Al-Fourqaan mosque

Last updated
Al-Fourqaan Mosque
Al-Fourqaanmoskee
Location
Location Eindhoven, Netherlands
Geographic coordinates 51°27′12″N5°28′09″E / 51.453429°N 5.469222°E / 51.453429; 5.469222
Architecture
Type Mosque
Date established1990s

The Al-Fourqaan mosque is a Salafi Islamic mosque in which is part of Al-fourqaan Islamic Center in Eindhoven, Netherlands, established in the 1990s. [1]

Contents

Notable events

The mosque was established by the Moroccan community. [2]

From late 2001 or early 2002, the mosque was under observation by AIVD, the Dutch intelligence service, [2] after links were reported with the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks, including Mohammed Atta. [3]

According to Lorenzo Vidino and Erick Stakelbeck of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, writing in 2003, the mosque had held seminars on Islamic law organized by the Saudi-based al-Waqf al-Islami Foundation. [4] The mosque, under the leadership of Sudanese imam, Eisha Bersham, became the centre of the foundation's activities. [2]

The mosque was attended by two Dutch Moroccan youths killed in Kashmir in an alleged suicide attack on Indian troops. [5] [2] They were Ahmed El Bakiouli and Khalid El Hassnoui or el-Hasnoui, [2] who according to an opinion piece on the de Volkskrant blog were reportedly recruited by Algerian terrorist group Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat and killed in Kashmir fighting a separatist war against India. [6]

In 2003, a school connected to it, the Tarieq Ibnu Zyad Islamic primary school, was attacked, [5] and then in 2004 bombed as part of a wave of attacks on Dutch mosques in the wake of the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh. [3] [7] [5]

The mosque received media attention since 2005 for its jihadist imam Eisha Bersham from Bosnia. AIVD classified him as a threat to national security, and minister for integration and immigration Rita Verdonk responded by banning him from the country as an 'unwanted foreigner' [8] one of three imams at the mosque so designated. [2] Initially, an Amsterdam court ruled that the imam could stay, [9] but on 27 April 2007 the Council of State finally ruled Bersham would be banned from the Netherlands for the next ten years. [9] [10]

In 2015, seven imams due to speak at a conference the mosque was hosting were banned by Eindhoven mayor Rob van Gijzel after consulting the counter terrorism watchdog NCTV. [11]

In 2019, the anti-Islam organisation Pegida demonstrated outside the mosque during Ramadan, leading to violence and the arrest of ten counter-protestors including three under-age teenagers, of whom two were released for lack of evidence and one charged with insulting the police. Pegida vowed to return repeatedly. [12] A year later eleven men were sentenced to several hours of community service, and two were acquitted. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Intelligence and Security Service</span> Agency of the Netherlands

The General Intelligence and Security Service is the intelligence and security agency of the Netherlands, tasked with domestic, foreign and signals intelligence and protecting national security as well as assisting the Five Eyes in investigating foreign citizens. The military counterpart is the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD), which operates under the Ministry of Defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in the Netherlands</span>

Islam is the second largest religion in the Netherlands, after Christianity, and is practised by 5% of the population according to 2018 estimates. The majority of Muslims in the Netherlands belong to the Sunni denomination. Many reside in the country's four major cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theo van Gogh (film director)</span> Dutch film director (1957–2004)

Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch film director. He directed Submission: Part 1, a short film written by Somali writer and politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which criticised the treatment of women in Islam in strong terms. On 2 November 2004, he was murdered by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch-Moroccan Islamist who objected to the film's message. The last film Van Gogh had completed before his murder, 06/05, was a fictional exploration of the assassination of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn. It was released posthumously in December 2004, a month after Van Gogh's death, and two years after Fortuyn's death.

The Hofstad Network was an Islamic terror group composed mostly of Dutch citizens, and mainly young men between the ages of 18 and 32. The name "Hofstad" was originally the codename the Dutch secret service AIVD used for the network and leaked to the media. The name likely refers to the nickname of the city of The Hague, where some of the suspected terrorists lived. The network was active throughout the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geert Wilders</span> Dutch politician (born 1963)

Geert Wilders is a Dutch politician who has led the right-wing to far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives, having held a parliamentary seat since 1998. In the 2010 formation of the first Rutte cabinet, a minority government of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) – which he left in 2004 – and Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Wilders actively participated in the negotiations, resulting in a "tolerance agreement" between the PVV and these parties. He withdrew his party's parliamentary support in 2012, citing disagreements with the cabinet over proposed budget cuts. Wilders is best known for his right-wing populism, anti-immigration, opposition to Islam and Euroscepticism, and for his relations with Russia. His views have made him a controversial figure in the Netherlands and abroad. Since 2004, he has been protected at all times by armed police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Tajikistan</span>

Sunni Islam is, by far, the most widely practiced religion in Tajikistan. Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school is the recognized religious tradition of Tajikistan since 2009. According to a 2009 U.S. State Department release, the population of Tajikistan is 98% Muslim,, with some Sufi orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Directorate of Religious Affairs</span> Turkish state institution for religious affairs

The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey is an official permanent state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk under article 136 of the Constitution of Turkey to carry out some of the administrative duties previously managed by the Shaykh al-Islām, during the Ottoman Empire. The President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs is considered the Grand Mufti of Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais</span> Imam in Mecca

