The secret investigation conducted by the Netherlands by the Muslims and Islamic Institutes operating in the country caused a negative reaction among the Muslim community of the kingdom.
Mukhsin Koktash, chairman of the contact body for Muslims and the Government of the Netherlands (CMO), said in an interview with Anadol that he was by no means surprised by the similar actions of the authorities of this European country.
According to him, the reason for this kind of steps was the growth of Islamophobia and racism in the Netherlands in other countries and Europe, especially intensified after 2010.
“It is not surprising that recently the distrust of Muslims to the authorities is growing steadily, and it seems that the state also does not trust Muslims. Therefore, they conducted these investigations,” he said.
According to him, the manifestations of Islamophobia and racism can be observed in all state institutions of the Netherlands.
“While the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is working on the restoration of Muslim confidence and conducts discussions on this topic, the Minister of Justice and Security Dylan Eshilghez declares the ban on carrying head scarves along with a police uniform. Cases of racism in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, systematic Scandals with discrimination in the tax inspectorate. These are only some of the cases of racism and discrimination in state institutions, ”he said.
Koktash emphasized that due to racism and discrimination in government agencies, Muslim trust in the state was seriously undermined.
In the Netherlands in 2021, some municipalities through private companies conducted secret investigations in relation to mosque and institutions of the Muslim community.
A study financed by the Safety and Combat Agency of the Netherlands (NCTV) was carried out through the private company NTA (Nuance Door Training and Advies).
NTA employees were represented by members of the Muslim community or the parishioners of the mosque. During the investigation, they held many meetings by people from the community without revealing their personality.
NTA provided municipalities with its conclusions regarding the biography, origin and formation of imams and administrators of mosques as “confidential information”.