Bilal Ben Abdelkarim shares the story of his parents' migration journey and their resilience in the Netherlands, emphasizing the importance of telling the stories of first-generation Moroccan migrants. His book, Van dankbaar naar strijdbaar, highlights the challenges and opportunities of Dutch Moroccans, advocating for self-sufficiency, political involvement, and cultural emancipation. Bilal Ben Abdelkarim carries the story of his parents—a story of resilience and migration—like many Moroccans born in the Netherlands to parents who left their homeland in search of better opportunities. A native of Tetouan in northern Morocco, his father was just 18 when he decided to leave for Gibraltar with his older brother. From there, his migration journey began, working in Stockholm, Sweden, and Torremolinos, Spain, before finally settling in the Netherlands. In the midst of these attempts to settle in Europe and secure employment, his father married. «It's the '70s, and many people of that generation went to Holland, Belgium, and France. My father first went to Spain. But Spain was not much better than Morocco, economically speaking. So, he came to Holland with my mother», recounted Bilal, a citizenship teacher at a vocational college in Amsterdam, a former social worker, and, more recently, a writer. In the Netherlands, Bilal's father worked as a cook. While in Sweden, he had learned how to cook at an Italian restaurant, a pizzeria, Bilal told Yabildi. In Utrecht, the father worked in Italian restaurants as a chef throughout his career, eventually owning his own restaurant. Bilal highlights this story of hard work and resilience in his first book, Van dankbaar naar strijdbaar (From Grateful to Militant), where he seeks to tell the story of first-generation migrants in the Netherlands, like his parents. «For me, it's important to show that before they came to the Netherlands, the first generation—often reduced to mere numbers and called gastarbeiders (guest workers)—were people of flesh and blood, with ideas about the future, ambition, and history», he said enthusiastically. Another pillar of Bilal's family migration story is his mother. A fellow native of Tetouan, she gave everything to keep her children connected to their roots, homeland, and culture—especially that of Tetouan, with its history and folklore. «She always told us stories about Islam, Moroccan culture, and Moroccan history», Bilal recalled. Born in the old Medina, Bilal's mother was a bright student raised by her grandparents. «She didn't go to college, but she's smart, and she knows a lot. She told us everything she knew», the writer says. In the Netherlands, she quickly learned the language and made many friends. A Turning Point: Questioning Identity With such loving parents, Bilal had quite a happy childhood. «Of course, some people experienced bad things like racism and discrimination. But for me, growing up in a part of the city where almost everyone was Moroccan, at school—I may have experienced it, but I wasn't aware of it», Bilal explained. But there was a turning point—a moment when Bilal began questioning why he was looked at differently and why some saw Moroccans as the «others». That turning point came in 2001, after the September 11 terror attacks in New York City. «I was already 17 years old. Of course, before that, there were some discussions at school with people, and there were already some politicians and newspapers talking badly about Moroccans, Muslims, about not being part of Western culture and treating us as the others», he remarked. However, for Bilal, he could only see this difference and become interested in politics after 9/11. He started watching the news and reading the papers. «That was a turning point. Every Muslim became suspicious. Even teachers at school started asking questions—not really to learn something, but to put you in a box», he reflected. Bilal felt compelled to have answers to the many questions he was asked and to defend himself, his culture, and his religion. «Because I wasn't satisfied with my own answers, I started reading the Quran, but also educating myself on politics», he recalled. After high school, Bilal's background influenced his career choice. He pursued social work, focusing on young people aged 16 to 25. Bilal worked mostly with young people in troubled neighborhoods who were struggling with poverty and criminal records. «I try to help them become successful—by studying or finding a job. After five years of working as a social worker, I decided to study to become a teacher», he explained. A Call for Emancipation Bilal has been teaching for 10 years, educating young people who want to become social workers. The idea of writing a book came up during a discussion with his students. «Because a lot of my students have the same background, I found it troubling that they knew nothing about their backgrounds. I asked them one day, 'What can you tell me about Dutch Moroccans?' They only mentioned Hakim Ziyech and Mocro Maffia», he joked. This prompted Bilal to think about the responsibility of Dutch Moroccans in telling their own story. «If we, as Dutch Moroccans, don't take the responsibility to tell our story, this European Moroccan experience will be forgotten», he reflected. Feeling it was his responsibility, Bilal began his book with his parents' story, expanding to broader topics like politics. «I started the book personally so the reader can identify with me, but the personal meets the political. Later on, the book becomes more political», he explained. The book addresses both the negative aspects and the positive, emphasizing emancipation, as Bilal likes to term it. «It's not just a book where I'm complaining. I'm saying that to emancipate yourselves, you must be self-sufficient. You must participate and take the opportunities», he argued. «This is a great country. I want it to stay great, democratic, and to respect the rule of law. And that's why I think we have to be organized and politically involved to have our say», Bilal concluded.
