- Tilburg University
PO BOX 90153
5000 LE Tilburg
The Netherlands - 00-31-6-22994258
Jan Jaap de Ruiter
Tilburg University, Department of Culture Studies, Faculty Member
- Jan Jaap de Ruiter (1959) was born in the Dutch city of Dordrecht. He studied Arabic language and culture, spent time... moreJan Jaap de Ruiter (1959) was born in the Dutch city of Dordrecht. He studied Arabic language and culture, spent time in Egypt and Morocco and has been working at Tilburg University (the Netherlands) since 1989. He is interested in the developments of the Arabic language worldwide and Islam in Europe. He is active in the debate on Islam in Europe and the Middle-East. For more information: www.janjaapderuiter.euedit
Moroccan emigration to the Netherlands started in the 1960s with individual workers reaching the country, mostly via France and Belgium, and continued with the recruitment of workers, which was based on a treaty between both kingdoms in... more
Moroccan emigration to the Netherlands started in the 1960s with individual workers reaching the country, mostly via France and Belgium, and continued with the recruitment of workers, which was based on a treaty between both kingdoms in 1969. Workers came, in particular, from the North of Morocco, which already had a history of work migration. Later, wives and children joined their husbands/fathers, and more children were born in the new country. Today (i.e., in 2021), there are 408,864 people in the Netherlands with a Moroccan background, consisting by now of three generations and a fourth one developing (Statline, bevolking kerncijfers). They form just over 2% of the population, which in November 2020 numbered 17,422,992 people (Statline, Bevolkingsontwikkeling; maand en jaar). This chapter treats the status of the Amazigh community in contemporary Netherlands.
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This contribution aims to give an overview of the position of Muslim communities in the Netherlands. The approach is driven by the question of the processes of acculturation of the mentioned communities in the Netherlands,... more
This contribution aims to give an overview of the position of Muslim communities in the Netherlands. The approach is driven by the question of the processes of acculturation of the mentioned communities in the Netherlands, the concept of acculturation as understood by Sam & Berry (2010). The article is composed as follows. Section 1 draws the theoretical context of this article and formulates a main research question. Section 2 presents some statistical data on the Muslim communities in the country; section3 presents a sketch of the communities under concern, treating divers aspects; section 4 presents a selection of studies on acculturation processes of Muslims in the Netherlands. Section 5 then wraps up the findings and observations and concludes with thepresentation of an answer to the key question of this article, and a discussion.
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It was in the mid-sixties that Moroccans started to emigrate to the Netherlands in order to perform labour. In the nineties the Moroccans have become one of the largest ethnic groups in the multi-ethnic Dutch society. Moroccans have... more
It was in the mid-sixties that Moroccans started to emigrate to the Netherlands in order to perform labour. In the nineties the Moroccans have become one of the largest ethnic groups in the multi-ethnic Dutch society. Moroccans have always been known for their complex social structures (Rabinow, 1975) and their seemingly inextricable sociolinguistic relations (Abbassi, 1977). This holds not only for Moroccan society itself, but also for Moroccan ethnic groups outside Morocco. This article focuses upon the sociolinguistic status of the Moroccan community in the Netherlands. However, to gain more insight into this matter, attention is also paid to the sociolinguistic structures in Morocco itself.
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Research Interests: Vluchtelingen and PVV
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This introductory article presents a bird’s eye view of the study of Arabic in all its varieties since Charles Ferguson described these using the diglossia model. The ‘traditional’ studies following since then on Arabic are as diverse as... more
This introductory article presents a bird’s eye view of the study of Arabic in all its varieties since Charles Ferguson described these using the diglossia model. The ‘traditional’ studies following since then on Arabic are as diverse as there are varieties of this language. The studies of Arabic discussed in this article are viewed in the light of the most recent phase of globalization that the world, and thus the Arabic speaking world as well, is currently undergoing, and which more than ever before is bringing about intra-Arabic contacts, as apparent, for instance, in TV shows on pan-Arabic channels and on the Internet. Towards the end of this article, we briefly introduce the seven contributions in this special issue, their unifying thread being the theme of ‘Arabic between tradition and globalization’.
