The Amish, the Mennonites and the Hutterites

[R Crowley the White]

There can be a very big difference between liberal and conservative Mennonites. It can be as big as the difference between RC Liberation Theology folks and the SSPX members.

The separationist Mennonites that have been described on this thread are naturally from the most "right-wing" or conservative spectrum of Mennonitism. I would dare to make a bet that none of these migrant-sponsoring Mennonites are separationists, or people who live in their own colonies.

I suspect there is not an iota of racialism within Mennonitism, but have not researched it. In modern Christianity there exists a horror of racialism of any kind, with possible exception being Orthodoxy. Racialism (implicitely defined always as white racialism) being the height of immorality, according to mass media and public education, the Christians flee from it because morality, real and perceived, is fundamental to their world view.

 

[Petr]

I suspect there is not an iota of racialism within Mennonitism, but have not researched it. In modern Christianity there exists a horror of racialism of any kind, with possible exception being Orthodoxy. Racialism (implicitely defined always as white racialism) being the height of immorality, according to mass media and public education, the Christians flee from it because morality, real and perceived, is fundamental to their world view.

You are sort of moving the goalposts, demanding more and more ideological perfection from these people.

 

[R Crowley the White]

You are sort of moving the goalposts, demanding more and more ideological perfection from these people.

How can I be moving goalpoasts when I have commented only twice? Usually moving goalpoasts concerns one's own statements.

 

[Petr]

This Black nationalist magazine in Belize does not seem to doubt that the conservative Mennonites there have at least mildly "tribalist" mentality - those individuals who marry outside the community get politely shunned:

The Mennonites have what most of our tribes want. But do they have too much? | Amandala Newspaper

The Mayas of Toledo have won ancestral rights to not yet fully determined lands in the Toledo District, and such rights will go far in ensuring the economic survival of the Maya tribes in the area, but it is to be seen how the traditions and the “racial purity”, yes, will be preserved.​

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The Mennonites allow no such assaults on their way of life. The 1957 agreement with the colonial government gave them the right to block out all our other tribes, and they have. The original agreement was for three groups — the Altkolonier, the Sommerfelder, and the Kleine Gemeinde — to establish communities, one in Spanish Lookout.​

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Today there are about ten Mennonite communities in Belize; most of them are traditional but two of them, Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek, are very modern.​

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All the Mennonite communities are insulated from the rest of Belizeans, particularly the non-white tribes here. If we look away from the racial aspect of the insulated tribe, we could compare the reality to that of a religious family that has a church yard, an area they want free of people who don’t share their faith, or a family that has a farm with a sign that says “no trespassing” and “keep out if you’re not invited.”​

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Most of the internal problems in Spanish Lookout (the Mennonite capital) occur when individuals marry outside of the tribe. When this happens, the leaders say the individual has chosen a different life, and the best thing for that member is to become a “former member” and leave the community.​

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This makes for an intriguing discussion. Most of us respect people who want their children to marry their own “kind.” There are black people who want their offspring to marry someone with the same color of skin that they have, and there are many white people who pray that their offspring will ensure that their grandchildren look European. It is natural and sensible for parents who have a certain set of values to want their offspring to marry people who have the same outlook on life, but ethnic purity, race discrimination, is a story that is not part of our Constitution.​

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“Legislating” that your children marry children of a certain skin color, as the Mennonites have effectively done with the way they treat their own who marry outside of their tribe, seems to cross a line. Some of the Mennonites who have married outside of the tribe wonder how the community can do so much business with other tribes, but lock them out when they marry a member of the community.​

 

[R Crowley the White]

Sounds great. I stand corrected on right wing Mennonites. I am so accustomed to cowardly and hysterical anti-White Christians in the US that I committed gross generalizations base on my local experience. I predict Mennonites in the US expel these hateful kinists, as Petr would call them. Latin America often delivers in this way to a degree never seen in North America today

 

[Petr]

Sounds great. I stand corrected on right wing Mennonites. I am so accustomed to cowardly and hysterical anti-White Christians in the US that I committed gross generalizations base on my local experience. I predict Mennonites in the US expel these hateful kinists, as Petr would call them. Latin America often delivers in this way to a degree never seen in North America today

I understand your worries - "once bitten, twice shy." Let alone bitten many times...

