Islamophobia becomes a dangerous trend in the Netherlands

Netherlands have experienced at least one incident of vandalism, threatening letters, attempted arson

A third of the mosques in the Netherlands have experienced at least one incident of vandalism, threatening letters, attempted arson, the placement of a pig’s head, or other aggressive actions in the past 10 years, according to research by Ineke van der Valk, an author and researcher at the University of Amsterdam.

On February 27, in the Dutch city of Enschede, a 33-year-old man threw a petrol bomb at a mosque as adults and children worshiped inside.

“When we opened our mosque in 2014 we held an open weekend and invited the local community. Nearly 4,000 people visited the opening of our mosque, nearly all of them non-Muslims. Even many people who initially opposed the mosque came, and eventually changed their opinion,” a Muslim man said.

 He added: “We are an active part of Dutch society. We should stay together and not allow extremists from both sides to divide us.”