During Ramadan, 45 Moroccan imams will come to the Netherlands to promote a ‘healthy islam’. Contact Body Muslims and Government (CMO) hopes that radicalization among youth will be prevented this way. Spokesperson Yasin el-Forkani says that the imams are interpreting Islam in a moderate Malikiti tradition – an interpretation that can change according time and place.
Jan Jaap de Ruiter arabist at the University of Tilburg however says that when someone feels attracted to an extremist ideology and the idea of a Caliphate, an imam with moderate ideas will not change this easily. Moreover he sees the necessity of flying imams in from Morocco as a Dutch weakness: before the Netherlands knew 3 imam educations, but graduates had a hard time finding a job in Dutch mosques. Furthermore, the imams from Morocco won’t be speaking Dutch.
El-Forkani admits that this is not the best solution for preventing radicalization. It seems however the best solution possible at this moment.