 

[WillTell]

Another group that may interest you are the Doukhobours of Canada. There is an abundence of them in my area. I interact with them on a daily basis. They all still speak Russian (at least in this region), and a good number of them speak English with a thick Russian accent (I am told that they speak an archaic form of Russian; I intend to learn my Russian from them so that I can speak it in that archaic form, which is closer to that of classical Russian literature).

They still practice Christian shariah law, the women still wear hijabs and are not allowed to speak in church, I never saw a single one of them wearing a shame muzzle during the whole "Covid19" prank. They are very Russian, and very into their ethnic identity, but the ones I have spoken with all hate Putin as much as they hate the Czar and the Soviet Union. But other than that they are 100% apolitical.

Most of the Doukhobours around here don't pay taxes. They don't have any government issued identification, drivers' licenses, and social security numbers. Instead of buying their land, like the rest of the slaves, they just take it over. So they are already outside of the system for all intents and purposes; certainly enough so to outlive its collapse.

The extent to whcih they have not assimulated is quite impressive, given that they live in an Aryan country while being themselves Aryan in origin and outward appearance; unlike the Jews, who have the advantage of differentiating themselves from the goyim on the basis of religion (be it Judaism or the Holocaust), the Doukhobours are Protestants living in close propinquity with traditional Protestant communities, and in a traditionally Christian country. They might easily have assimilated into the general population by now. Yet from my own observations they appear to be doing better than ever. Indeed there appears to be far more of them than the official numbers would suggest. The government of Canada acknowledges this in their official statistics as well

The majority of the ones I see are quite young. They get married at a young age and like my own grandparents they start having children at the time that is most natural for the human female (namely, 13-18 years of age). Consequently, whenever there is a large gathering of these people, or when one comes across them at the farmer's market or in a grocery store, one is struck by the high proportion of young women among them - all wearing hijabs, of course - who already have three or four children, even though they are much younger than the age at which most mothers have their first child.

Both from a demographic point of view, and from the perspective of cultural conservationism, it is worth while to study the ways of this people, and others like them, and to study Islamic society as well, and the Islamic law and Koran in particular. For that which promotes the conservation, growth and expansion of their communities can assuredly be applied to any community equally desirous of self-perpetuation, be it Christian or non-Christian.
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Doukhobour women are HOT AS FUCK.

 

[Gawn Chippin]

They sure are

 

[Petr]

There can indeed be great difference between conservative and liberal wings of the same religion, or even the same denomination; the Jews are of course a startling example of this, as they range from the Reform Jews who live in swanky Manhattan apartments to the Hasidic Jews who live in tightly packed Brooklyn ghettoes.

But even a milder denominational polarity, among the RCs, between the "normal" Novus Ordo adherents and the Trad Latin Mass participants, reveals considerable differences in social values - and fertility:

National Survey Results: What We Learned About Latin Mass Attendees

Traditional Latin Mass National Surveyby Fr. Donald Kloster St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Norwalk, Connecticut USA revfrkloster@yahoo.com Contributors: Sha Balizet Fisher, Ph.D. (Statistics), B…

liturgyguy.com

Importantly, TLM families have a nearly 60% larger family size. This will translate to a changing demographic within the Church. TLM attendees donate 5 times more in the collection, indicating that they are far more invested than the NOM attendees. TLM Catholics go to Mass every Sunday at 4.5 times the rate of their NOM brethren.

Now in the case of Mennonites, there are two basic rules of thumb:

1) Almost all Mennonites who are seen in news or mainstream media are liberals. Right-wing, conservative Mennonites simply stick to their own business and do not bother interacting with the outer world - let alone participating in virtue-signalling affairs like "refugee resettlement." Only sometimes they are seen in the media "collectively," as special reports are made about their exotic separatist colonies.

2) Those Mennonites who are truly conservative have historically "proven their faith" by moving away (actually moving many, many times) from such locales where they could not continue properly living their traditional rural lifestyle. Whereas the liberal or downright shitlib Mennonites have been content to keep dwelling in metropolitan cities, not bothering to flee such sinful Sodoms.