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This article reports on the outcomes of two major sociolinguistic studies executed among youngsters in Morocco. The first took place in the period 2000–2003 and was carried out among 569 persons; the second took place in the period... more
This article reports on the outcomes of two major sociolinguistic studies executed among youngsters in Morocco. The first took place in the period 2000–2003 and was carried out among 569 persons; the second took place in the period 2010–2012 among 782 persons. In both cases, a questionnaire was distributed containing questions on language proficiency, language behaviour and language attitudes, focusing on Amazigh (Berber), Moroccan – dialectal – Arabic or Darija, Standard Arabic and French. The studies were done in the light of recent language policies opening up the Kingdom to Amazigh and Moroccan Arabic. The key question is to explore to what extent the linguistic profiles of young Moroccans have undergone changes in the first decade of the new millennium in the language market that characterizes Morocco.
Research Interests: Sociology, Cognitive Science, Moroccan Studies, Arabic, Morocco, and 13 moreLinguistics, Francophonie, French, Language Policy, Amazigh, Moroccan Dialect, Moroccan Arabic, Language of Market, Langue et culture amazighe, Standard Arabic, Amazigh Language In Morocco, Sociolinguistic Studies, and official language
This article discusses Arabic expressions referring to God, such as inshallah, mashallah, and alhamdulillah in the 2014 season of the Arab version of the talent show The Voice. It discusses the question to what extent these expressions... more
This article discusses Arabic expressions referring to God, such as inshallah, mashallah, and alhamdulillah in the 2014 season of the Arab version of the talent show The Voice. It discusses the question to what extent these expressions are used by the various actors in the show, in particular its four jury members and three presenters, and it tries to explain why they use them and to what purpose. The analysis is set against the background of the question what the relationship is between ‘language’ (in this case, the various varieties of Arabic) and ‘religion’ (in this case, Christianity and Islam). The analysis yielded nearly 40 Arabic expressions referring to God (Allah or Rabb (Lord)) that together showed up more than 600 times in the 10 episodes of the show that were the object of analysis. The conclusion is that the expressions indeed have ‘religious’ roots but that they have at the same time become part and parcel of not necessarily religiously intended speaking styles express...
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espanolModern Morocco has recently developed a language politics that is open to dialectal Arabic and Amazigh (Berber) languages. This article offers the results of a field survey carried out with 569 Moroccan students at the beginning of... more
espanolModern Morocco has recently developed a language politics that is open to dialectal Arabic and Amazigh (Berber) languages. This article offers the results of a field survey carried out with 569 Moroccan students at the beginning of the third millennium. The aim of that survey was to establish the vitality of the Amazigh language among those youngsters and to detect eventual differences between the sociolinguistic profiles of Arabophone and Amazighophone students. One thing turned out to be sure: the Amazigh language is far from dead and the Imazighen (Berbers) should take the opportunity to revitalize their language and culture. EnglishEl Marruecos contemporaneo ha desarrollado recientemente una politica linguistica abierta al arabe dialectal y a las lenguas amaziges (bereberes). Este articulo presenta los resultados de un trabajo de campo realizado entre 569 estudiantes marroquies al inicio del tercer milenio. Su objetivo era establecer la vitalidad de la lengua amazige entr...
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This chapter treats the Dutch Muslim community focusing on the question of whether it is a community that forms a threat to Dutch society or if it is threatened itself. As awkward as it sounds, it is, though, a serious debate in the Low... more
This chapter treats the Dutch Muslim community focusing on the question of whether it is a community that forms a threat to Dutch society or if it is threatened itself. As awkward as it sounds, it is, though, a serious debate in the Low Countries. The community, forming around 5 percent of the population is under constant political fire of the ideology of Islamization, that is, the claim that Islam is an aggressive ideology that seeks to conquer the Western world and apply sharia there. This chapter analyzes the Islamization claim, in particular as expressed by the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) of politician Geert Wilders, and applies it to the Muslim community in the Netherlands. Are Muslims a threat to Dutch society as the supporters of the Islamization claim maintain or are they themselves threatened? The chapter begins by presenting some background information on Muslims in the country, followed by a section on what Islamization stands for. The next section presents key figures that propagate the ideology of Islamization in the Netherlands and treats its contents. After that the chapter goes into the ideology of Jihadi-Salafi Islam currents and the Islamization claim, and ends with some reflections on the key question of this chapter and a conclusion.
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Abstract It was in the period from the 8th till the 10th century AD that Islamic culture had its golden age and that the arts and sciences flourished. After this period however it started to decline and decay set in. It is in that period... more
Abstract It was in the period from the 8th till the 10th century AD that Islamic culture had its golden age and that the arts and sciences flourished. After this period however it started to decline and decay set in. It is in that period that many compilations were written. They ...
