C L O S E R

Samir A. faces seven years

Posted on March 23rd, 2005 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

Expatica – Living in, moving to, or working in the Netherlands, plus Dutch news in English
AMSTERDAM � An 18-year-old man accused of planning terror attacks in the Netherlands heard the public prosecutor demand a seven-year jail term in Rotterdam Court on Wednesday.

Samir A. is accused of planning attacks against the Dutch Parliament, Defence Ministry, the Borssele nuclear reactor, Schiphol Airport and the offices of security service AIVD in Leidschendam.

There are 12 suspected members of the group being held on remand. Police are working to establish if they can be linked to the November 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh. Alleged Islamic militant Mohammed B. has been arrested for the killing and detectives believe he was linked to the Hofstadgroep.

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Protected: Onderzoeksjournaliste Hind Fraihi in Het Nieuwsblad: Molenbeek als kweekvijver voor extremisme / 4

Posted on March 17th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Protected: Jihad is cool

Posted on March 16th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims, Youth culture (as a practice).

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Protected: Onderzoeksjournaliste Hind Fraihi in Het Nieuwsblad: Molenbeek als kweekvijver voor extremisme / 3

Posted on March 15th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Protected: Onderzoeksjournaliste Hind Fraihi in Het Nieuwsblad: Molenbeek als kweekvijver voor extremisme / 2

Posted on March 14th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Protected: Onderzoeksjournaliste Hind Fraihi in Het Nieuwsblad: Molenbeek als kweekvijver voor extremisme / 1

Posted on March 12th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Opstelten en Marokkaanse en moslimorganisaties botsen

Posted on March 11th, 2005 by .
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization.

Burgemeester Opstelten en dertig Marokkaanse organisaties in Rotterdam zijn hevig met elkaar in botsing gekomen. De organisaties hebben geweigerd een door het college opgestelde verklaring te tekenen.

Opstelten legde de Marokkanen vorige week op het stadhuis een verklaring voor over het actieprogramma ‘Meedoen of achterblijven‘ over de radicalisering van moslimjongeren. Hij vroeg ze hun handtekening te zetten onder ‘de hoofdlijnen van het programma’, ‘de rol van de betrokken organisaties bij de uitvoering’ en ‘de manier waarop wij structureel en constructief de dialoog aangaan’.

Volgens woordvoerder Mohammed Talbi hebben de organisaties nog steeds grote moeite met de nadruk op uitsluiting in het actieprogramma. Ook vinden ze de criteria voor radicalisme vaag. ,,We vrezen voor willekeur.” Daarnaast storen ze zich eraan dat het programma, dat grotendeels over de Marokkaanse gemeenschap gaat, zonder die gemeenschap tot stand is gebracht.

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Bin Laden is damaging Islam – Three imams for the Fourqaan mosque in Eindhoven

Posted on March 10th, 2005 by .
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

The dutch regional daily Eindhovens Dagblad has an interview with the three imams from the Fourqaan mosque who are on the verge of being expelled from the country.

Dhimmi Watch has the English translation of this interview(with comments, which you can read below as well): Dhimmi Watch: “Bin Laden is damaging Islam”
For my fellow Dutchies, you can read it in Dutch below.

It is difficult to assess what is really going there. I think I’m going to ask a few person for some clarification.

(more…)

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The New York Times > The Hague Journal: 2 Dutch Deputies on the Run, From Jihad Death Threats

Posted on March 4th, 2005 by .
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

In the New York Times an article on Hirsi Ali and Wilders:
The New York Times > International > Europe > The Hague Journal: 2 Dutch Deputies on the Run, From Jihad Death Threats
THE HAGUE JOURNAL
2 Dutch Deputies on the Run, From Jihad Death Threats
By MARLISE SIMONS

THE HAGUE – Every evening, plainclothes police officers escort two members of the Dutch Parliament to armored cars and take them to hiding places for the night. One of them, Geert Wilders, has been camping out in a cell in a high-security prison where his life, he said, has become “like a bad B-movie.” His colleague, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, has grown increasingly miserable sleeping on a military base.
(more…)

