Bismillah [hidayahnet] "Code of Conduct" for Dutch Mosques & Alicante's Muslims May Spend Ramadan With no Mosque

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 03:07:00 -0700

"Code of Conduct" for Dutch Mosques

Many mosques and Islamic centers in the Netherlands have been attacked.

THE HAGUE , September 5, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Three Dutch mosques launched a "code of conduct" Monday, September 5, to help fight what they termed as "radicalism", promote democratic values and encourage imams to speak Dutch in return for tougher action on discrimination against Muslims, on the part of government.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende witnessed the signing of the code, which came in response to a "social contract" signed between the Dutch authorities and mosques after violence erupted, mostly against the country's Muslim minority, following the murder of controversial film-maker Theo Van Gogh at the hands of a Muslim young man in November 2004, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The code seeks to specify how mosques detect "radical elements" in their congregations, counter extreme interpretations of Islamic texts and even report suspected extremists to police.

Under the code, imams will receive Dutch-language classes and training in how to recognize "radical behavior" and are required to be particularly vigilant about how they teach "certain verses" of the noble Qur'an.

In return, the local council will create an office to raise the status of Muslims and counter discrimination against them.

Mosques that sign up will consult with the family of any potential extremist and offer support and advice, but if such a discussion does not lead to a change in behavior, the mosque pledges to report the person to the Dutch authorities, according to Reuters.

Reservations

The Aya Sofya mosque, controlled by the Turkish immigrant community, is one of three Amsterdam mosques involved in drawing up the code in partnership with local authorities in Baarsjes, a district with a large immigrant population.

The other two mosques belonged mainly to Moroccans and Pakistanis, but only the Turkish mosque signed the agreement Monday.

"The Pakistani and Moroccan mosques said they were above all places of worship which cannot play such a leading social role nor are equipped for it," city hall director Henk van Waveren told AFP.

"We don't agree with them, but the debate continues within the community," he added.

But an official from the Aya Sofya mosque said the clause requiring followers to report suspicious behavior to police was difficult for them to accept.

"To accept warning the authorities about influential radical behavior was the subject of difficult discussions," Fatih Dag told AFP. "But this is what everybody must do when there's a threat."

Mutual Benefit

Anti-Muslim attacks skyrocketed after the killing of Van Gogh.

The Dutch Prime Minister said he hoped other mosques would also adopt the code.

"We need others to say 'no' to unacceptable behavior. This protocol is modern way to attack the problems and I hope this example will be followed," Balkenende said, according to AFP.

"We live together in the Netherlands and this country belongs to all -- Muslims, Christians, humanists, atheists -- but that is possibly only with respect for democratic laws. The Netherlands is tolerant, but tolerance cannot stand alone," he said.

Dag  told Reuters that Muslims who promoted democracy ran the risk of becoming the targets of radicals like Mohammed Bouyeri, the man jailed for life in July for killing Van Gogh.

"We are also threatened by terrorism just like every other Dutch citizen," he said.

"Fighting radicalization must be a project of the whole society in which everybody has their responsibility."

While Dutch authorities have expelled three imams from the southeastern city of Eindhoven, several imams have called on Muslims not to protect any possible members of the "radical" Islamic network known as the Hofstad group, suspected of planning attacks in the country, according to AFP.

Bouyeri, who was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole in June 2005, was allegedly a member of the group.

An imam in the southern city of Tilburg denounced Hofstad members as "apostates" who did not follow true Islam, according to the Dutch newspaper Het Parool.

Another imam in The Hague issued a fatwa authorizing Muslims to testify against alleged extremists.

Dozens of mosques and Muslim schools were attacked in the weeks after the Van Gogh murder in a country that is home to almost 1 million Muslims or about 6 percent of the population.

 

Alicante's Muslims May Spend Ramadan With no Mosque

Alicante's only mosque.

By Al-Amin Andalusi, IOL Correspondent

MADRID , September 5, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Muslims in the Spanish city of Alicante are facing the bitter possibility of seeing the doors of their only mosque shut down before or during the holy months of Ramadan.

The problem escalated few weeks before the advent of the holy fasting month when the City's Municipality decided to close down the mosque, in response to complaints by the city's residents.

Muslims of Alicante have succeeded to convince the local authorities to suspend the closure decision, pending a court ruling on the issue.

The suspension decision followed a meeting between Municipality officials and the mosque's imam.

IOL Correspondent says despite the fact that the mosque has already met all legal and other requirements the Municipality demanded, it still faces the likely possibility of closure over reasons described by the officials themselves as "incomprehensible".

Tens of thousands of Muslim migrants in the city, mostly from Moroccan and Algerian origins, found themselves without a mosque at the beginning of September. Following the meeting with the imam, city officials suspended the closure pending the court ruling expected before or even during Ramadan (October 3 or 4).

Big Problem

A general view of the Spanish city of Alicante.

In statements to the Spanish News Agency (EFE), an Alicante official said a closure notification was sent to the mosque's officials, carrying a grace period.

But leader of the Muslim minority in the city Najid Khadem told EFE Sunday, September 4, that no such notification was received, adding in case any official notice is sent to the mosque officials a lawyer would handle the case legally.

Khadem added that he could not understand the Municipality's decision to close the mosque, in light of all requirements being met, except for opening an additional emergency door due to neighbors' objections.

Alicante Muslims now face the bitter possibility of a "Ramadan without mosque". The Alicante mosque, that was opened five years ago and can take up to 500 persons, used to work as a gathering place during Ramadan, for both religious and cultural activities.

Awaiting the court ruling on the complaint issued by neighbors, who accuse the mosque of promoting "extremist ideas", Municipality officials say they are now looking for a venue to establish a new mosque not to prevent thousands of Alicante Muslims from observing their religious rituals.

A local Spanish paper quoted Sunday officials in Alicante as saying it was expected a big Islamic center would be built in the city soon to serve the sizeable minority there.

The complaining neighbors did not give any evidence or document to support their allegations against the mosque. However, Municipality officials have withdrawn their "verbal certificate" to the mosque officials, paving the way for closing the mosque, according to IOL Correspondent.

In Spain , places of worship do not need written permissions to be established or to operate.

Similar Obstacles

According to IOL Correspondent, Alicante Muslims are not the only Muslim grouping facing such obstacles in the European country.

Muslim migrants in a number of Spanish cities are facing growing difficulties in building mosques or even freely expressing their Muslim identity, especially after the March,2004 bombings in Madrid that killed 191 people and was claimed by an Al-Qaeda-linked militant group.

In Seville , the Great Mosque project was stopped after complaints from local residents. The anti-mosque protests in Seville escalated to the degree that Spanish extremists threw a pig's head on the construction site of the mosque, believing that would desecrate the site and force Muslims to quit building thereon.

There are some 600 mosques and small praying rooms across Spain , according to official estimates.

Alicante is the site of the remains of a historical mosque believed to have been built over ten centuries ago, with the early days of Islam's presence in Spain . The site was discovered only last year.

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