And on this subject, the "verdict of history" (as well as that of Darwinian natural selection) is utterly clear - the urbanized shitlib Mennonites, with their effete progressive values, will simply die off, as this case demonstrates:

UK Mennonites end Sunday services after numbers dwindle

One of Britain’s smallest religious groups, related to the Amish, abandons collective worship after attendance hits single figures

www.theguardian.com

UK Mennonites end Sunday services after numbers dwindle​

One of Britain’s smallest religious groups, related to the Amish, abandons collective worship after attendance hits single figures​

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Harriet Sherwood ​

Religion correspondent​

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Wed 16 Mar 2016 14.16 GMT​

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One of the UK’s smallest religious movements will hold its last act of collective worship this weekend as age, mortality and changing attitudes to faith have forced it to abandon regular services.​

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The Mennonites – part of the Anabaptist tradition dating back to the 16th century – are closely related to the Amish, who are noted for their plain dress, simple life and rejection of modernity and technology.​

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But the Mennonites have a wider range of customs and practices, according to Ed Sirett, who was an elder of the church, based in Wood Green, north London, until last year. “On the spectrum, there are some that are very like the Amish to those that are really modern and urban,” he said.​

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The numbers attending Sunday services have dwindled to single figures from a peak of 40 in the 1990s, said Sirett. “In the last five years, there have been some untimely deaths of highly committed individuals, which has been a huge blow. We’re older and less energetic, and it got to the point when just keeping the rota of Sunday worship going was taking most of the energy of the last half a dozen people. We could probably do more to advance our cause if we weren’t expending so much effort on something which people weren’t coming to.”​

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Another factor in the church’s decline was changing attitudes towards religion in society generally. In the 2011 census, about a quarter of the UK population reported that they had no religion, up more than 10 percentage points since the previous census in 2001.​

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“As with many Christian churches, we failed to convince the next generation that following Jesus was the best way. We lost the next generation,” said Sirett.​

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The London Mennonite Centre closed in 2010, and the church has struggled to fill the positions of elders. Members decided at the end of last year that “we could no longer sustain our usual pattern of community life, despite a perceived obligation to maintain the UK’s only fully functioning, English-speaking Mennonite church,” said a statement from the last remaining elder, Sean Gardiner.​

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Sirett said the decision to end services was “a very sad moment. The pain is not a super-shock, but it’s still like a bereavement.”​

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Mennonites, along with all Anabaptists, are baptised or re-baptised as adults. “We are a believers’ church, a church of choice, not a default church,” said Sirett. They are committed pacifists and strong believers in justice, mutual aid and community.​

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“We’re quite progressive. Equality between men and women is pretty much taken without question, and we have women in leadership positions. Gay and lesbian couples are welcomed,” said Sirett.​

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Anabaptist churches were largely driven out of England during the reign of Elizabeth I, only returning in the middle of the last century. There are about 2.1 million Anabaptists globally, concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and North America. Only about 3% live in Europe.​

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Following the north London group’s final service on Sunday, members may attempt to establish a virtual community and will continue to meet and socialise individually.​

Meanwhile, on the other end of the ideological spectrum, those Mennonites whose ancestors had enough faith to move to isolated wildernesses to maintain their separatist lifestyle, are showing a rather different demographic profile:

Mennonites in Argentina - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The number of adult members of the Mennonite faith in Argentina in 2012 was 4,678. Of these 1440 were members of Old Colony Mennonite congregations with a Germanic background, whereas the rest of 3,238 was mostly in Spanish-speaking congregations.[12]

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Ethnic Mennonites in Argentina speak Plautdietsch in everyday life and use an old-fashioned Standard German in reading, writing and singing. In addition, Spanish is spoken fluently by some settlers and taught in schools.[3] By 2007, 1,300 people were surveyed in the town of Remecó, La Pampa, consisting of approximately 200 families, with an average of 8 to 12 children each.[15]

 

[Petr]

Apparently there is some intermixture, or cross-fertilization, going on between conservative Mennonites and Amish:

The Ultimate Guide to the Amish

Learn everything you've ever wanted to know about the Amish, their traditions, values, and culture. From weddings to funerals to food, we have you covered!

www.amish365.com

For almost a century, there were no Amish in Europe, the last Amish congregation, based in Switzerland, folded into a Mennonite church in the 1930s. Today, there is no Old Order Amish presence in Europe.

