The centre of Ian Buruma's book is that of filmmaker Theo van Gogh who was murdered in November 2004 by Mohammed Bouyeri, the Dutch son of Moroccan immigrants, acting "out of faith" because he felt obliged to "cut off the heads of all those who insult Allah and his prophet".Buruma offers an interesting account of what led up to the crime and the parties involved in what is one of the most striking examples to date of the clash of cultures being played out especially in western Europe. Amsterdam for many years has been a tolerant society (Buruma even prophesies that in 2015, 50% of the population will be foreign born). Van Gogh is presented very much as a child of his times. He was ambitious with his movies and pressed issues that weren't widely believed and appreciated-such as in Submission. Mohammed Bouyeri, on the other hand, was portrayed as the youth who for a time seemed to have some potential to become a productive member of society but instead became radicalized, embracing Islam fundamentalism, possibly because he saw no place for himself in the Dutch society. He violently reacted and becomes the guiding factor of Burumas mission to Amsterdam to learn about the tolerant society. Amsterdam for many years has prided itself for its pro-Enlightenment ideals and tolerance. However, in recent years, there have been issues with the integration of the Muslims-who constitute a large population.
Unlike the United States that has a melting pot of different cultures and religions, I think the problem with Amsterdam and the large concentration of Muslims is that unlike other religions-particularly Christianity, many Muslims live their daily lives through their religion. It is not secularized like it is in the United States. Education is also important in understanding the issues in Amsterdam. Through Global Scholars, I am fortunate to be aware of the issues and have an unbiased approach, but this is not the case for many people. We live in a tolerant society.
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