Abdul Rahman ibn Abdul Aziz al-Sudais, better known as al-Sudais, is the Chief Imam of the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia; the President of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques; a renowned Qāriʾ ; he was the Dubai International Holy Qur'an Award's "Islamic Personality Of the Year" in 2005. Al-Sudais has preached Islam's opposition to "explosions and terrorism", and has called for peaceful inter-faith dialogue, but also been criticized for vilifying non-Muslims and especially Jews in his sermons. He has denounced the treatment of Palestinians by Israeli settlers and the state of Israel, and called for more aid to be sent to Palestinians. He has also been noted for identifying women's un-Islamic behavior as in part responsible for the winter 2006 drought in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, he delivered the very important Hajj sermon to a multitude of pilgrims gathered at Arafat after prayers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service</span>

The Military Intelligence and Security Service is the military intelligence service of the Netherlands, which operates under the Ministry of Defence. It is tasked with investigating the security of the armed forces and collects military intelligence from and about foreign countries. The civilian counterpart is the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), which operates under the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Morocco</span>

Islam is the largest religion in Morocco, with more than 99% of the population adhering to it. The largest subset of Muslims in Morocco are Maliki Sunni; other numerous groups include practitioners of Zahirism and non-denominational Muslims. Islam is the nation's state religion. Blasphemy against Islam is a punishable offense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ehsan Jami</span> Iranian-Dutch politician, right-wing activist and author

Ehsan Jami is an Iranian-born Dutch politician, activist and author who co-founded the former Central Committee for Ex-Muslims. He was previously a member of the Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA) before becoming active in the PVV founded by Geert Wilders.

<i>Fitna</i> (film) 2008 Dutch film

Fitna is a 2008 short film by Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Approximately 17 minutes in length, the film attempts to demonstrate that the Qur'an motivates its followers to hate all who violate Islamic teachings. The film shows selected excerpts from Surahs of the Qur'an, interspersed with media clips and newspaper cuttings showing or describing acts of violence by Muslims worldwide.

The international reaction to Fitna consisted of condemnation from Muslims, several fatwa against Geert Wilders, and attempts by many Islamic countries to censor the film. The Dutch government immediately distanced itself from the film. Several Muslim organizations and political parties organized boycotts against Dutch products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Sweden</span> Islamic organization in Sweden

Swedish contacts with the Muslim world dates back to the 7th–10th centuries, when the Vikings traded with Muslims during the Islamic Golden Age. Since the late 1960s and more recently, Muslim immigration from the Middle East, Balkans and parts of Africa has impacted the demographics of religion in Sweden, and has been the main driver of the spread of Islam in the country.

Sharia4Holland was an Islamist movement, openly seeking to institute Sharia law in the Netherlands. The group was an offshoot of the Belgian extremist network Sharia4Belgium.

The Europe Trust Netherlands (ETN) is a Dutch foundation linked to The Europe Trust in Markfield, United Kingdom which owns Islamic related real estate. Since it was founded in 2006 the trust has taken ownership of multi million euros worth of real estate in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Mosque, Amsterdam</span> Mosquwe in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

The Blue Mosque is a mosque and cultural center in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, the Netherlands. Construction of the mosque was financed by the government of Kuwait through the offices of Europe Trust Netherlands and began in 2008. The mosque is architecturally significant for both its blue color and the fact that the structure lacks traditional minarets and other symbols associated with Muslim places of worship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denk (political party)</span> Dutch political party

Denk, legally registered as Politieke Beweging Denk, is a political party in the Netherlands, founded on a minority rights platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kauthar Bouchallikht</span> Dutch politician (born 1994)

Kauthar Bouchallikht is a Dutch politician, climate activist and publicist. She served as a member of the House of Representatives between 2021 and 2023 on behalf of the green political party GroenLinks. Bouchallikht was the first member of parliament in Dutch parliamentary history to wear a hijab. She is also known for her activism in the climate movement.

References

  1. ↑ Vellenga, Sipco; De Groot, Kees (2019-03-26). "Securitization, Islamic chaplaincy, and the issue of (de)radicalization of Muslim detainees in Dutch prisons". Social Compass. 66 (2). SAGE Publications: 224–237. doi: 10.1177/0037768619833313 . ISSN   0037-7686.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Beatrice de Graaf, "The Nexus Between Salafism and Jihadism in the Netherlands Archived 2019-03-17 at the Wayback Machine ", CTC Sentinel March 2010, Vol 3 Issue 3
  3. 1 2 Browne, Anthony (2004-11-09). "Bomb attack on school as Dutch racists target Islam". The Times. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  4. ↑ Vidino, Lorenzo (7 August 2003). "Dutch Lessons". The Wall Street Journal Europe . Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Deutsch, Anthony (2004-11-08). "Blast damages Muslim school in southern Netherlands" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  6. ↑ "Een radicale moskee in Eindhoven (2002) - Jaap de Wreede - VKBlog - de Volkskrant". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  7. ↑ "Blast damages Muslim school in Netherlands". NBC News. 2004-11-08. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  8. ↑ "Elsevier | an Information Analytics Business | Empowering Knowledge".
  9. 1 2 Claudia van Zanten. "Staatsgevaarlijke imam mag toch worden uitgezet. Archived copy". Elsevier Niuews. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  10. ↑ http://www.raadvanstate.nl/uitspraken/zoeken_in_uitspraken/zoekresultaat/?zoeken_veld=&verdict_id=17004%5B%5D
  11. ↑ "Seven imams banned from Islamic conference in Eindhoven". DutchNews.nl. 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  12. ↑ "Ten arrested in clashes with anti-Islam Pegida, police". NL Times. 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  13. ↑ "11 men convicted of violence at Pegida demonstration". Eindhoven News. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.