An election win for the far-right, anti-Islam political formation in the parliamentary polls in the Netherlands has come as a “shock” to many and obviously enthused some others across Europe – a continent faced with the problem of large-scale migrations. Humanitarian laws in Europe and other western nations take a compassionate view of refugees to the extent that those who put their feet on these nations cannot be driven out and must be cared for. Huge funds are set apart for this. Far right parties are more mindful of the rights of the natives and are up in arms against migrations as they argue the well-being of their future generations is at serious risk. Apart from a culture shock, there are fears on other counts too.
Muslim migrations, largely from Africa and troubled Islamic provinces, are massive across Europe, and principally to the UK and France. This surge is seen also in the context that the UK and France had colonized much of the ‘dark’ continent – the British Empire the eastern parts and France the western and northern parts. Muslims form nearly six crore of Europe’s 74 per cent population, which is projected to rise to seven crore by 2050. While Muslim population grows faster, the predominantly Christian population is dwindling in Europe through birth control and other socially significant factors. Fears are that by the end of this century, Muslim population could even dominate Europe. Muslims form only five per cent of the 1.73crore population of the Netherlands now, Christians 50 per cent and non-believers over 43 per cent. The polls in the Netherlands were necessitated by the resignation of the coalition of then-prime minister Mark Rutte in July on the issue of migrations. He had refused to control migrations with strong steps. An interim government was in place to oversee the polls. Populist far-right leader Geert Wilders is emerging as the front-runner to form the next government. Unable to gain a majority, however, the poll outcome would require him to go for an alliance with other parties. Some parties have already expressed their willingness to join hands with him in government formation.
Wilders’ victory forms into a pattern in a season of triumph for far-right parties from “Slovakia and Spain to Germany and Poland,” including Italy as well in recent parliament polls spanning EU member nations. In Europe, native Muslims are a majority in the Balkans consisting of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and the European part of Turkey, some Russian republics and a part of Kazakhstan. Occasional acts of violence, as are evident in France and UK by Muslim migrants and fears of a spread of global terrorism to Europe are major worries for the native populations.
