Mosque denounces call against LGBTI+ violence by the municipality of Amsterdam

The board of the Blue Mosque in Amsterdam is angry about a letter from the municipality. In it, Mayor Femke Halsema asks mosque authorities to sign a statement of support calling for the condemnation of violence against LGBTI+ people. The Blue Mosque called it "absurd, discriminatory and accusatory."

"The fact that only mosques are asked to explicitly condemn violence is a direct accusation against the Islamic community," the mosque said in a statement.

Halsema has invited the Amsterdam mosque boards for a meeting next Monday about the protection of the LGBTI+ community "and about the contribution that mosques can make to strengthen the safety of this group." The letter of invitation states that the mayor will present a statement to the mosque boards condemning violence against LGBTI+ people and expressing support "for those who have been victims of this form of discrimination and violence."

The mayor "would like as many mosque boards as possible to sign this statement to show that the mosques are a positive force in Amsterdam society." According to the Blue Mosque, this means "specifically the Islamic community is found guilty for the umpteenth time" with mistrust from the government "until it proves the contrary."

A spokesperson for Halsema says that Jewish and Christian organizations are also being asked to sign a similar statement. According to the municipality, religious organizations play an important role when it comes to combating discrimination and violence against LGBTI+ persons, because of the direct contact they have with the believers they represent. "We aren't asking that much of them," said the spokesperson.

The Blue Mosque says it is possible that the appeal was also made to other religions, "but what we know is only what is in that letter," said a spokesperson. The organization will not come to the meeting on Monday.

The Blue Mosque is one of the largest mosques in the country. The organization often speaks out about the position of Muslims and other social issues. The spokesperson cannot say exactly how many people the mosque represents, but according to him, about a thousand people come to the sermon on Fridays.