Islam and school: The Dutch experience

Since World War II, sizeable groups of immigrants have come to Western European countries: immigrants from former colonies, labor immigrants, and refugees/asylum seekers. Many of them are Muslims originating from Islamic countries in Asia and Africa. The total number of Muslims estimated to reside in Europe varies considerably. According to Shebaib (2004), between 15 and 25 million Muslims live in the European Union. This article focuses on the Netherlands, which has an estimated population of 920,000 Muslims or some 6% of the total Dutch population. In large cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague and Utrecht more than 10% of the inhabitants are Muslim. The majority of Dutch Muslims are of Turkish or Moroccan origin, their numbers totaling 320,000 and 285,000 respectively (Phalet & ter Wal, 2004). The first Turks and Moroccans came to the Netherlands in the 1960s as so-called guestworkers to perform low-skilled work. One characteristic they had in common was their low level of education, including, in many cases, illiteracy. Because of their relatively high fertility rate, family reunion and family forming migration processes, the Muslim population is steadily growing. At present, however, the second and third generation Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands still manage poorly in school and the labor market.