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This article offers the results of a field survey carried out with 569 Moroccan students at the beginning of the thir millennium. The aim of that survey was to establish the vitality of the Amazigh language
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ARABOPHONES ET AMAZIGHOPHONES AU MAROC CONTEMPORAIN Jan Jaap DE RUITER* Université de Tilburg 1. Introduction La présente contribution se base sur une recherche exécutée au Maroc au cours de la période 2000-2003 (voir De Ruiter, 2004,... more
ARABOPHONES ET AMAZIGHOPHONES AU MAROC CONTEMPORAIN Jan Jaap DE RUITER* Université de Tilburg 1. Introduction La présente contribution se base sur une recherche exécutée au Maroc au cours de la période 2000-2003 (voir De Ruiter, 2004, 2006a, ...
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De titel van deze bundel is ‘Waarom haten ze ons eigenlijk?’, een uitspraak die talkshowhost Jeroen Pauw deed naar aanleiding van de aanslagen in Brussel in november 2015. Het is niet onbegrijpelijk dat hij deze uitspraak deed. Immers,... more
De titel van deze bundel is ‘Waarom haten ze ons eigenlijk?’, een uitspraak die talkshowhost Jeroen Pauw deed naar aanleiding van de aanslagen in Brussel in november 2015. Het is niet onbegrijpelijk dat hij deze uitspraak deed. Immers, het moedwillig doden van onschuldige burgers op een vliegveld en in een metrostation is niet geïnspireerd door naastenliefde. Daar zit een gedachte achter en de vraag in deze bundel is welke gedachte dat is en hoe deze gedachte leidt tot gebruik van een dergelijk geweld. De daders wisten zich geïnspireerd door het gedachtegoed van Islamitische Staat en daarmee wordt er een link gelegd met de islam. Ik wil in mijn bijdrage aan deze bundel een historiserende analyse geven waarbij ik de islam beschouw in haar relatie tot jodendom, christendom en de idealen van de Verlichting, zoals deze met name in het Westen vorm hebben gekregen. Ik beschouw de ‘ze’ van Pauw dus als verwijzend naar ‘moslims’ en niet specifiek naar terroristen van wie aangenomen mag worden dat zij inderdaad gedreven worden door afkeer en haat, iets dat overigens geldt voor alle terroristen ter wereld. Het is veel interessanter te kijken naar de ‘ze’ die moslims heten. Hoe dan ook, aan het einde van mijn betoog hoop ik aangetoond te hebben dat het overgrote deel van de moslims in de wereld ‘ons’ niet haat. Integendeel. Het lijkt in eerste instantie het ene gedachtegoed tegen het andere. Maar bij die laatste vaststelling blijf ik niet. Er valt namelijk wel degelijk een brug te slaan tussen islam en het Westen.
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Geert Wilders is the leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom. His strategy concerning Islam is to combat this religion, or, in his terms, this toyalitarian ideology, until it ceases to exist. What Wilders demands of Islam and Muslims, is... more
Geert Wilders is the leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom. His strategy concerning Islam is to combat this religion, or, in his terms, this toyalitarian ideology, until it ceases to exist. What Wilders demands of Islam and Muslims, is quite unambiguous: They are to disappear, to cease to exist. His writings contain a disastrous message to the world, as disastrous as Wilders perceives Islam to be. I as author of this pamphlet hope that his program will never be realized and that this pamphlet will in some way be able to contribute to that not happening.
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Ce livre traite de la situation sociolinguistique des jeunes Marocains au début du troisième millénaire. Il s'agit de dessiner le profil sociolinguistique des jeunes Marocains qui ont suivi l'enseignement dit arabisé au Maroc. Quel est... more
Ce livre traite de la situation sociolinguistique des jeunes Marocains au début du troisième millénaire. Il s'agit de dessiner le profil sociolinguistique des jeunes Marocains qui ont suivi l'enseignement dit arabisé au Maroc. Quel est l'état des lieux de cet enseignement et, plus important, quels en sont les résultats? Les jeunes Marocains, maîtrisent-ils mieux que jamais la langue arabe littéraire, langue qui n'est pas leur langue maternelle? Et quel est le statut de la langue française, langue de l'ancien colonisateur, la France, mais encore présente de façon très dominante dans la société marocaine d'aujourd'hui? La recherche dont le présent livre est le compte-rendu montre que, après de longues années d'arabisation, les attitudes des jeunes Marocains, ayant suivi le programme éducatif du Maroc, sont assez positives à l'égard de la langue arabe littéraire mais que cette même langue ne fait pas encore vraiment partie de leur vie quotidienne. La langue française lui fait encore une grande concurrence. D'autres questions sont traitées aussi dans cette recherche. Les différences et similarités entre les profils sociolinguistiques des sujets arabophones et amazighophones (berbères) et entre les mêmes profils des sujets masculins et féminins. En outre, la recherche traite des variétés arabes: le littéraire et le dialectal. Dans quelle mesure les sujets maîtrisent-ils les deux et quelles sont leurs attitudes vis-à-vis de ces langues? La recherche a été effectuée parmi 569 jeunes Marocains originaires de neuf villes du royaume dans la période 2000-2003.
