Ahmed Aboutaleb
Ahmed Aboutaleb ( born August 29, 1961 in Beni Sidel ) is a Dutch politician of Moroccan descent. He is a member of Partij van de Arbeid ( PvdA). End of October 2008, he became Mayor of Rotterdam. Aboutaleb has dual Dutch and Moroccan citizenship and is a Muslim.
Life
Aboutaleb grew up as the son of an imam in a small village in the Moroccan Rif mountain range. On October 17, 1976, he came with his mother and his brothers in the Netherlands. He learned the Dutch language, and began studying at the stocked technical school, then at the Middelbare technical school and the Hogere technical school with specialization telecommunications. After his education he worked as a reporter for the radio station Veronica Omroep Organisatie Nederlandse Omroep Stichting and then in television news program RTL Nieuws. Later he became press secretary in the Ministry of Welfare, Health and Cultural Affairs ( Ministerie van Welzijn, Volksgezondheid en Cultuur ) and the Sociaal - Economische Raad.
In 1998 he became director of the Institute Forum, the successor of the Dutch Centre for Foreigners (Nederlands Centrum voor Buitenlanders ). Before he went into politics, he was employed as a civil servant in the municipality of Amsterdam. He led here the practice at Amsterdam elementary schools, requiring only students are allowed to take from the immediate vicinity ( Postcodebeleid ).
Especially since the murder of Theo van Gogh in November 2004 came Aboutaleb in the news with his attempt to rein in the emotions. He became known as "the face of immigrants " in the PvdA. However, he is also trying to bring close Arab immigrants with surprisingly clear words the load limits of the Dutch tolerance: " Those who, like the Netherlands does not share the values of an open society, would do well to draw the consequences and go away. "
In the local elections of 2006, he received the most votes of all candidates, although he held only the second place on the list of the PvdA. In the new coalition of PvdA and Groen Links, he retained his jurisdiction.
Aboutaleb IV was State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the Cabinet Balkenende.
Mayor
On 16 October 2008, he was set up by the municipality of Rotterdam as mayor of Rotterdam. On 31 October 2008, the Cabinet approved the appointment of Aboutaleb mayor of Rotterdam. He stepped on 5 January 2009 the successor of Mayor Ivo Opstelten (VVD ). Aboutaleb is thus the first mayor of Moroccan descent in the Netherlands and the first Muslim mayor of a West European city at all. On 18 December 2008 Jetta Klijnsma succeeded him as State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment.