MOROCCAN YOUTHS ON THE STREET

If you had been watching the TV news in the Netherlands the past few months, you would have concluded that the country is facing a major social problem: groups of boys and young men of Moroccan background harassing people and causing trouble in the major cities and many large towns.

In the most recent case, in a neighbourhood of Gouda, a young Moroccan allegedly threatened a bus driver with a knife. When the public buses subsequently wouldn't go through the neighbourhood for a few days, this proved one step too far for some politicians. Hero Brinkman, of the far-right Freedom Party, called for the Dutch army to be deployed in neighbourhoods to keep the peace.

Ahmed Marcouch is chairman of the council of Slotervaart, a borough of Amsterdam known for its large Moroccan population. Some said they thought Moroccan young people were on the verge of large-scale riots similar to those in France. Marcouch disagreed and - more than a year later - says things are going well.

Mourad Taimounti is also a Dutchman of Moroccan background. He's helping to implement the new family- oriented approach to dealing with street kids. The analysis of those working closely with the Moroccan community may be similar to that of some politicians. But Marcouch and Taimounti, and many others working closely with the community, say the problem of Moroccan street kids is going in the right direction.

But with every new incident where a kid of Moroccan background disturbs the public order, people like Marcoush and Taimounti worry that politicians in The Hague will overreact and make the problems worse. read more (radionetherlands.nl)

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November 3, 2008