Muslims

The Kerst Event Zwolle - the biggest living nativity scene in the Netherlands - does not allow Muslims to play a part in their nativity scene. "You can hardly play the role of Joseph if you are not a Christian yourself", co-organizer Cees Scholten said. But that reasoning does not sit well with everyone, De Gelderlander reports.

The Dutch Public Prosecutor will not prosecute Geert Wilders over statements he made in a speech in Vienna, Austria in March 2015, the prosecutor announced. The Austrian authorities asked the Dutch Prosecutor to investigate Wilders for hate speech, but his statements are not punishable by Dutch law, according to the Prosecutor, NU.nl reports.

Six Iranians have been stuck in a lounge behind passport control at Schiphol airport since Saturday. They were traveling with KLM from Teheran to the United States when president Donald Trump closed the American borders to people from Iran and six other Muslim countries. When they tried to get on their next flight at Schiphol, they were told they could go no further. They can also not leave the airport because they don't have a visa for the Schengen area, NOS reports.

Many Dutch are concerned about the perceived growing gaps between different parts of society in the Netherlands, according to a survey Ipsos did for broadcaster NOS. The vast majority of Dutch are concerned about growing differences between Muslims and non-Muslims in the Netherlands.

The suicide bombings in Brussels on Tuesday hit Muslims in the Netherlands just as hard as everyone else, but with the addition that they also have to worry about retaliation. Several Muslim organizations are organizing a peace rally in Amsterdam on Friday, to show solidarity and support for Brussels and Belgium.

The Public Prosecutor sees the incident in which a suspect threw a Molotov cocktail at a mosque in Enschede on Saturday as an act of terrorism. The perpetrator, a 33 year old man from Enschede, is officially suspected of attempted arson with terrorist intent, the prosecutor stated on Wednesday

Tilburg man Bilal Salam is pressing charges against petting zoo Pukkemuk in Dongen after his three sisters-in-law were told to leave because they were wearing burqas

As he did after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in January, Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb has once again taken a firm stance after the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. The Mayor believes that ISIS has to be "eradicated root and branch". He calls on Muslims to speak out against the violence and on Dutch society to be more inclusive towards Muslims.

After sunset on Thursday night the fasting month of Ramadan came to an end for most Muslims. This means that it is now time for Eid al-Fitr, also known as the Sugar Feast, which is celebrated for three days.

The Al-Fadjr mosque in Helmond has canceled the conference they had planned for this weekend after the commotion over the arrival of guest speaker Sa'd Ateeq al-Ateeq. This was done after discussions with Mayor Elly Blanksma.

There will be criminal investigation of twelve statements made on the 'Steun de PVV' Facebook page in January this year.