Amsterdam

Amsterdam contains 177 nationalities, the largest number of nationalities in any city worldwide. Half the city’s population is identified as “native” Dutch (autochtoon), meaning that they and their parents were born in the Netherlands. So-called ethnic minorities, most originating from Suriname, Turkey, and Morocco, comprise 40 percent of the population.

Moroccan and Turkish migrant workers began arriving in the Netherlands in the mid-1960s. They were later joined by their wives and children under family reunification legislation. Within ten years, it is expected that half of the Amsterdam population will be born abroad or will have parents or (great-) grandparents who were born abroad.

No official statistics are available on the religious affiliation of the people of Amsterdam. However data on ethnic background indicates that Moroccans and Turks are the two largest Muslim communities in Amsterdam, with 90 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Smaller Muslim communities are to be found among the Surinamese and other non-Western minorities. An estimated 90,000 Muslims currently live in Amsterdam.

The At Home in Europe: Muslims in Amsterdam report focuses on the district of Slotervaart. In the western suburbs, the district was attractive to migrant workers and their families due to relatively inexpensive housing. The ethnic Dutch population was gradually replaced by families of Moroccan and, to a smaller extent, Turkish descent.

Currently, in parts of Slotervaart, a majority of the population are non-Western ethnic minorities. In 2008 the population of Slotervaart was 44,185, with 3,803 of Turkish descent and 7,692 of Moroccan descent. Slotervaart is divided into four districts: Slotervaart, Overtoomse Veld, Westlandgracht, and Sloter-/Riekerpolder. The majority of residents of Moroccan and Turkish descent live in Slotervaart and Overtoomse Veld.

The focus on Slotervaart allows for a more nuanced understanding of the interaction between residents and policymakers where Muslims form a higher proportion of the population than within the city or state as a whole. A study of the local level also examines whether these demographic circumstances at the district and neighborhood level have encouraged the development of practical solutions to social policies that respond to the needs and views of local Muslim populations.