Press Release
Response to a Television Program on the Dutch Muslim Channel "Allahu Akbar or the Dutch Flag"
(Translated)

The Dutch television channel, Muslim Amrup, last Saturday, on 31/08/2013, introduced the first television program, where the first episode of the program was formed by a proposal by an Islamic Organization (CMO) in collaboration with the Dutch government. This episode of the program was fully concerned with the so called "spiritual care" within the Dutch army to help soldiers with an Islamic background.

The main part of the program - as anyone can expect from the title of the program "Allahu Akbar or the Dutch Flag" - revolved around the question: Where does the loyalty of Muslims in The Netherlands belong? Are they loyal to The Netherlands or to Islam? The clear message sent out by this program was that the loyalty of Muslims, especially Muslim soldiers in the Dutch army, must belong to the Netherlands and not to Islam.

First of all it must be remembered that it is known among the Muslim community that the new channel "Muslim Amrup" and the organization (CMO) were established to act according to the Dutch agenda, even to speak on behalf of the Dutch government, to achieve what the government desires from the Muslims. Also it is known to the Muslims that these organizations do not work for the interests of Muslims but they work in favor of the Dutch government at the expense of Islam, and this fact has been confirmed more than once in the past year. To illustrate this matter we say: The speaker who represents the organization (CMO) has been placed in one of the programs, and he was faced with the following question: "Where does the loyalty of Muslims belong?" He replied in a way that implicitly declared that their loyalty should belong to The Netherlands, further justifying by saying: "Because the Muslim soldier is characterized by awareness and he consciously chose to be a soldier within the Dutch military under the Dutch flag. It is possible for the government to send this soldier to an Islamic country to maintain security there, and it is also possible that this soldier will face a situation there of either killing his Muslim brother or his Muslim brother killing him."

An Islamic Organization that justifies to the Muslim, who serves in the Dutch army and works in the invasion of a Muslim country, the killing of his Muslim brother has no credibility with the Muslims. It should not speak on behalf of the Muslims in The Netherlands, therefore we address the Dutch government which provides financial support for this channel, and we do not address the program hosts and the authors of the program. We say to the government: The method of asking the question "Where does the loyalty of Muslims belong?" which dominated the full program and the tireless attempts to answer this question, lead us to the question: ‘Why should the Muslims in The Netherlands have to choose between either The Netherlands or Islam?'

Because of the twisted way the question was asked, some issues have to be clarified:

First: They asked the Muslim to choose between two matters that bear no similarity, they wanted to make the Muslim choose between a country and a way of thinking. Had they made him choose between two countries or two systems of life, then the question would have been correctly posed.

Second: If it is required that the Muslim chooses between two systems, as the Islamic system or the democratic liberal system, then this is the ultimate injustice and hypocrisy, because in The Netherlands, they claim that the individual has the freedom of belief, this on the one hand. On the other hand, the call to such a choice is indeed forcing others to change their Deen for another Deen. Then why is such a question not posed to non-Muslims in the Dutch society, such as the Christians and Jews?

As for those who are asking themselves where the loyalty of the Muslim belongs, we say to them: Islam does not know nationalities or borders; rather Islam is at farthest length from these narrow concepts. As well as the true followers of Islam, they do not know nationalities nor do they subject to fake limits, nor do they accept subjection to other than the Creator (swt). 

Okay Pala
Representative Member of Hizb ut Tahrir Netherlands