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This article focuses in its analysis on the situation of the forces of populism in the Netherlands but treats the specific case in the European context. It also takes the politics of populist parties vis-à-vis Muslims into consideration... more
This article focuses in its analysis on the situation of the forces of populism in the Netherlands but treats the specific case in the European context. It also takes the politics of populist parties vis-à-vis Muslims into consideration as their approach transgresses the borders of democracy. In order to answer the questions this article poses, the article applies the theory of the French philosopher Claude Lefort on totalitarianism and democracy
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In dit hoofdstuk ga ik in op mijn drijfveren om deel te nemen aan het islamdebat in Nederland en beschrijf ik een aantal debatten waar ik aan deelnam.
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Dit boek vindt haar oorsprong in het roemruchte debat dat in januari 2017 plaatsvond in theater De Balie in Amster-dam. Zeventien auteurs, waaronder wijzelf, hadden meege-schreven aan de bundel Waarom haten ze ons eigenlijk (2016,... more
Dit boek vindt haar oorsprong in het roemruchte debat dat in januari 2017 plaatsvond in theater De Balie in Amster-dam. Zeventien auteurs, waaronder wijzelf, hadden meege-schreven aan de bundel Waarom haten ze ons eigenlijk (2016, uitgegeven door De Blauwe Tijger). De bundel was het initiatief van zakenman en redacteur Frits Bosch, als reactie op de vraag die talkshowhost Jeroen Pauw stelde naar aanleiding van de aanslagen in Brussel in maart 2016. Auteurs van verschillende achtergronden, overwegend uit rechtse kring, schreven mee aan de bundel. Wijzelf hadden andere opvat- tingen dan de meeste auteurs, maar waren van mening dat meeschrijven aan deze bundel in elk geval de lezer in recht- se hoek in aanraking zou brengen met een ander geluid.
Het boek bestaat uit een vijftiental hoofdstukken die onderverdeeld zijn in essays van de hand van de auteur in kwestie en teksten die gebaseerd zijn op interviews met spelers in het debat.
Het boek bestaat uit een vijftiental hoofdstukken die onderverdeeld zijn in essays van de hand van de auteur in kwestie en teksten die gebaseerd zijn op interviews met spelers in het debat.
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Mohammed Chafik's onvolprezen werk over de Berbers en hun geschiedenis met een update van Abder el Aissati en Jan Jaap de Ruiter
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L’une des principales originalités et principaux apports de cet ouvrage est de comparer deux enquêtes faites dans des conditions à peu près similaires à sept années d’intervalles (entre 2002-2003 pour la première et 2009-2012 pour la... more
L’une des principales originalités et principaux apports de cet ouvrage est de comparer deux enquêtes faites dans des conditions à peu près similaires à sept années d’intervalles (entre 2002-2003 pour la première et 2009-2012 pour la deuxième) à un moment où le Maroc a connu d’importants changements sociolinguistiques et politiques concernant notamment la place et la valorisation des langues vernaculaires (amazighe et arabe marocain). L’introduction de cet ouvrage offre une présentation synthétique de ces problématiques en rappelant les méandres des réformes éducatives, les réformes constitutionnelles récentes et les mobilisations de la mouvance amazighe.
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This book deals with Homosexuality, Transidentity, and Islam. It is a study of Scripture Confronting the Politics of Gender and Sexuality
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In spring 2018 a publication edited by Mohammed Hashas, Niels Valdemar Vinding and myself will appear with Amsterdam University Press. It is called 'Imams in Western Europe. Developments, Transformations and Institutional Challenges'. It... more
In spring 2018 a publication edited by Mohammed Hashas, Niels Valdemar Vinding and myself will appear with Amsterdam University Press. It is called 'Imams in Western Europe. Developments, Transformations and Institutional Challenges'. It contains more than 20 chapters describing the position and role of imams in Western Europe from different -theoretical- perspectives and it includes several chapters with case studies on France, Spain, Finland, the United Kingdom and other countries. It treats as well chapters on the institutionalisation of Islam in Western Europe. The book can be ordered from this link: http://en.aup.nl
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In this booklet I treat the stance of the Dutch Party for Freedom on Islam and Muslims. The full reference is the following: (2012) Ruiter, J.J. de. The speck in your brother’s eye. Islam’s perceived war against the West.... more
In this booklet I treat the stance of the Dutch Party for Freedom on Islam and Muslims.