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The New York Times > The Hague Journal: 2 Dutch Deputies on the Run, From Jihad Death Threats

Posted on March 4th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

In the New York Times an article on Hirsi Ali and Wilders:
The New York Times > International > Europe > The Hague Journal: 2 Dutch Deputies on the Run, From Jihad Death Threats
THE HAGUE JOURNAL
2 Dutch Deputies on the Run, From Jihad Death Threats
By MARLISE SIMONS

THE HAGUE – Every evening, plainclothes police officers escort two members of the Dutch Parliament to armored cars and take them to hiding places for the night. One of them, Geert Wilders, has been camping out in a cell in a high-security prison where his life, he said, has become “like a bad B-movie.” His colleague, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, has grown increasingly miserable sleeping on a military base.
(more…)

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International Crisis Group Indonesia Backgrounder: Why Salafism and Terrorism Mostly Don’t Mix

Posted on February 28th, 2005 by .
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Some personal considerations.

Salafism seems to be the new ‘buzz-word’ in The netherlands these days. Perhaps not completely comparable it might be helpfull to look at salafism in other countries such as Indonesia. On
International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) a report on Conflict prevention and resolution

Salafism may be more of a barrier to the expansion of jihadist activities than a facilitator.

I don’t know about that conclusion but it provides an interesting thinking excercise.
(more…)

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International Crisis Group Indonesia Backgrounder: Why Salafism and Terrorism Mostly Don't Mix

Posted on February 28th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Some personal considerations.

Salafism seems to be the new ‘buzz-word’ in The netherlands these days. Perhaps not completely comparable it might be helpfull to look at salafism in other countries such as Indonesia. On
International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) a report on Conflict prevention and resolution

Salafism may be more of a barrier to the expansion of jihadist activities than a facilitator.

I don’t know about that conclusion but it provides an interesting thinking excercise.
(more…)

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Changing policies towards alleged extremist groups

Posted on February 23rd, 2005 by .
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

The Dutch government announced after the murder on Van Gogh to expel several extremist imams. The Dutch intelligence and security agency (AIVD) is keeping an eye on six
suspicious Islamic groups. This week three imams van Al-Fourqaan mosque in Eindhoven were given notice that they had to leave the country because they were, as minister Verdonk of Integration stated in the 8 o’clock news:

radicalizing Muslims and stimulating them to Jihad. They call for a holy war and in a war their will be victims and we can not tolerate that in the Netherlands.

The groups, of which the Al-Fourqaan mosque is one of them, have been earlier described as “mosque organisations with an outspoken Salafist character originating from a mission and finance from Saudi Arabia”. This can be read in a report by the AIVD, called Saudi influences in the Netherlands (PDF file). You can read the following in this report:

The Netherlands has several mosque foundations of a straight Salafist persuasion. These are the result of missionary and funding activities carried out from Saudi Arabia. These foundations are the El Tawheed Foundation in Amsterdam, the As Soennah Foundation � Centre Sheikh Al Islam ibn Taymia in The Hague, the Islamic Centre Al Fourkaan Foundation in Eindhoven, the Mosque Al Mouahidine Foundation (Omar ibn Khattab Mosque) in Helmond, the Foundation for Islamic Youth in Breda and the Islamic Foundation for Education and Transfer of Knowledge in Tilburg. The involvement of large Saudi missionary organisations can most clearly be seen with four of these mosques. At the Tawheed mosque in Amsterdam there is a financial, organisational and personal intertwinement with the organisation referred to above, Al Haramain, whereas in case of the Fourkaan mosque in Eindhoven, the Al Mouahidine mosque in Helmond and the Foundation for Islamic Youth in Breda there is a clear intertwinement with the private (but, also, closely associated to persons within the Saudi establishment) missionary organisation Al Waqf Al Islami Foundation. Besides these mosques which can be characterised as explicitly Salafist, there are several others (probably up to several dozen) that are less easy to typify as such, but which also receive financial support from Saudi charities, private benefactors or government bodies. Although not explicitly Salafist, as a result of the very orthodox
message propagated these mosques attract certain groups of Muslims that can be characterised as Salafist, a designation which they often use themselves. This was for example the case with the Foundation Mosque Annasr in Rotterdam, to which Salafists are drawn because of the sermons and personality of the imam preaching there. As regards the financial support for these mosques from Saudi Arabia it should be noted that it is not necessarily a matter of formal financing of mosque foundations, but rather allowances to specific persons (in particular imams). Especially the large Saudi NGOs Muslim World League and Al-Haramain have �branches� in the Netherlands. These are the Muslim World League Foundation the Netherlands and the Al Haramain Humanitarian Aid Foundation in Amsterdam. The former head of the parent office of Al-Haramain in Saudi Arabia, Aqeel al Aqeel and his assistant Mansour al-Kadi, in the past also acquired board positions in the El Tawheed Foundation and the Al Haramain Humanitarian Aid Foundation in Amsterdam, in exchange for financing to build the Tawheed mosque in Amsterdam. The AIVD does not have any indications that the two board members actually used their influence to become involved in the daily running of the Tawheed mosque. In practice, the involvement of the two was restricted to formal yearly inspections.

