Dutch Authority orders destruction of secret mosque surveillance data

The Dutch Data Protection Authority has ordered the Ministry of Social Affairs to destroy unlawfully collected personal data on members of the Muslim community within two months. The data, gathered between 2016 and 2019 by undercover investigators hired by the ministry, targeted at least 31 individuals in mosques.

Authority chief Aleid Wolfsen condemned the operation as illegal and discriminatory. A 2021 newspaper investigation revealed that ten municipalities had similarly spied on Muslim organizations. Lawyer Samira Sabir noted that imams and mosque directors were profiled into groups like Salafism or the Muslim Brotherhood.

Politician Tunahan Kuzu warned that such practices risk discrimination against Muslims in employment and banking. Muslim community leaders called the surveillance systematic spying and demanded broader action to restore trust.