All of a sudden, there is talk of her return

There are quite a few conspiracy theories doing the rounds about the continous absence of Ms. Ayaan Hirshi Ali, the Dutch MP who made the movie Submission together with Theo van Gogh. Nobody has seen her since the murder of her friend and partner in art.
I usually tend to favor Occam's Razor over complicated conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, I am gradually starting to develop some appreciation for the theory that Ms. Ayaan Hirshi Ali was silenced by powers in the Dutch government, for fear of her causing 'further unrest' in society.
Why else would stories about her possible return to politics surface only days after a few prominent Dutch writers started lending their credibility to this theory?
For those of you unfamiliar with it, Occam's Razor is all about favoring the simplest explanation possible. Right now, the easiest explanation (other than coincidence, which is not an explanation) for this sudden suggested resurfacing of Ms. Hirsi Ali seems to be that some people don't like the idea that her absence is getting so much attention.
(Then again, you're not paranoid if they're really after you ;-), and this rant may simply be due to me drinking too much of that Bushmills whiskey Edwin was kind enough to give me today.)

23:07

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And while I'm at it...

Yes, several train travellers got sick in Arnhem today. I've only just returned home and am reading up on it now. But please don't rush to judgment yet. Even my most gossipy contacts don't suspect terrorism now.
I became an analytical journalist who writes mostly for weeklies because I hated the forced regime of making not yet tangible stories into news. I won't be tempted to start doing that now.

Update Nov 23, 11.29: it has turned out a leaking train transporting chemicals caused the incident.

22:57

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The hype about the Turkish demonstration in Germany

I must have read about twenty American blogs tonight about the Turkish demonstration against Islamic violence in Germany. Some of them even went as far as to suggest a connection with the interview Mr. Wilders gave to the Associated Press.
Please bear in mind that Germans don't give a s**t about what Dutch politicians say, so that connection is absolutely non-existent.
Please bear in mind as well that Turkish Muslims are more secularized than most. (With the possible exception of a Lebanese girl I once met, but never mind that.)
And please bear in mind that nothing of this kind has happened in the Netherland. A demonstration by Moroccan Muslims in the Netherlands against the murder of Van Gogh drew a crowd of only a few hundred people, if that. Gathering from the television footage, my personal estimate would be in the dozens.
Up until now, other than Ahmed Aboutaleb, the brave Moroccan deputy mayor of Amsterdam, very few Dutch Muslims has even publicly denounced the murder of Theo van Gogh.
So while the demonstration is in itself a good thing, maybe it's a bit too soon to talk about a European watershed.

22:55

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