Changes

After 1970  the pillarized model began to break down in politics, as religion became less central in the lives of most people, the parties reorganized across the old religious and cultural lines, and labor unions merged.<ref>Paul Dekker and Peter Ester, "Depillarization, Deconfessionalization, and De-ideologization: Empirical Trends in Dutch Society 1958-1992." ''Review of Religious Research'' 1996 37(4): 325-341. Issn: 0034-673x uses survey data, showing that religious factors declined first, followed by secular factors. [http://www.jstor.org/pss/3512012 in Jstor]</ref> The fast growing Muslim immigrant community is building its own separate pillar along religious lines such as was common a century ago, and is still allowed by Dutch laws. There are now Islamic and Hindu schools.   

After 1970  the pillarized model began to break down in politics, as religion became less central in the lives of most people, the parties reorganized across the old religious and cultural lines, and labor unions merged.<ref>Paul Dekker and Peter Ester, "Depillarization, Deconfessionalization, and De-ideologization: Empirical Trends in Dutch Society 1958-1992." ''Review of Religious Research'' 1996 37(4): 325-341. Issn: 0034-673x uses survey data, showing that religious factors declined first, followed by secular factors. [http://www.jstor.org/pss/3512012 in Jstor]</ref> The fast growing Muslim immigrant community is building its own separate pillar along religious lines such as was common a century ago, and is still allowed by Dutch laws. There are now Islamic and Hindu schools.   

====Mass immigration===

====Mass immigration====

{{See also|European migrant crisis#Netherlands}}

{{See also|European migrant crisis#Netherlands}}

The leadership in the Netherlands believed that mass immigration was necessary in an era of [[globalization]], falling birth rates, and labor shortages.  The real debate in their eyes was whether the immigrants will be Europeans, which is tolerated, or be Muslims from Turkey and Morocco, which is controversial. Rotterdam is nearly half Muslim and in every city second- and third-generation Muslims are Dutch and speak Dutch as their first language, but have not been well integrated into mainstream Dutch society. They remain between two cultures and some listen to radical Islamist preachers.  However, two-thirds of the immigrants are Dutch citizens and they are well represented in national and local government.  The rapidly growing Dutch economy absorbed the new workers, driving down the unemployment rate for immigrants from 35% to 10% in 2001.  

The leadership in the Netherlands believed that mass immigration was necessary in an era of [[globalization]], falling birth rates, and labor shortages.  The real debate in their eyes was whether the immigrants will be Europeans, which is tolerated, or be Muslims from Turkey and Morocco, which is controversial. Rotterdam is nearly half Muslim and in every city second- and third-generation Muslims are Dutch and speak Dutch as their first language, but have not been well integrated into mainstream Dutch society. They remain between two cultures and some listen to radical Islamist preachers.  However, two-thirds of the immigrants are Dutch citizens and they are well represented in national and local government.  The rapidly growing Dutch economy absorbed the new workers, driving down the unemployment rate for immigrants from 35% to 10% in 2001.