Dutch Immigrants Get Crash Course in Gay Rights, Bad Weather

ByABC News
April 10, 2006, 3:41 PM

April 10, 2006 — -- Would-be immigrants to the Netherlands will be screening an unusual video to prepare them for the values of their intended new home.

The video first shows two men kissing in a park. Then a topless woman emerges from the sea and walks onto a crowded beach. The film is intended to test the readiness of any aspiring immigrants to participate in the liberal Dutch culture. If they can't stomach it, no need to apply. If the culture shock isn't enough, the video also includes recent immigrants talking about how difficult life is in the Netherlands.

The video is given to immigrants to help them prepare for a civil integration test. American and European Union residents are exempt from the exam, however.

"The film is meant for people not yet in Holland to take note that this is normal here," said Ayaan Hirsi, a member of the Dutch parliament.

But opponents say the film is really an attempt by the government to stop the growing flow of immigrants from Muslim countries.

Former prison warden and hard-line immigration minister Rita Verdonk received praise from conservatives for the test, which was introduced on March 15 and costs 350 euros ($470). It also tests applicants' knowledge of Dutch language, culture and history. For an additional 64 euros ($75), they'll receive a preparation package -- which includes sample test questions and the controversial 105-minute video.

"What we are trying to do in the film is show the Netherlands in as realistic a way as possible," Verdonk told The Associated Press.

The video also includes shots of slums in the major cities where many immigrants wind up living.

"If you have a low income then this is where you will live. In the past a lot of foreigners came to live here -- Turkish people and Moroccans -- precisely because the housing is cheaper," the narrator says. A lot of people who live on low incomes live here ... there is a lot of unemployment. There are drug problems, noise problems and sometimes fights.

The video also shows Dutch immigrants describing their own experiences in their new country. "When I arrived here it was incredibly cold. I didn't really have a warm coat with me," says one person.

"I got quite a shock, of course. I thought to myself, "My goodness! They really are white!" says another.