Threatening letters to Dutch mosques

This week various Dutch mosques received the same threatening letters. The letters are addressed to ‘all Islamic prayer houses’ in the Netherlands. It announces ‘important visits’ and then ‘pigs’and is accompanied with a nazi emblem. The letter ends with ‘anti-islam’ and ‘islam is [sic] false and devilish religion’.

Picture of the threatening letter
Picture of the threatening letter

Today several mosques have a filed a complaint against these letters and are stepping up their surveillance. Imam Azzedine Karrat of the Essalam mosque in Rotterdam (one of the mosques that received the letter) stated they are taking it serious because the safety of people is at stake. He states he is worried, not so much about the letter, but about the situation in the Netherlands. The letter is exemplary for the tensions that exist in society and he regards such letters as the fruit of the far right in the Netherlands and the message they spread. He calls for unity in society to counter these extremities. Watch the video here (in Dutch):

The Council of Dutch mosques stated it was horrified by the letters and calls upon Muslims to be alert. A few months ago also letters were send to various mosques. The police has stated to take matters seriously and to investigate it. They are not sure if the letters are threatening letters because they do not contain any death wishes. At the moment the different police regions are mapping where and how many letters there are and if deemed necessary a nation wide investigation will be launched. Several mosques have, in response to these letters, also received many supportive messages from in particular Jewish and Christian communities and individuals.

Labour MP Ahmed Marcouch asked ministers to make a statement about efforts to catch the senders and to make sure mosques are given sufficient protection if it proves necessary. So far Dutch authorities have refused to increase protection of Dutch mosques.

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