One is full of praise, the other doesn’t understand it at all. Moustafa Makhlouf from Den Bosch had a conversation with Mayor Jack Mikkers this week, after his controversial Moroccan statement. Makhlouf posted about it on LinkedIn, the reactions below are variable. Because not everyone thinks he did the right thing by talking to the mayor.
‘Connection with someone who portrays us as the worst people? This really blows my mind’ and ‘what a blunder, the perpetrator has become a victim’. Not all comments included Makhlouf’s message about his conversation with the mayor are positive. It once again shows what Mayor Jack Mikkers’ statement has done, especially to the Moroccan community.
He can accept the criticism of his message. “Great,” says Makhlouf. “Everyone looks at it differently. But I prefer to fight hate with love.”
At a meeting about asylum reception in Den Bosch-Zuid last week, Mayor Mikkers responded to a woman who was angry about Syrians. “Those are the worst,” she said. Mikkers opposed this and mentioned Morocco.
A video of it went around and the mayor came under enormous criticism: mosques in Den Bosch announced in a statement that Mikkers is ‘not our mayor’. More than twenty people filed a report because they believe that the mayor of Den Bosch has sown hatred.
“I personally didn’t feel addressed.”
Moustafa Makhlouf, a personal coach for people with disabilities in daily life, also did not know what he heard. “He has a public position and is an example, you should not make such a statement,” he says. “But I personally didn’t feel addressed. Although I can understand that many people don’t like it. It didn’t make me super angry.”
Makhlouf actually asked Mikkers if he wanted to talk to him. And that happened. “He remains human and we all make mistakes. We have to learn from them,” he says. “My mother taught me to be patient, neat and forgiving. This is especially important when emotion plays a role.”
He has a nice feeling after the conversation. “He has apologized. Hopefully he has learned something from our conversation. Let it be an example for everyone: you have to be careful with what you say and how you say it. Sometimes saying nothing is the best thing. Because you can make deep cause cracks that are difficult to heal,” says Makhlouf.
“Always enter into conversation with an open heart.”
The majority of the more than a hundred responses to his LinkedIn message are positive. For the others, his message is clear: “Always enter into discussions with an open heart. Then everything should turn out well. I have spoken to people who have filed a report, but also say: ‘hats off to you for having entered into discussions’. I can say it somewhere.” understand.”
The video it’s about.