The full reference is the following:
(2012) Ruiter, J.J. de. The speck in your brother’s eye. Islam’s perceived war against the West. AmsterdamRozenberg Publishers.
The full reference is the following:
(2012) Ruiter, J.J. de. The speck in your brother’s eye. Islam’s perceived war against the West. AmsterdamRozenberg Publishers.
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In this doctoral thesis of mine (1985) I analyse the part of human embryology (tawallud al-insaan) in Zakariya al-Qazwini's cosmography. It contains as well a translation of this text into English. The full reference is: (1985) Ruiter,... more
In this doctoral thesis of mine (1985) I analyse the part of human embryology (tawallud al-insaan) in Zakariya al-Qazwini's cosmography. It contains as well a translation of this text into English. The full reference is:
(1985) Ruiter, J.J. de. Embryology in the Aja'ib al-Makhluqat of Zakariya b. Muhammad b. Mahmud al-Qazwini. Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht: doctoral thesis.
(1985) Ruiter, J.J. de. Embryology in the Aja'ib al-Makhluqat of Zakariya b. Muhammad b. Mahmud al-Qazwini. Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht: doctoral thesis.
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In deze bundel die een aantal columns van mijn hand bevat ga ik in op de 'joods-christelijk-islamitische traditie' van ons land.
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Niet alleen als wetenschapper heb ik gepubliceerd. Ik heb ook getracht mij te bekwamen in de bellettrie. Getuige daarvan is deze verhalenbundel waar ik mij heb laten inspireren door mijn gedachten en overtuigingen betreffende religie en... more
Niet alleen als wetenschapper heb ik gepubliceerd. Ik heb ook getracht mij te bekwamen in de bellettrie. Getuige daarvan is deze verhalenbundel waar ik mij heb laten inspireren door mijn gedachten en overtuigingen betreffende religie en de gebeurtenissen in de wereld en de al of niet multiculturele Nederlandse samenleving. Of een en ander geslaagd is ligt aan de reacties van de lezers. Dit is de bibliografische verwijzing:
(2003) Ruiter, J.J. de. Welcome to the club en andere verhalen over politiek, cultuur en religie. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij El Hizjra.
(2003) Ruiter, J.J. de. Welcome to the club en andere verhalen over politiek, cultuur en religie. Amsterdam: Uitgeverij El Hizjra.
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In this PhD thesis of mine (1989) I discuss the complex language situation of young Moroccans in the Netherlands. I was at the time one of the first if not the first to treat this subject. The thesis looks at the different languages young... more
In this PhD thesis of mine (1989) I discuss the complex language situation of young Moroccans in the Netherlands. I was at the time one of the first if not the first to treat this subject. The thesis looks at the different languages young Moroccans use in the Netherlands, i.e. Moroccan Arabic, Berber (or Amazigh), Standard Arabic and French.
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Dit boek is de vertaling in het Nederlands van Mohammed Chafik over de Imazighen in Marokko. Abdarrahman el Aissati en ik schreven het laatste hoofdstuk over de recente geschiedenis van de Imazighen. Het boek is uitverkocht. De vertaling... more
Dit boek is de vertaling in het Nederlands van Mohammed Chafik over de Imazighen in Marokko. Abdarrahman el Aissati en ik schreven het laatste hoofdstuk over de recente geschiedenis van de Imazighen. Het boek is uitverkocht. De vertaling was van de hand van Richard van Leeuwen. Voor ons hoofdstuk is dit de referentie:
(2004) Aissati, A. El & J.J. de Ruiter. De recente geschiedenis, in : M. Chafik, Imazighen. De Berbers en hun geschiedenis. Amsterdam: Bulaaq, pp. 113-138.
(2004) Aissati, A. El & J.J. de Ruiter. De recente geschiedenis, in : M. Chafik, Imazighen. De Berbers en hun geschiedenis. Amsterdam: Bulaaq, pp. 113-138.