Press Release
Yes to Freedom of Belief As Long As There is No Building of Mosques!
(Translated)

Once again the controversy over the building of mosques in the Netherlands returns, and this time it is over the construction of Al Wihda Mosque in the Dutch city of Gouda. After a large number of CDA party members raised many questions about the construction of the mosque last November, the party is now seeking to prevent foreign aid to the mosque legally. The Dutch member of Parliament Pieter Omtzigt sees that it is unreasonable that mosques should be funded by countries that do not believe in freedom of belief, and in the suggestion made in the year 2007-2008 by Toreenburg - Deisselblom - he too also raised the subject of the risk of foreign aid.

Regarding the construction of many mosques in the Netherlands, the main concern that haunts politicians is that these mosques will serve as a base for rejection of integration. It seems that since 2007 until this moment nothing has changed except for the use of some of the movements as a cover to enact laws ( like the Salafi movement as an example, which the state considers against the law, however, they in fact mean Islam as a whole), this is why the MP Omtzigt blamed Minister Obstelin for following the policy of burying the heads in the sand like an ostrich, because he refused to investigate the source of funds received by the Salafi movement, whether these funds are used in the construction of mosques or used for other purposes. According to Omtzigt there is a controversial Salafi preacher whom the authorities banned him from entering Gouda City last year. He was carrying out activities in order to raise funds for the construction of the mentioned Al Wihda Mosque, but it turned out to be that he has a relationship with some of the banned groups that raise funds to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria.

The image that is being promoted is that the mentioned mosque would be a breeding ground for extremism, and a recruiting source of jihadis, so the parliamentarian's motto is, as in the famous proverb "extract the molar (tooth) to remove its pain". Before we explain the real reasons behind such a project it is important to recall the fact that the Netherlands is a capitalist state, that separate between the state and religion, and this separation means in principle that the state should be neutral on religion and religious groups, and from this point of view also, the Dutch government should not play any role in the recruitment of imams or intervene in mosques affairs. This is the role of the mosque's management, and the state does not intervene unless the mosque's management violates the law, however, the perceived reality is that the state intervenes in everything religious or non-religious, and imposes strict restrictions on the freedom of belief that it promotes.

From restrictions on freedom of belief and the restrictions on Muslims, Minister Achkr recently called for a campaign against imams who promote ideas inciting hatred, in addition to the refusal to give them a visa to the Netherlands, to enact many laws to monitor the Muslim community, (such as telephone lines, and the confiscation of passports). Therefore, the proposal to legally prevent financial assistance for the construction of mosques is added to the long list of restrictive measures aimed at the Muslim community. Also MP Omtzacht said that Austria has enacted long ago a law that prohibits foreign aid to the mosque, and he also said that it was better for us to examine this law to see if there something useful in it for the Netherlands. It is known that the Austrian Foreign Minister, Sebastian Kors, is the main promoter of this law, he is the one who said, "We want an Austrian Islam independent of any external influence, in other words Islam that is consistent with Western secular values," and this shows clearly that there is no place in the West for the other, who carries different thinking to Western thought, and what the West wants from the Muslims is not to be bound by any Islamic values and they do not have any connection to Islam, and the truth Allah Azza Wa Jal says:

[وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىَ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَن دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُوا]

"And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able" [Al Baqara: 217]

Okay Pala
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in The Netherlands