The CNV trade union federation feels that a Muslim feast should be introduced as a bank holiday in the Netherlands. The Christian trade union federation is willing to sacrifice a Christian holiday.
This is by no means a new idea; in fact former Labor leader Ad Melkert floated it during the turbulent campaign of 2002, the one which eventually doomed his political career. It is not exactly a surprise to see it back now that the immigration debate has taken on a very different tone compared to four years ago.
So here is what I think. There is no problem in sacrificing a few Christian holidays at all, in fact this is one of the better ideas we’ve heard in a long time. But rather than replace them with Muslim holidays I would suggest replacing them with actual working days. Now that will run into some real and serious opposition in The Netherlands.
