René ten Bos: ‘Tolerance becomes intolerable’

It’s not often that a professional footballer quotes a philosopher in an interview. It happened at the end of March 2023: in An interview on Youtube with Salahuddin Benjiki Top player Redouan El Yacoubi cited philosopher of science Karl Popper to defend his position in the controversy surrounding the Onelove band. By having the captains in the Eredivisie team wear the band, the KNVB, the Dutch football association, wanted to make a statement against all forms of racism and discrimination. When Excelsior Captain El Yacoubi refused to participate, He should not be captain of the club.

El Yacoubi says in an interview: “There is a good essay by the philosopher of science Karl Popper about tolerance and intolerance. The moment you as a society care about liberalism and freedom, you have to accept that there are people who do not accept that freedom or want to use that freedom in their own way.

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Philosopher and football enthusiast René den Bos is not easily aware of which essay by Popper El Yacoubi he is referring to. Nevertheless, he thinks the footballer makes a good case for why he shouldn’t wear the OneLove band. Indeed El Yacoubi says: Pleas for tolerance turn into intolerance. That’s a good argument. Why force someone who doesn’t want to be an ambassador to be an ambassador?’

As the captain of a professional football club, he can contribute to the acceptance of LGBTIQ+ people in the world of football, something that is still lacking.
El Yacoubi makes it clear that he has nothing against LGBTIQ+ people. He does not need to be their messenger. Why should he commit? Shameful that Excelsior took the captain’s mantle from him.

In the name of tolerance, everyone must now participate in the liberation of LGBTIQ+. But freedom is at stake here. In a democracy there must be room for skepticism, discourse and disagreement. Now many are convinced that in the name of liberalism, any kind of contradiction is irrelevant. But why would you ask boys of a Muslim background to be the standards of the LGBTIQ+ movement?’

Homosexuality is still a big problem among many Muslims. Precisely as a Muslim and a role model, El Yacoubi can make a strong statement for the acceptance of LGBTIQ+ people.
‘There is so much wrongdoing in the world that you cannot add your name to it endlessly. I believe that people have a fundamental right to devote themselves to causes of their choosing. This cannot be imposed by other parties. I cannot tell you: you must interfere with this or interfere with that. Then it becomes mandatory.

You can also see a sense of moral superiority in the invasion of Ukraine. The fury about it is so great that you get wind from the front at the slightest doubt. For example, if you carefully point out America’s provocations.’

El Yacoubi insists on his freedom to not participate in the liberal narrative. How liberal is his argument?
‘El Yacoubi relies on liberal principles to avoid doing something that many liberals think is the right thing to do. It is almost a distortion of liberal ideas. He is a smart guy and his interviews are worthy of a captain.