The municipality of Utrecht plans to open two information counters in the Omar al Farouk mosque – one each for men and women. The information counters would allow visitors to ask questions about work, education, community activities and neighborhood plans. The experimental project is part of plans to help the Vogerlaar neighborhood of Overbecht, a…
Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin announced that he would investigate allegations of anti-Semitism and incitement towards violence and hatred during pro-Palestinian rallies held in the Netherlands over the past two weeks. Hirsch Ballin said that he would ask police about concerns in the rallies, and look at whether the public prosecutor had taken appropriate action…
The International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) has been closed as per 1 January 2009, due to the lack of adequate funding. ISIM was set up ten years ago by the universities of Leiden, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Nijmegen, and the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The objective…
The mayors of four Dutch cities – Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and Rotterdam, plan to ask the government not to grant citizenship to foreign nationals who have more than one wife. Even though polygamy is banned in the Netherlands, Dutch towns currently register such marriages, and do not ask whether or not an applicant is…
Moroccan imams in Utrecht have erected their own union. The Moroccan Imam Union (Marokkaanse Imam Bond, MIB) will pose quality demands on imams, give courses and training, advise authorities, and serve as a contact point for the media, said the union’s interim-chairman and imam Yassin Elforkani. Elforkani said he places value on the importance on…
