UTRECHT, 04/11/03 - Premier Jan Peter Balkenende is opposed to the withdrawal of Muslims within their own social networks. Politicians have for too long believed that a strong own community was the best guarantee for the integration of immigrants, he believes.

Balkenende distanced himself in a speech from the idea that immigrants' own Islamic schools and organizations foster integration. The premier acknowledged that his own Christian democrats (CDA) also believed in the 1980s that compartmentalization within the Muslim community actually was sensible. But it has since become clear that a one-sided social structure and strong orientation on the country of origin can lead to " a prison of backwardness. "

The fact that too many Islamic schools still do not contribute to integration does not however mean that they should be banned, according to the premier. "Because then we would have to give up an important value of Dutch society, freedom of religion and education, to achieve integration. While the effort must be to achieve integration via adaptation to shared Dutch values," he said.

Balkenende considers that criminal Moroccans should be severely tackled. "But that does not mean that every Moroccan is a criminal. " The young Moroccans that cause the most nuisance are, according to the premier, "no religious fanatics, but just youngsters that have run wild. " It should be made possible to put criminal youths in re-education camps or require them to carry out a "community service," Balkenende believes.