Dutch MPs Start Hearings on Foreign Funding for Mosques
“MPs have been discussing the issues for years, but much is still unclear,” said CDA MP and chairman Michel Rog. “The Commission wants to gain insight into how effective measures can be taken to contain these influences.”
The commission was set up following a report by the Nieuwsuur news show, which shows that the government has kept secret information about how much foreign money is being pumped into Dutch mosques.
The head of the AIVD secret service, mosque leaders and mayor will all appear before the commission. However, the NOS broadcaster points out that no one has been asked to participate by the Saudi or Kuwaiti embassy.
The government has included in its 2017 coalition agreement an obligation to withdraw foreign funds, but more needs to be done to determine if this is possible, Minister of Social Affairs Wouter Koolmees said last year.
The NRC previously reported that at least 30 Islamic organizations in the Netherlands currently have or have had funding from the Persian Gulf States, including millions of euros from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Source: gotechdaily.com
