Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Mosque in the Netherlands
Mosque in the Netherlands - Credit: Ale_Mi / DepositPhoto - License: DepositPhotos
Politics
Blue Mosque
Amsterdam
Yassin Elforkani
threats
Saturday, 5 December 2020 - 13:00
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

"Recent threats are not the reason I'm leaving," says head Imam of Blue Mosque in Amsterdam

Yassin Elforkani, head imam of the Blue Mosque in Amsterdam, is leaving after ten years in that position. He says that the recent threats which he has been receiving are not the reason for his departure. A woman is going to take over from Elforkani.

In recent years, the Blue Mosque has played a pioneering role in the Dutch Islamic community. From its opening in 2012 in the Slotervaart in Amsterdam, the mosque has been known as a stronghold of openness and moderation. Unlike traditional institutions, women and young people played an important role in the Blue Mosque.

The door was always open for non-Muslims, and the neighborhood was involved in everything. Elforkani was also the first imam in the Netherlands to preach in Dutch.

There was also criticism against the imam. For some time now, he has also been inviting imams who belong to the Salafist stream, a fundamentalist movement in Islam. There was also a recent call for legislation against insulting the Prophet Mohammed. This came shortly after the beheading of a French teacher who showed a cartoon of the Prophet during a class. The timing for Elforkani’s statement thus led to widespread backlash, but he says that he does not regret his words.

He asserted that the recent threats are not the reason for his departure and that he had been contemplating the move for some time. He will continue to work for the Blue Mosque until the end of the year. When asked what he would do afterward, he answered that he’s “going to do fun things, maybe I’ll write a book.”

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Bonaire residents feel forgotten by Dutch politics regarding climate change problems
  • 200 people arrested at Extinction Rebellion protest, A12 is empty again
  • Dutch economy in good shape: Retains top credit rating from Moody’s
  • Rutte expects European migration measures to take effect from March
  • Provincial council members to earn significantly more after elections in March
  • Police intervenes Extinction Rebellion protest on A12; Dozens of people arrested

Top stories

  • Police intervenes Extinction Rebellion protest on A12; Dozens of people arrested
  • Rutte lashes out at left wing parties in election campaign interview
  • Netherlands and the US agree on export restriction of ASML chip machines
  • Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion activists block the A12 in The Hague
  • Eneco is significantly lowering energy rates, but still above the price ceiling
  • Millions of computer chips from Dutch manufacturers wound up in Russia: Report

© 2012-2023, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content