeat itself and some group of people will be subject to discrimination. we will be in UN to sing "NEVER AGAIN" when we can do something to stop it.

By kwabena | July 21, 2009 8:17 AM

Its a common thread for all Expats in the Netherlands irrespective of their origins; that there isn't much integration - personally I never found it a problem once I accepted the general indifference (stereotyping I know) and ultimately if someone doesn't want to know you why waste your time on them.

By TAD | July 21, 2009 11:24 AM

I am Dutch and living permanently in Morocco. I have obviously family and firends on both sides.

Some have not noticed it said in the article that it is the Moroccans in Holland that are saying this, more than those in the other EU countries mentioned, that shows something.

There are though factors not mentioned, most Moroccans in Holland are Berbers from the Riff and they are a closer-nit community thus they are also targetted as being "us and them" by Dutch who are themselves "us and them" thinkers.

There is also the factor of an established ultra-conservative Muslim community that are linked to radicalism, that made an overall antiMuslim reaction (ie that cretin Wilders) that would make things worse and not better. That is why you see that the children of Moroccans are more religlous, it becomes like the only way out to react to that reaction from native Dutch.

It is not a good situation regardless and needs to be addressed. The question is how?

By Solkhar | July 21, 2009 11:37 AM

I think people are fed up with the Dutch politicians of hate and their spread of anti immigrant hatred to the rest of Europe with their rhetoric. After the Nazi Holocaust against the jews, you would think they learned their lessons from history but apparently not, the collaboraters of hate are in the Dutch genes like with Austria and Germany. Only the Dutch can´t try to hide and blame it all on Germany this time if Europe needs to be invaded again in order to prevent another holocaust. I hope the USA keeps The Hague Invasion Act open just in case. As a matter of fact, since Holland has violated many human rights treaties themselves, they have no business having an international human rights court on their soil, nor does Germany or Austria for that matter. Just recently an innocent well educated egyption woman was stabbed to death in germany, right inside the court room where she was making a case against a german citizen who discriminated against her to begin with. Where was all the news articles on that case? If it had been a white German woman, the whole of Europe would have went out of their minds full of hate! it would be front page news on a daily basis for several months!

By sandra | July 21, 2009 1:28 PM

If you don't mix with the native population but only with people of your own culture then how will you feel part of a group? Certainly I believe there is a problem here but not sure if the options to solve them convince me. greetings to everyone

By claudia canedo | July 22, 2009 5:39 PM

Does anybody here really believe that we ever going to see tolerance, understanding, peace and even love between diverse peoples (Moroccan, Dutch or what have you) unless we heal this old man called "humanity". Humanity is soul-sick and it won't heal unless we men and women, from all extractions and backgrounds, take a good look within. I will just leave you with a quote of the Great Carl Jung:
"Today humanity, as never before, is split into apparently irreconciliable halves. The psychological rule that when an inner situation is not made conscious it happens outside, as fate. That is to say, when the individual remains undivided and does not become conscious of his inner contraditions the world must perforce act out the conflict and be torn into oppposite halves."
.... Carl Jung, 1958

By Yoova | October 26, 2009 11:17 PM

im going to stay here for eva like it or not this is my country i was born here so im going to die here but morocco is ma second country and holland is my homeland 4eva

By moroccan4eva | December 22, 2009 9:29 PM