Possible Salafist school in Rotterdam concerns parliament

Reports that Salafist Muslims may be buying the former ROC school in Rotterdam, has parliamentarians outraged. Numerous parliamentarians are demanding a quick explanation on exactly what is going on wit the sale of the 7 thousand square-meter educational institute.

NRC reports that an Egyptian Dutchman bought the building in Rotterdam-Zuid for 1.7 million euros through a foreign construction. Buyer Nasr el-Damanhoury is also involved in the Eindhoven foundation Waqt, which wanted a number of controversial imams to preach in the al-Fourquaan mosque in Eindhoven late last year. The imams were eventually not invited.

Coalition party PvdA is demanding that the government and Rotterdam municipality do everything in their power to stop the arrival of a Salafist school. Other coalition party VVD and opposition party PVV are demanding a full explanation from Minister Lodewijk Asscher of Social Affairs, NOS reports.

"Bizarre that this is possible", VVD parliamentarian Malik Azmani commented on Twitter. PvdA MP Ahmed Marcouch criticizes the non-transparent manner in which the sale was concluded. "It is incomprehensible that Salafist organizations manage through devious ways and obscure structures to buy a school to spread their anti-democratic ideology of power", he said to NOS.

Opposition parties PVV and SGP worry that this will strengthen the radical Islamic movement in the Netherlands. "We must DEISLAMIZE not Islamize" PVV MP Machiel de Graaf said on Twitter. "Soon train hate preachers in the Netherlands? Reinforcing a 'fifth colony'? No space for radical ideologies", SGP parliamentarian Roelof Bisschop tweeted.