Dutch mosques secretly investigated by another government ministry

In addition to Dutch municipalities, the Ministry of Social Affairs also commissioned secret investigations into mosques in the Netherlands, Minister Karien van Gennip of Social Affairs admitted in a letter to parliament this week, NRC reports.

Social Affairs quietly investigated “persons, organizations, and networks within Muslim communities,” mainly targeting Dutch Salafists, who adhere to a super-orthodox version of Islam. The Ministry’s investigation methods weren’t “transparent,” and the Ministry recorded privacy-sensitive data about investigated people, including their “religious beliefs, behavior or expressions,” Van Gennpi said in the letter. “I deeply regret this and will learn lessons from this for the future.”

The Minister’s letter is part of a broader plan to restore trust between the Muslim community and the government. Social Affairs recently met with 150 members from the investigated mosques and civil servants. It became clear that “anger and indignation are prominent,” according to a report on the meetings. The government investigating mosques without informing them “feels like a show of distrust” and “that hurts” the community, the report states.

Van Gennip did not go so far as to apologize for the secret investigations in her letter to parliament, but she did address the grievances raised during the meetings with Dutch Muslims. “It hurts me that some Dutch Muslims experience feelings of discrimination and disadvantage, also as a result of government actions,” she said. She acknowledged that the government contributed to this.

Successive Cabinets have been fighting for years against “problematic behavior” - a collective term for fundamentalist Muslims who the government believes oppose integration. By casting the net so wide, “the government has unintentionally contributed to the stigmatization of large groups of Muslims who have nothing to do with this and mainly want to contribute to Dutch society,” Van Gennip said.

The Minister announced several measures to combat discrimination against Muslims. The government will talk to banks accused of refusing accounts to Muslims and launch another study into discrimination against Muslims in the Netherlands. The investigation should provide insight into “whether we are doing the right things in tackling Muslim discrimination or whether we are still leaving opportunities unused.” Muslims who believe Social Affairs has secretly investigated them can contact the Ministry.