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Kauthar Bouchallikht

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Kauthar Bouchallikht
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
31 March 2021 – 5 December 2023
Personal details
Born
K. Bouchallikht

(1994-05-16) 16 May 1994 (age 30)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Political partyGroenLinks
Alma materUtrecht University
OccupationPublicist
WebsitePersonal website

Kauthar Bouchallikht[a] (born 16 May 1994) is a Dutch politician, climate activist and publicist. She served as a member of the House of Representatives between 2021 and 2023 on behalf of the green political party GroenLinks. Bouchallikht was the first member of parliament in Dutch parliamentary history to wear a hijab. She is also known for her activism in the climate movement.

Early life and career

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Bouchallikht was born in Amsterdam in 1994 in a family of Moroccan descent and was also raised in that city.[1][2][3] Starting in 2011, while in high school, she served on the board of LAKS, a Dutch interest group for students, and in that position helped organize a 2011 pupil strike against a mandatory minimum number of school hours.[4][5] Bouchallikht studied public management at Utrecht University, where she obtained her master's degree in 2016. She also wrote some articles for the newspaper Het Parool during this period.[4][6]

After completing her studies, she started working as a freelance publicist, speaker, and trainer, working for De Correspondent, online sustainability magazine OneWorld, and Nieuw Wij.[4][7] She also became the chair of the foundation Groene Moslims (Green Muslims), which promotes sustainability, in January 2018.[7] Furthermore, she served as vice-chair of the Forum for European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) until December 2020.[8] In this position, she provided training at a camp of a Millî Görüş youth organization.[4]

In March 2019, she assisted in an Amsterdam climate change protest. The organization for which she was a campaigner, DeGoedeZaak, was one of the organizers.[9][4] A book by Bouchallikht and investigative journalist Zoë Papaikonomou called De inclusiemarathon (The inclusiveness marathon) about diversity and equality in the workplace was published in October 2021.[10] For their book, they interviewed 41 diversity professionals.[11] It was named Management Book of the Year in 2022.[12]

Politics

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2021 general election

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In November 2020, Bouchallikht appeared in ninth place on GroenLinks's draft party list for the 2021 general election. She had not held any positions within the party before.[13] Shortly after, author and former journalist Carel Brendel wrote on his personal blog about Bouchallikht's position at FEMYSO, which was not mentioned in her GroenLinks profile. Brendel cited allegations by Italian-American Islamist expert Lorenzo G. Vidino of ties between FEMYSO and the transnational Sunni Islamist organization Muslim Brotherhood, although the organization itself has denied this.[14][15] Bouchallikht called it an allegation, denied having connections with the Muslim Brotherhood, and later denounced their ideas.[14][8] Party leader Jesse Klaver defended her, calling her the figurehead of the green movement, but he also called it a bad idea to give training at Millî Görüş.[16]

In December 2020, blog GeenStijl published a picture showing Bouchallikht at a 2014 demonstration against violence in the Gaza Strip. She was surrounded by protesters carrying antisemitic slogans. Bouchallikht reacted by saying that she denounces antisemitism and that she should have left the demonstration when those banners were shown.[17] The blog also found out that two years earlier she had liked a Facebook post, in which Jesse Klaver was called "a villain or cowardly" for not agreeing with a statement of political party NIDA equating Israel and the Islamic State.[18][19] Arab news channel Al Jazeera published an opinion piece on their website by British activist Malia Bouattia, in which she called the media reports about Bouchallikht's candidacy "racist, Islamophobic attacks". It was signed by 102 persons and organizations including numerous politicians and academics.[20] A data leak at a public relations firm later revealed that the government of the United Arab Emirates had hired them to wage a smear campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood that included the exaggeration of claimed ties between it and FEMYSO as well as payments to Vidino.[15]

House of Representatives

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In the election, GroenLinks won eight seats. Bouchallikht was elected to the House despite her ninth position on the party list due to the 27,038 preference votes she received.[21] She was one of three members of the new House who were elected due to meeting the preference-vote threshold. Bouchallikht was sworn in on 31 March 2021 and became the first member wearing a hijab in the history of the House of Representatives.[22] A small group of Pegida supporters protested against her installation.[23] Her specializations in the House were MBO, digitization, environment, circular economy, kingdom affairs, infrastructure, and water management.[24] In early 2023, she presented a plan with the Labour Party to make public transport more affordable. They proposed an experiment to provide free public transport to lower-income individuals as well as a reversal of recent price hikes in tickets. The €400 million required for the latter would be funded through an increase in the wealth and corporate taxes. Bouchallikht said that part of the population is dependent on public transport and that it should therefore be a basic right as opposed to a way to make a profit.[25]

When the collapse of the fourth Rutte cabinet led to a November 2023 general election, Bouchallikht was selected as the 17th candidate on the shared list of GroenLinks–PvdA. However, she announced her withdrawal from the list on 14 October due to her disappointment about the party's messaging surrounding the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. She was missing more emphasis on the background of the conflict and the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered it, in particular previous occupational acts by Israel.[26] Bouchallikht did appear on the ballot, as the deadline for filing names had passed, and she received 12,879 votes. She decided to decline her seat, and her term ended on 5 December.[27][28]

Committee memberships

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  • Committee for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
  • Committee for Digital Affairs
  • Committee for Education, Culture and Science
  • Committee for Infrastructure and Water Management
  • Committee for Kingdom Relations[29]

Personal life

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Bouchallikht is a resident of Amsterdam.[29]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Kauthar Bouchallikht
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2021 House of Representatives GroenLinks 9 27,038 8 Won[b] [30]
2023 House of Representatives GroenLinks–PvdA 17 12,879 25 Won[c] [31]

Notes

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  1. ^ Some sources spell her last name as Bouchallikh.
  2. ^ Bouchallikht received enough preference votes to be elected despite her party's result.
  3. ^ Bouchallikht declined her seat as announced ahead of the election.

