Netherlands: Cultural festival dropped after halal meals fuss

Netherlands: Cultural festival dropped after halal meals fuss

The Dutch city of Arnhem had to drop the 'Klarendal Culturendal' festival. (Klarendal is a neighborhood of Arnhem)

A fuss about halal meals according to the Islamic prescriptions in the kitchen of the De Leuke Linde playground led to the premature end of the festival.

The administration of De Leuke Linde think that the Islamic Union was biased and demanding during the preparations. "We do not agree with this manner of collaboration and did not want to continue," writes Ron Onstein on behalf of the administration to those directly concerned.

The festival should offer everybody what they want. The Union wanted to decide how things should be cooked, according to Onstein. De Leuke Linde was 'extremely surprised' and concluded that the Union therefore wished to decide what what they 'could or could not sell on the weekend," according to Ontstein. The Klarendal resident concluded: "This doesn't work for us".

Chairman Bahaeddin Budak of the Islamic Union regrets how things developed. "Last year it was not a problem, then we organized everything ourselves and could use the kitchen of De Leuke Linde. That went with pure, permitted halal food without forbidden pork. Budak tried to explain to the Dutch kitchen chefs everything precisely. "It can't be that you fry chicken, sausages and chips in the same oil."

Budak has the impression that the administration took this the wrong way. "For one person certain rules happen to be holy, for another not."

The dance acts also caused disagreement. Onstein doesn't understand why the Union rejected the breakdancing demonstration. Budak explains that wanted to handle the festival particularly seriously, with lectures about Islam and Christianity from the church and discussion about it.

"Therefore no breakdance or belly dancing." Which doesn't mean that the Union didn't want a cultural program. Budak: We thought of a wooden shoe dance from Dutch culture and oil wrestling from Turkish culture."

Budak would like to speak with Onstein again. Onstein wants to support the festival. But on the basis of "collaborating equally and good communication," according to his letter.
Source: Gelderlander (Dutch)

No comments: