Dutch VVD party in uproar over Ali situation

I was not the only one who was surprised by the precipitateness of Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk’s announcement yesterday that Hirsi Ali’s Dutch citizenship is void as a result of her false statements in her asylum application 12 years ago. According to the blog Militant Islam Monitor.org, members of Verdonk’s own party, the VVD, attacked her in parliament and demanded a more deliberate process for dealing with Ali, in a debate that went on to the early morning hours. As a result of the Ali controversy, Verdonk’s hopes to be elected party leader and prime minister have been damaged, and the party is divided. MIM (which is definitely slanted against Ali) continues:

Ali has shifted the focus from the threat to radical Islam to herself. For its part the American Enterprise Institute, which has announced they will hire her as a fellow, said they hoped Ali would “spark debate.” A look at the Dutch situation makes it clear that if the AEI does take Ali on board, her self promoting machinations will divert attention from their mission statement and turn them into The Ali Enterprise Institute. According to journalist Ebru Umar, in 2004 Ali had reacted to criticism about her promoting her interests at the expense of the party with the comment: “To hell with the VVD.”

Here is Ebru Umar’s long letter to Ali denouncing her as a self-seeker.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 17, 2006 08:51 AM | Send