References

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  1. ^ Bouchallikht, Kauthar (September 17, 2018). "Maak kennis met Kauthar Bouchallikht" [Meet Kauthar Bouchallikht]. Nieuw Wij (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Enis Odaci. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Van der Loo, Gilles (February 20, 2021). "Een eigen draai aan tamarakt met Kauthar Bouchallikht" [A twist on tamarakt with Kauthar Bouchallikht]. Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Sitalsing, Sheila (22 December 2022). "Kamerlid Kauthar Bouchallikht: 'Moslim zijn kan op verschillende manieren'" [House member Kauthar Bouchallikht: 'There are multiple ways to be a Muslim']. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Soetenhorst, Bas (November 18, 2020). "GroenLinks-talent Kauthar Bouchallikht maakt kille entree in de politiek" [GroenLinks talent Kauthar Bouchallikht makes cold political entrance]. Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  5. ^ "Nieuw bestuur voor LAKS" [LAKS's new board]. Nationale Onderwijsgids (in Dutch). June 14, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Bouchallikht, Kauthar (March 19, 2019). "Na de studie: Freelancer met scherpe pen en kritische blik op de samenleving" [After graduation: Freelancer with a sharp pen and a critical view of society]. DUB (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Inge Oosterhoff. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Verlouw Charlot (October 12, 2018). "Voor de Groene Moslims is het overduidelijk: de islam en groen doen horen bij elkaar" [It is very clear to the Groene Moslims: Islam and green go together]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Bouchallikht, Kauthar (November 23, 2020). "Kauthar Bouchallikht: 'Als GroenLinkser zal ik Milli Görüs niet meer bezoeken'" [Kauthar Bouchallikht: 'As a member of GroenLinks, I will not visit Millî Görüş again]. Trouw (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Bart Zuidervaart. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  9. ^ Derbali, Naïm (March 22, 2019). "Het witte gezicht van de groene beweging" [The white face of the green movement]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Kooyman, Jonas (29 October 2021). "Hoe zorg je voor een inclusieve werkvloer?" [How can you ensure an inclusive workplace?]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  11. ^ Bohlmeijer, Lex (23 October 2021). "Een diversere werkvloer is niet per se gezellig" [A more diverse workplace is not necessarily nice]. De Correspondent (Podcast) (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  12. ^ Brouwer, Ed (9 May 2022). "'De inclusiemarathon' over diversiteit is het beste managementboek" [De inclusiemarathon about diversity is the best management book]. Haarlems Dagblad. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  13. ^ De Witt Wijnen, Philip (November 9, 2020). "GroenLinks kiest voor parlementaire ervaring en diversiteit" [GroenLinks chooses parliamentary experience and diversity]. nrc.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Schoonhoven, Silvian (November 12, 2020). "Kandidaat-Kamerlid GL in opspraak wegens mogelijke link met Moslim Broederschap" [MP candidate GL controversial due to possible link with Muslim Brotherhood]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Heck, Wilmer; Kouwenhoven, Andreas (7 July 2023). "Dit schimmige bedrijf vernietigde reputaties van Europese moslims" [This shadowy company ruined the reputations of European Muslims]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Klaver staat nog steeds achter kandidaat Bouchallikht" [Klaver is still supporting candidate Bouchallikht]. NOS (in Dutch). November 17, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Zwolsman, Noor (December 9, 2020). "GroenLinks-kandidaat Bouchallikht 'baalt' van deelname aan protest" [GroenLinks candidate Bouchallikht regrets participation protest]. nrc.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  18. ^ Keultjes, Hanneke (December 11, 2020). "De storm rond GroenLinks-kandidaat Bouchallikht gaat maar niet liggen" [Storm surrounding GroenLinks candidate Bouchallikht won't stop]. Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  19. ^ "GL-kandidaat Bouchallikht steunde antisemitische stelling" [GL candidate Bouchallikht supported antisemitic position]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). December 12, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  20. ^ Bouattia, Malia (December 24, 2020). "In solidarity with Kauthar Bouchallikht". Al Jazeera. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  21. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 17 maart 2021" [Results general election March 17, 2021] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). March 26, 2021. p. 265. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  22. ^ Herderscheê, Gijs (March 23, 2021). "Aandeel vrouwen in de Kamer stijgt naar 39 procent" [Share of women in the House rises to 39 percent]. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  23. ^ Theulings, Remko (March 31, 2021). "Al op dag één demonstraties en bedreigingen, maar Kauthar Bouchallikht gaat vastberaden de Tweede Kamer in" [Protests and threats already on day one, but Kauthar Bouchallikht enters the House determined]. EenVandaag (in Dutch). Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  24. ^ "Kauthar Bouchallikht". GroenLinks (in Dutch). Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  25. ^ Hoedeman, Jan; Nieuwenhuis, Marcia (13 February 2023). "PvdA en GroenLinks willen gratis ov voor armen, betaald door rijken" [Labour Party and GroenLinks want free public transport for the poor, paid for by the rich]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  26. ^ "GroenLinks-Kamerlid trekt zich terug omdat ze context mist rondom Israël" [GroenLinks House member withdraws because she is missing context surrounding Israel]. nos.nl (in Dutch). 15 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Official results of the election of the House of Representatives of 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. p. 199. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Tranen bij afscheid van 80 vertrekkende Tweede Kamerleden" [Tears at farewell 80 departing members of parliament]. Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). ANP. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Kauthar Bouchallikh". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal. March 31, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  30. ^ "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 102–103. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  31. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 23–31, 199. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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