An Old Order Amish community existed in Honduras in the 1960s and 70s, but ideology and isolation tore the settlement apart. There is an Amish presence in Belize. More recently, a Mennonite community in Bolivia and one in Argentina converted to Amish, so there is now an Amish presence in South America.

The Amish are closely aligned theologically with the Mennonites and the Hutterites. All of these religions spring from the Anabaptist movement. There are key differences between the Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterite groups, but also similarities, so much so that sometimes distinguishing between the most conservative Mennonites (who use horse-drawn buggies) and Amish can be challenging.

 

[Petr]

Vox Day shares an anecdote:

Mailvox: tribalism wins - Vox Popoli

A reader relates a recent encounter with a group of Mennonites: I am currently staying at a travel lodge in northern Wisconsin and there are 30-40 old school Mennonites, cousins of the Amish, also here. The free self-serve breakfast room provides lessons regarding how the Amish likely will...

voxday.net

Mailvox: tribalism wins​

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Posted on July 21, 2021 by VD​

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A reader relates a recent encounter with a group of Mennonites:​

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I am currently staying at a travel lodge in northern Wisconsin and there are 30-40 old school Mennonites, cousins of the Amish, also here. The free self-serve breakfast room provides lessons regarding how the Amish likely will behave if, as speculated, they ever do achieve population dominance.​

The Mennonites entered the room en masse and immediately occupied every open table remaining in the place. Each clan had its own table and it did not matter whether there were two members or eight, they had their own table by clan and would stand beside their territorial claim despite empty seats being available at the other Mennonite tables. Spaces were reserved by laying objects in the conventional way.​

Then the Mennonites formed an after church social barrier in front of the food supply, blocking outsiders from access in polite fashion while kibbitzing together in Swiss German. The kids were all barefoot and roaming around, which dissuaded the rest of us from approaching.​

About six old ladies commandeered the two waffle-making machines and began preparing waffles exclusively for all Mennonites. They cast intimidating glares at some tough-looking brawny, sleeveless construction workers who attempted to stand in line for waffles. Not gonna happen.​

The men, who are noticeably trimmer than the somewhat fat women, helped themselves to all the food, making immediate return trips to fill up individual and shared plates for their tables. This left only coffee for the outsiders.​

No grace was given nor prayers offered, once the last old lady abandoned her waffle post the entire group began eating and the men discussed whatever Swiss German topic. The food area resembled a war zone where the cockroaches would have starved.​

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Those Mennonites are going to do well when things fall apart. The rugged individualists should be fine, at least as long as they’re out in the deep wilderness without any resources that these people happen to decide they need for their families.​

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Notice how the supposed tough guys couldn’t handle the old women. They could have unplugged the machines and refused to plug them back in until one machine was given to the non-Mennonites, but apparently they couldn’t even manage to work together in that one simple regard.​

 

[White Swan]

I suspect there is not an iota of racialism within Mennonitism, but have not researched it. In modern Christianity there exists a horror of racialism of any kind, with possible exception being Orthodoxy. Racialism (implicitely defined always as white racialism) being the height of immorality, according to mass media and public education, the Christians flee from it because morality, real and perceived, is fundamental to their world view.

Then it would be intuitive to explore racial Christianity if one was searching for the true form, which would be the opposite of that which is supported by the existing power structure.

 

[Petr]

Some Belizean Mennonites are on the move again:

Shipyard: The End of an Era

Mennonites in Belize

belizemennonites.blogspot.com

I discovered a not-so-surprising turn of events. According to a carpenter I spoke too, last year alone around 80 families left for the jungles of Peru where large tracts of land are being cleared for new settlements. However due to conflict with indigenous peoples who claim that the Mennonites and the Peruvian government are robbing them of their land, some Mennonites are now turning to Suriname, formerly a Dutch territory on the east coast of South America. A delegation of Old Colony Mennonites met with an official from Suriname to discuss the purchase of land.​

