Human rights fears at Dutch inquiry into Muslim population

Human rights fears at Dutch inquiry into Muslim population
by guido(info guardian) Tuesday July 09, 2002 at 11:07 AM

First you have an attack, than without any proves, you appoint to extreme-moslims as the persons who did it. Than in your conutry, you arrest more than 5000 Arabs. You get away with it. And than you see that in countries in Europe, people also start to criminalize Moslims.

Concerned that the country may have become a hotbed of Islamist fundamentalism, the Netherlands is to investigate the activities of its 800,000 Muslims.
The survey of beliefs and activities called for by the lower house of parliament has alarmed human rights groups.

It will cover the funding and management of mosques and the training of clerics, and will seek to discover how many Muslims can legitimately be classed as fundamentalists.

This year's general election, in which the anti-immigration party founded by the murdered libertarian Pim Fortuyn came second, has created a wave of anti-Muslim feeling in the Netherlands, reinforced by a recent television report on the behaviour of some imams.

The inquiry is strongly supported by Jan Peter Balkenende's rightwing coalition government, led by Christian Democrats and including Fortuyn's party.

Nova, a current affairs programme, secretly recorded four imams railing against the west and broadcast the tapes last month, provoking the indignation of Dutch citizens.

One imam in the Hague is heard asking Allah to "take care of" President George Bush and the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and another in Amsterdam sings the praises of Palestinian suicide bombers.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)