To expel the three imams of Al Fourqaan can be seen as a first attempt to confirm the change of policies in the Netherlands. Their lawyer stated today that, according to him and what he has read in the AIVD-notes, these people are not accused of preaching Jihad and/or radicalizing young people. These AIVD-notes are not official judicial documents but experts expect that they will be allowed, the more because in this specific case they will not be tried in a penal court but in an administrative court because their permit to stay is the topic of discussion. This will shift the burden of proof more to the imams.

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Protected: Salafisme en filosofen als leermeesters

Posted on February 22nd, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Internal Debates, Islam in the Netherlands, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Islam In The West: The Threat Of Internal Extremism

Posted on February 21st, 2005 by .
Categories: Internal Debates, Islam in the Netherlands, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Research International, Young Muslims.

alt.muslim – your muslim news community
Islam In The West: The Threat Of Internal Extremism
By Muqtedar Khan and John L. Esposito, February 17, 2005

The world has never been more interdependent, and the plight of Western Muslims is illustrative of how global integration is now a palpable reality. The murder of a Dutch film producer, Theo Van Gogh, allegedly by a disenchanted Dutch Muslim [Mohammed Bouyeri, 26], the denial of a visa to the US for a Swiss Muslim scholar, Tariq Ramadan, or the humiliating deportation of a British Muslim, Yusuf Islam, from the US immediately on arrival are all front page news all over the world. Not only do these episodes draw widespread attention from the media, they feed upon and fuel the new crisis in Western Civilization – “Islam in the West”.

(more…)

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Dagblad De Limburger – Moslimterreur en andere misverstanden

Posted on February 16th, 2005 by .
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Een interview met de vrouwelijke voorzitter van de Ihlas-moskee in Geleen, Leyla Cakir.

Geleen – Ze is een witte raaf in de moslimwereld: de vrouwelijke voorzitter van de Ihlas-moskee in Geleen, Leyla Cakir. Zondag zit ze in het forum van een discussie over integratie. Reden om haar daarover vooraf acht prikkelende stellingen voor te leggen. Over misverstanden als mishandeling en moslimterreur. En de provocaties van Hirschi Ali.

Dagblad De Limburger

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Protected: Leidsch Dagblad – ,,Islamitische studenten aan de Universiteit Leiden radicaliseren''

Posted on February 13th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Religious and Political Radicalization.

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Protected: Leidsch Dagblad – ,,Islamitische studenten aan de Universiteit Leiden radicaliseren”

Posted on February 13th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Religious and Political Radicalization.

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C L O S E R – Zembla over radicale jongeren / 2

Posted on February 10th, 2005 by .
Categories: Internal Debates, Islam in the Netherlands, Religious and Political Radicalization, Some personal considerations, Young Muslims.