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The carpenter shook his head in frustration as he explained that the departing families created a shortage of efficient Mennonite workers for the colony to the point where they were beginning to rely much more on "spanish" (Mestizos) laborers. He declared that he did not mind "spanish" Belizeans working for him; in fact he had 1 at his shop for a few years already. Based on his opinion, the problem is that a great majority of the younger non-Mennonite generation (millennials) simply do not have the work ethics that these Mennonites are raised with. On top of that are the patriotic holidays which mean nothing to the Old Colony Mennonites but must now be observed and paid out to the new "spanish" workers. He sighed and wondered if there was any legal way to bring in Guatemalans and Salvadorans.​

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"Why?" I asked.​

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Again going by his opinion, he said he had heard and observed that they were far more efficient workers than the average Belizean and willing to work long hours for a much lower yet still legal rate. He rambled on but I decided I had heard enough. I later spoke to another farmer/carpenter. Same story. In fact, he had recently hired his first "spanish" worker. I could see the frustration on his face as he complained that unlike Mennonite boys who seem to have a born knack for running and repairing machines, this new worker had to be trained how to run the most basic equipment.​

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Not long afterwards I chatted with a young woman who had left the old pasture for the greener grass of the EMMC fellowship. She nodded her head, confirming the fact that scores of families had already left for Peru, with the goal of relocating to Suriname should the doors open. She said "spanish" workers were slowly becoming more common in Shipyard compared to when she was a school age girl.​

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Does this mean Shipyard is becoming more empty? Are there farms and lands sitting in an abandoned state? Will the colony collapse? Certainly not, according to a wealthy store owner. The younger couples starting out now have a better opportunity, farmers looking to increase their crops or cattle have more land available. "Todavia hay mucha gente" (there's still a lot of people), said an elderly gentleman.​

 

[R Crowley the White]

This Black nationalist magazine in Belize does not seem to doubt that the conservative Mennonites there have at least mildly "tribalist" mentality - those individuals who marry outside the community get politely shunned:

This has to be some sort of reference foul. Blacks think everything White to be a form of exclusionistic White racism, other than the most abject kowtowing that is.

 

[R Crowley the White]

Then it would be intuitive to explore racial Christianity if one was searching for the true form, which would be the opposite of that which is supported by the existing power structure.

Racial Christianity is probably a contradiction in terms, unlike racial Judaism. So secular issues are the concern of the state. There is a reason for church and state bering separate in Christianity, imo.

 

[White Swan]

Racial Christianity is probably a contradiction in terms, unlike racial Judaism. So secular issues are the concern of the state. There is a reason for church and state bering separate in Christianity, imo.

Not so, but quite the opposite. We have been pre-taught replacement theology so somehow we don't ever think much about verses like:

"it will be said that you [Israel] are not [Israel] my people".

"I know the lies of those who say they are Jewish and are not but are of the synagogue of satan"

"I came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel"

"All of creation groans waiting for Israel to be redeemed"

"Go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel"

"James, to the 12 tribes scattered abroad, greetings." (Written to Greeks)

The pharisees worried amongst themselves, "does he intend to preach to the dispersed of Israel, in Greece?"

Paul's routes throughout Europe are often pictured in the index of many Bibles.

Fast forward, rapidly growing groups of "jews", Muslims, Hispanics, blacks, etc. have religiously based, overt, genocidal notions towards whites including our children and elderly. Why all the lockstep antiwhitism in the media, major corporations, world governments? Because we are seeing the fruition of the prophecy of the Age of Esau, when:

"the peoples will think they are doing good to kill God's people".

"Esau shall break the yoke of Jacob and turn to enslave him"

"The Age of Esau is the end of the world, but the Age of Jacob follows and lasts forever."

Esau wants his birthright back, and just as one prince kills his brother to steal the birthright to the throne of their father, he plans to genocide his brother Jacob. Just as pharaoh thought to do, but the 2nd exodus will be greater than the first. That's why Israelis are halfway out the door, setting up "New Jerusalem" in Ukraine.

It's really intuitive actually, God said he would use Israel to spread his gospel across the world, then Europeans did just that. Full continuity between old and new testament, and a God who does not wiggle out of promises by replacing his wife.

