Long before the arrival of Muslim guest workers in the 1960’s and 1970’s Dutch society was in a sense ‘multicultural’ in that it was already organised into Protestant, Catholic, liberal and socialist “pillars,” each with its own schools, hospitals, TV stations, papers and political parties. When guest workers from Morocco and Turkey became de facto immigrants, some began to champion the creation of an additional Muslim pillar.
早在在1960和1970年代穆斯林客籍劳工到来之前，荷兰社会就已具备“多元文化”感了。其具体表现是社会组织架构中的清教、天主教、自由派和社会主义等几大“支柱”。每一个阵营都有自己的学校、医院、电视台、报纸和政党。当来自摩洛哥和土耳其的客籍劳工成为实际上的移民，他们中的有些人就牵头创立另一个穆斯林支柱。