FIRST OF THE MOROCCANS The year was 1963 and I'd just passed my final examination. I had taken ample time to complete the school, so I within a month or two I was to enjoy the unenviable privilege of having to serve my country as a conscripted soldier. I decided to take a job for six weeks, and it soon became clear that a grammar school diploma does not exactly make an overwhelmimg impression on prospective employers. So one day I found myself washing dishes at Ruteck's Lunchroom in Amsterdam's Rembrandtsplein. The restaurant was frequented by ladies who seemed to be attracted by the bands of gypsies and other charming musicians who used to play there. One of my fellow dishwashers was Abdeslam. Abdeslam was from Morocco, Casablanca to be precise. Apart from Arab, Abdeslam spoke only French. Of course, being fresh from school, I was eager to practise the little French I knew, so soon I spent quite some time with Abdeslam, also after working hours. Soon I noticed Abdeslam looked very tired. I learned he had spent the night in the streets because he didn't have a place to stay. So after work, I took him home. My mother was a hospitable woman and provided him with a bed, clean sheets and a ditto towel. Abdeslam stayed at our place until he had found a place of his own. He must have been one of the first Moroccans who came to work in the Netherlands. Later, Abdeslam moved to Sweden. One day he and his pretty Swedish wife visited us and we had dinner together. Little could I have guessed then that later thousands of Abdeslam's compatriots would come here. First for work. But after some years they were allowed to bring in their families. The members of these families wanted to marry other Moroccans. These families produced offspring, who also had trouble finding marriage partners outside Morocco. And now, forty years after I accommodated Abdeslam, Amsterdam has areas in which more than half of the population is islamic. The school where I used to teach is separated from my home by such an islamic area (mainly Turks and Moroccans). One day I was cycling home from work when I felt people were clearly excited. Some people were cheering. There must have been some very good news. When I arrived at my Turkish greengrocer's, I heard about the reason for all the excitement. Some Arabs had blown up two skyscrapers in New York. Some three thousand innocent people were killed. Is it surprising that the distance between Arabs and Dutch has grown since then? I still don't understand how so many Arabs can show sympathy with the terrorists who carried out this attack. Besides, the number of women who suddenly discovered their islamic identity and have started wearing headscarves keeps amazing me. Aren't you worried too about the future of this planet? This weblog appeared on 24 March 2004 on Internetsite overtom.nl.
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