 

[Petr]

We can see this pattern from the very beginning of Amish/Mennonite history, that those folks who had more zealous faith were ready to abandon more comfortable environments for the wilderness - they were the ones that survived better and were not assimilated into the mainstream society. The Amish people were born in the Swiss Alps when the more uncompromising Anabaptist elements literally "ran to the hills":

Amish - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Emergence of the Amish​

The term Amish was first used as a Schandename (a term of disgrace) in 1710 by opponents of Jakob Amman, an Anabaptist leader. The first informal division between Swiss Brethren was recorded in the 17th century between Oberländers (those living in the hills) and Emmentalers (those living in the Emmental). The Oberländers were a more extreme congregation; their zeal pushed them into more remote areas.[citation needed]​

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Swiss Anabaptism developed, from this point, in two parallel streams, most clearly marked by disagreement over the preferred treatment of "fallen" believers. The Emmentalers (sometimes referred to as Reistians, after bishop Hans Reist, a leader among the Emmentalers) argued that fallen believers should only be withheld from communion, and not regular meals. The Amish argued that those who had been banned should be avoided even in common meals. The Reistian side eventually formed the basis of the Swiss Mennonite Conference. Because of this common heritage, Amish and conservative Mennonites from southern Germany and Switzerland retain many similarities. Those who leave the Amish fold tend to join various congregations of Conservative Mennonites.[11][12]​

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Matthew 24:16 - The Abomination of Desolation

then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

biblehub.com

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[Petr]

The next country on the Mennonite schedule: Suriname (aka Dutch Guiana):

Parliament wishes to be clear about the settlement of Mennonites in Suriname - Culturu.com

Engels, Suriname nieuws - Concern over the potential arrival of Mennonites in Suriname has been voiced by a number of MPs. The government would take into consideration granting

www.culturu.com

Parliament wishes to be clear about the settlement of Mennonites in Suriname​

zaterdag 3 juni 2023​

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Concern over the potential arrival of Mennonites in Suriname has been voiced by a number of MPs. The government would take into consideration granting this group state decreed domain land. This information has sparked debate and inquiries regarding the effects this strictly religious movement’s philosophy and manner of life will have on the nation and society. The Mennonites have reportedly purchased practically all of Apoera with the intention of constructing a new community, according to NDP leader Rabin Parmessar.​

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This development is alarming because there have previously been allegations of extensive deforestation and potential environmental violations in the regions where this organization is present. Delegates from more than 20 colonies across several nations have reportedly been getting ready to come to Suriname for months, according to a news story from Die Mennonite Post.​

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The government is not in the process of selling the land, according to Mahinder Jogi (VHP). He mentioned state laws that allow for the conversion of seized land into private property. Gregory Rusland, the head of the NPS faction, said that the nation shouldn’t be destroyed. He urged making sure that upholding the Vienna Convention does not set a precedent for making judgments that result in Suriname’s components being given away.​

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The constitutional implications of a potential Mennonite colony in Suriname are a key worry for the MPs. The purpose of the government’s decision to use a State Decree rather than a statute was a subject of discussion in Parliament. It is also highlighted that the Constitution forbids the alienation of land and that careful investigation of the Mennonites’ history and goals is necessary.​

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The migration strategy of the administration was questioned by Patricia Etnel (NPS). She demanded greater clarification over who is permitted to enter the nation and the reason for outsiders’ arrival. The BEP faction leader Ronny Asabina brought up the question of land rights. He claims that while some Surinamese are unable to obtain land titles, foreigners are granted rights by the government.​

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50 Mennonite families may travel to Suriname as part of a pilot program

Engels, Suriname nieuws - Despite the fact that the Surinamese government has not yet received an official request to relocate, the Santokhi-Brunswijk cabinet has chosen, following

www.culturu.com

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50 Mennonite families may travel to Suriname as part of a pilot program​

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donderdag 15 juni 2023​

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Despite the fact that the Surinamese government has not yet received an official request to relocate, the Santokhi-Brunswijk cabinet has chosen, following extensive deliberation, to carry out a test initiative by allowing 50 Mennonite families to live in our nation for a limited amount of time. This choice was made in light of boosting agricultural output. This was stated by the president yesterday in front of the National Assembly, Chandrikapersad Santokhi. Santokhi stated unequivocally that no one has made an official invitation to attend. There aren’t any applications for or sales of land to this organization, either.​

