MPs want to ban foreign funding of Dutch mosques

A majority in Dutch parliament wants to ban foreign financing of mosques in the Netherlands. The VVD, PVV, ChristenUnie, SGP, and FvD previously expressed support for such a ban. The SP now joined them, bringing the call for a ban to a parliamentary majority, RTL Nieuws reports.

A special parliamentary committee previously concluded that non-free countries may try to influence the Muslim community in the Netherlands by financing mosques and encouraging them to teach undemocratic ideas. "The fact is that in a visible and invisible way, organizations and governments of un-free countries are trying to get into the minds and hearts of our Muslim communities. This can create parallel communities," the committee said, defining un-free countries as countries that reject the Dutch core values of freedoms.

"It is reprehensible if foreign organizations poison our young people with reprehensible ideas, for example that women and gay people are inferior," SP parliamentarian said to RTL Nieuws about supporting a ban on foreign funding to mosques. He will submit a proposal to do so, because the government "is failing", he said.

Following the parliamentary committee's conclusions, the government came up with a plan to give mayors and the Public Prosecution Service more power to act against unwanted influence from foreign countries. Responsible Minister Sander Dekker for Legal Protection said that implementing a ban was proving to be legally difficult.