Hague Muslims deny sharia claims

THE HAGUE - Anatolia News Agency

Muslim habitants hang a sign that reads ‘We love Wilders’ in Schilderswijk, ahead of the far-right leader’s visit to district. AA photo

Muslims in the Schilderswijk district of The Hague in the Netherlands denied claims that shariah (Islamic law) was being enforced in their neighborhood as a visiting group of municipal council members called the allegations “unfounded.”

The discussion erupted over a story published in a Dutch newspaper saying shariah was being applied in Schilderswijk. “We have visited the district. We haven’t determined anything proving the execution of shariah. The street has only one boss, the police,” İbo Gülsen, a Liberal Party member of the municipal council said. Gert Jan Bakker, a Christian Democrat Alliance (CDA) member of the group, said there wasn’t any sign of pressure and there would not be a need to emphasize the claims in Parliament. Anti-Islamist far-right PVV leader Geert Wilders and Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher have also visited the district.

Municipal council member Hasan Küçük from Islam Democrats said the incident was a manipulation of the far-right movement ahead of local elections. Küçük said Muslims constituted 51 percent of the population and that their visibility in society was causing a disturbance. “Seventy to 80 percent of this district are Muslims. There is nothing more natural than seeing a covered woman or a man with a beard in the streets or a mosque being constructed. But the goal is different. The goal is to get far-right votes by spreading terror ahead of the coming local elections,” he said.