Column Beurskens: Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan has been sanctified as a martyr for the good cause. That many Muslim women are very critical of Ayaan and seem to be able to do very well without her, doesn’t bother public life here in the least.

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Column Beurskens: First see and then believe

I have got everything on my left side Jan says.
Impossible, I reply, but Jan is sure about it, he has got everything at the left side of his body, like this infected thumb now. Jan is an indispensable member of our community, but when he starts to talk

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Column Beurskens: The middle way

A young convent-sister comes into my office. She has a severe pain in her back. On the X-ray no abnormalities are seen. Physiotherapy doesn’t help. Strong pain-killers have no effect. They don’t alleviate even a little. At night she doesn’t sleep and ofte

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Column Beurskens: No answer

A malignant tumor of his gall bladder turned out to be the cause. The operation brought some temporary relief. He and his wife had kept up hope until the end, but nevertheless that had come now, seemingly brought about by an implacably and fatally ticking

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