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The president claims that a local businessperson/investor asked the minister of Bibis to bring a group of Mennonites to use them in the agricultural industry. We want to examine issues in a broad perspective rather than in isolation. We want to identify the concerns, talk about them, and correctly address them. The government council meeting decided to run a pilot after deliberating for a while. This is solely a result of policy to boost agricultural output. According to the president, this project has been successfully carried out in Belize and imports are being replaced in the agricultural sector.​

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According to the president, it has been decided not to make or sell land to this group. “The persons will be subject to the normal procedures of the Aliens Act. They are tested on the aspect of safety. They are not allowed to touch tribal communities, including land under the jurisdiction of land rights. A cluster team of ministers will be appointed to monitor and guide the matter further. If the pilot continues, Surinamese companies must be used as local content.”​

 

[Petr]

 

[Petr]

Unease builds as Suriname invites large groups of whites to settle

No one is sure why Suriname’s Indo-led government is trying to bring a large group of white Mennonites to settle in a Caribbean Community nation.

amsterdamnews.com

Unease builds as Suriname invites large groups of whites to settle​

by Bert Wilkinson​

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June 8, 2023​

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Flag of Suriname​

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No one is sure why Suriname’s Indo-led government is trying to bring a large group of white Mennonites to settle in a Caribbean Community nation that is already racked by simmering racial tensions involving different race groups, but lawmakers and social activists are beginning to ask serious questions about the real motives behind their invitation to make the Dutch-speaking republic their new home. Suriname borders Brazil, Guyana, and French Guiana.​

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Known for living in various countries around the world in their own isolated communities, like American Amish groups, the Mennonites have already made several reconnaissance missions to Suriname, scoping out opportunities for land purchases and testing the general mood of the locals, and for talks with the administration of President Chan Santokhi.​

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Opposition lawmakers and social activists say they are angry because they are only now learning, by word of mouth, about this startling development with its attendant implications for the future make-up of the population. Apparently, no official confirmation was made by authorities until very recently when legislators raised the issue in parliament, forcing answers from government colleagues.​

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“The possible arrival of the Anabaptist is a very serious matter. The government is provoking the natives,” said opposition parliamentarian Iona Edwards. Colleague Evart Karto was also very upset. “I ask the government how and why that decision was made. Who has been consulted and who has received money?”​

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The government has also taken flak from one of its own party members—Indo assemblymember Asiskumar Gajadien has demanded clarification and a clear statement from the cabinet about exactly what the plan is.​

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Edwards said Mennonite teams have already been moving to establish a base at Apoera, near the western border with Guyana and are moving to acquire up to 90,000 hectares through land purchases. The nation of about 600,000 is already racked by rising tension among the major race groups, including Blacks, Indians, Javanese from Indonesia, Amerindians, and Maroons who count themselves as a separate ethnic group.​

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This is as indigenous Amerindian and Maroons have been struggling with successive administrations for decades to settle land demarcation and allocation borders for the first two sets of people to have occupied this nation.​

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“With the polarizing policy, there are enough tensions in the country,” Edwards said. “Now people also want to have fanatical groups brought in. In other countries, they have been guilty of rape and other things. We must not expose our people to danger. Are we going to allow this?”​

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Mennonite publications, including Anabaptists World, and others have already published detailed reports about the plans to set up a Mennonite colony in Suriname. One publication has already labeled the plans to head south as “Suriname fever.” Another showed photographs of Mennonite farmers taking soil samples to determine whether the area would be suitable for the type of agricultural prowess for which they are known.​

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Mennonites came from Europe many centuries ago, fleeing what they claimed was religious persecution back home and tensions with the Catholic and other churches after early clashes over religious doctrine. In the Caricom nation of Belize, they comprise about 5 percent of the population but make a significant contribution to agricultural production. They had migrated from neighboring Mexico to Belize in the 1960s. Belize has about 12,000 Mennonites.​

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Mennonites are often compared to Amish communities in the U.S., because some shun modern amenities such as technology, including computers, and electrical power. Many of the women wear long clothing, almost all-covering dresses and the men wear straw hats and buttoned-down shirts at times, despite the simmering heat in Belize.​

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Belize originally offered them land and tax-free incentives.​

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Authorities say they are happy to add this new but controversial group to Surinamese society but won’t give them land—they would have to buy land for themselves. The government is well aware of their acknowledged agriculture production prowess, which has been demonstrated in countries like Bolivia and Mexico.​