"Blood" covered threatening letter sent to eight Dutch mosques
Eight mosques in the Netherlands have received threatening letters covered in red stains that resemble blood. The letter, made up of cut-out verses from the Quran, states that “Islam is no better than Nazism” and “Islam must die.” The mosques are asking for more security, AD reports.
The Ayasofya Mosque in Rotterdam was the first to receive the letter last week, on the day that Muslims celebrate the Prophet Muhammad’s birth. The Turkish Mevlana Mosque, Kocatepe Mosque, and Essalam Mosque in Rotterdam, the Mescidi-Aqsa Mosque in The Hague, Fatih Mosque and Al Fourqan Mosque in Eindhoven, and the Türkiyem Mosque in Arnhem also received the letter this week. The Essalam Mosque in Rotterdam also got a DVD with the text “Last day of Islam in Europe.”
The mosques are shocked. “This is a very clear statement, which we take very seriously. We are now considering all sorts of scenarios about what else could happen,” Mohamedi Elharch, chairman of the Essalam Mosque, told the newspaper. The mosque has requested extra security from the municipality to keep its visitors safe.
“When it comes to parking congestion, we’re called to account, but this is almost never discussed,” Elharch added. “Our mosque is always open to everyone. Now we’re wondering whether we should only remain open for prayer times and whether we should continue to let everyone in. But what would be left of the mosque then? This is not what we want.”
Five of the targeted mosques are affiliated with the Islamic Foundation of the Netherlands (ISN-Diyanet). All the mosques will file police reports, a spokesperson for the foundation told AD. According to the foundation, these threats are partly due to politicians who “explicitly highlight Islamophobia” and the resulting growing discrimination against Muslims.
The foundation has recorded about 300 anti-Islamic incidents against mosques in the Netherlands since 2015, including threatening letters, vandalism, and attempted arson. “Mosques are the first targets of these kinds of actions,” the spokesperson said. “Despite these actions, we try to maintain calm, but our people no longer feel safe and wonder if they are being seen. These kinds of actions are often dismissed under the guise of freedom of speech, but where do we draw the line? What else needs to be done to intervene?”
The foundation is in contact with the involved municipalities to discuss extra security measures for their places of worship.
A police spokesperson told AD that they are aware of the letters and are in good and cordial contact with the mosques.