C L O S E R
De lokroep van terreur: Zembla over radicale moslimjongeren

Zo dat was dan de uitzending van Zembla, waarover al eerder wat gemeld. Over het geheel een aardige uitzending; er zat niet zo’n duidelijke lijn in vond ik zelf, maar de individuele bijdragen waren wel erg goed zeker van Chahid el Hadouti, jongerenwerker in Gouda en Abdullah Haselhoef.

Er waren ook fragmenten van Marokko.nl te zien en ook de moderators waren in beeld. Ook hun bijdrage was de moeite waard. Op Marokko.nl was het al eerder aangekondigd en er wordt nu volop op gereageerd

De bijdragen bij elkaar maakten het tot, ondanks het ontbreken van een duidelijke lijn, een genuanceerd en ik denk voor de leken onder ons, redelijk verhelderend verhaal.

Over mijn bijdrage in het stuk ben ik wat minder tevreden. En wel om twee redenen. Mijn bijdrage begon met een verhaal over een groep die een keer moskee Nour in Gouda bezocht. De suggestie zou gewekt kunnen worden (ik kan me niet meer de precieze tekst van de commentator herinneren) dat dat een zogenaamde takfir groep was. Dat was het niet bij mijn weten. Het waren wel een soort rondtrekkende predikers. Jongeren in de moskee vonden het inderdaad spannend maar waren ook wel geintimideerd (hoewel dat volgens mij zeker niet de bedoeling van dat groepje was). Vervolgens vroeg de verslaggever (die ik overigens erg goed vond) hoeveel jongeren dit spannend vinden. Tot mijn eigen schrik zei ik op televisie dat dit 50% of zelfs meer was. Dat had niet gemoeten en is mijn eigen schuld. Ik weet namelijk helemaal niet of dat 50% was. Ik weet wel dat er jongeren zijn die het spannend vinden zulke groepjes, maar dat wil zeker niet zeggen dat ze zich er ook toe aangetrokken voelen. Dat zei ik ook wel min of meer, maar dat had duidelijker gemoeten.

Dus mijn bijdrage was wat minder; denk niet dat ik daarvoor Zembla de schuld geef. Ik had zelf maar wat beter op moeten letten en me niet laten verleiden tot dat domme getal van 50%. Ik ben daar altijd huiverig voor omdat dat soort cijfers een eigen leven gaan leden ook al zijn ze nergens op gebaseerd. Dus mensen ga niet met dat cijfer aan de haal want je maakt je belachelijk.

Wat van belang is verder, en dat kwam er ook wel uit denk ik in het programma, is dat we de voedingsbodem moeten aanpakken. Radicaliserende jongeren zijn nog geen terroristische jongeren en er is ook geen sprake van een doortimmerde ideologie maar eerder van wat knip en plak werk. De voedingsbodem zit hem volgens mij onder andere in drie dingen:
1) Jongeren zijn op zoek naar een vorm van zuivere islam zonder de culturele invloeden van hun ouders (wat nog niet betekent dat ze breken met hun ouders)
2) Met hun vragen, wensen en behoeften kunnen ze daarvoor nauwelijks terecht bij de traditionele moslimorganisaties en imams.
3) Die vragen en behoeften zijn grotendeels geent op hun leven hier en bevatten vaak ook een vergelijking met autochtone niet-moslim jongeren. In die zin is hun moslimidentiteit ook een brug naar de Nederlandse samenleving. Ze hebben, op z’n zachtst gezegd, daar weinig positieve respons op.

Resulteert die zoektocht in een zuivere islam in een ontworteling (bij 2) en een vervreemding zelfs gevoel van vernedering (bij 3) dan ligt nog de weg niet open naar radicalisering. Probleem is echter dat jongeren, natuurlijk niet voor ��n gat te vangen, op zoek gaan naar alternatieven. En dan is er niet zoveel keus. Gelukkig zijn er sites als Marokko.nl, Maroc.nl, Maghrebonline enz. waar allerlei meningen en belevingen aan bod kunnen komen, maar de meeste islamitische sites zijn van de selefie-soort. Ook nog geen ramp, maar er zijn er ook bij (vooral bij MSN-groepen) die hun selefie opvattingen combineren met een (politieke) takfir ideologie. En dat is wel zorgelijk.

Nou tot zover even. Voel je vrij om hier of per mail vragen te stellen of te reageren.

PS
De herhaling van Zembla is zaterdag zaterdag 15 januari om 12.10 uur bij de VARA/NPS op Nederland 3 (kijk voor de zekerheid even bij zembla zelf op de site http://www.omroep.nl/vara/zembla

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De lokroep van terreur: Zembla over radicale moslimjongeren

Posted on February 10th, 2005 by .
Categories: Internal Debates, International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

VARA/NPS: Zembla zendt vanavond een documentaire uit over radicale moslimjongeren: De lokroep van de terreur.

Jonge moslims gaan op zoek naar een islam die hun frustraties en woede weerspiegelt. Dat maakt hen tot een gemakkelijke prooi voor rondreizende leermeesters van de Takfir wal Hijra, een stroming binnen de islam die geweld predikt tegen iedereen die anders denkt dan zijzelf.

Of het nou helemaal over die organisatie gaat of ook over de ideologie dat weet ikniet (denk het wel). Imam Fawaz (den haag) en imam Salam (tilburg) komen aan bod evenals Sybrand Niessen van de AIVD en prof. Rik Coolsaet.

De rol van internet zal ook besproken met onder andere Albert Benschop.

Verder verwacht ik (gezien de hoeveelheid opnamen) dat enkele jongeren uit Gouda en ondergetekende ook nog wel voorbij zullen flitsen.

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Olivier Roy – Radical Islam appeals to the rootless

Posted on February 10th, 2005 by .
Categories: Religious and Political Radicalization, Research International, Young Muslims.

Guest Columns – Get in the thick of it Village Soup
Oliver Roy for the Camden Conference: Radical Islam appeals to the rootless

It is often assumed that the spread of Islamic radicalism is a consequence of conflicts within the Middle East and their natural spillover effect on the global Muslim population, specifically on Muslims living in western societies. “Re-Islamisation,” the radicalisation of westernised Muslim populations, is seen as the reaction of Muslim societies to western political and cultural encroachments. But why, then, do so many young, “born again” second-generation Muslims in the western world embrace various brands of neo-fundamentalist or salafi Islam? Why are so many converts joining them? Curiously, why does the radical fringe of the west’s Muslim population opt for peripheral and exotic jihad – from Bosnia to Afghanistan, Kashmir and Chechnya – instead of heading to Iraq? Evidence suggests that few, if any, among the children of Europe’s Muslim immigrants return to wage jihad in the land of their ancestors – Algeria or Morocco, for example – while foreigners fighting alongside Iraqi Sunni insurgents tend to be Saudi, Syrian or Jordanian neighbours, not volunteers coming from the west.
(more…)

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Protected: C L O S E R – De grote vergissing van Ewald Vervaet

Posted on February 9th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: Islam in the Netherlands, Multiculti Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

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Islamic tradition and the Web

Posted on February 8th, 2005 by .
Categories: Internal Debates, International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization.

The Saudis are using a combination of traditional Muslim processes and modern technology to combat Islamist terrorism. One of the strategies the spread of reformed Islamist militant sympathisers through the internet. Read: Saudis ‘reform militants’ on web. This strategie is combined with ‘re-opening the gates of Ijtihad’ more traditional Islamic processes of hermeneutics, to help moderate Muslims combat terrorism. ‘Ijtihad’ allows for expanded dialogue and changes within Islam. The use of ‘ijtihad’ was stopped in Sunni Islam centuries ago. However, there is a growing movement among academics to revive ‘ijtihad’ or, “re-open its gates.” Read:
Analysis: Islamic tradition and the Web – (United Press International)

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Protected: de Volkskrant – ‘Vrouw zal Hirsi Ali vermoorden’

Posted on February 5th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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Protected: de Volkskrant – 'Vrouw zal Hirsi Ali vermoorden'

Posted on February 5th, 2005 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims.

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