...International Muslims Organisation...

Netherlands...

The IMO Holland was established in 1985. Since then, it has become a formidable force in reshaping the affairs of the Muslim community. The Dutch government now recognises the IMO as a potential partner in bringing to fruition the rights of the Muslims in Holland without compromising the beliefs of the Muslim community or the Muslim way of life.

The International Unity Conference of 1988 was a landmark event organised by IMO Holland.  This unique occasion saw the Iraqi and Iranian Ambassadors sitting together on a unified platform for the first time since the beginning of the Iraq – Iran war.  The dialogue which was then initiated between these nations subsequently led to further talks and eventually, the end of the war.  The founding President of the IMO, Hazrat Allama Pir Maulana Abdul Wahab Siddiqi was instrumental in initiating and facilitating the dialogue between Iraq and Iran.    

The International Unity Conference was also the first occasion to bring together Turks, Moroccans, Surinamese, Pakistanis and Muslims of all other nationalities together for mutual interaction. It therefore heralded a new era in the establishment of Muslims as a homogenised community in the Netherlands and worldwide.

 

The Noorul Islam mosque constructed by the IMO in The Hague is the largest mosque in the Netherlands.  It has also built mosques in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Zwolle, Zeeland, Utrecht, Enschede and Zoetermeer.  This impressive network of mosques is complemented by almost a thousand Mureeds of the Naqshbandi Hijazi Spiritual Order and tens of thousands of followers.  Netherlands contains the largest and most active support base of the IMO in continental Europe.

The Nederandse Moslim Raad (NMR) was established by the IMO to act as an umbrella group for Muslim organisations in the Netherlands.  It works as an advisory body to the Dutch government regarding the welfare of Dutch Muslims.  One of the arms of the NMR is the Nederlandse Moslim Omroed (NMO) which broadcasts Muslim programmes on National Radio and Television.

The IMO has established a wide range of youth development projects in the Netherlands.  The ‘buddy’ project was initiated in conjunction with the government with the aim of reducing the rates of felony among Muslim Youth.  Small groups of young people were allocated a ‘buddy’ who counselled them and were nurtured their development.

The IMO also runs a highly successful education programme in its mosques.  The programme instructs young people on faith based topics such as fiq (the science of religious practise) and tasawwuf (the science of self purification) as well as helping them improve their performance in basic subjects such as maths.

The prison project of IMO Holland was initiated due to the large proportion of prisoners being of Muslim origin.  Volunteers working in this project provide counselling for prisoners while they are in prison and remain in contact when they are released.  The post release counselling and follow up ensures successful rehabilitation of prisoners into the community.  It also ensures that prisoners have a contact who can act as an entry point for enlisting state support as they are particularly vulnerable immediately following release.  The volunteers also make special visits to the prison as the time of Muslim festivals to celebrate with the Muslim prisoners.    

The way forward ...

The people of Holland have traditionally been welcoming and tolerant of all cultures around them and those that neighbor them internationally.  Such attitudes are largely as a result of the fact that the Nederlands has been a nation that had an extensive Empire across the globe and has enjoyed the economic advantages that such exploits provides. Nevertheless the people have welcomed migrants from the countries of the empire with open arms.

The Dutch now have a dilemma with the effects of that mass immigration to their country from the empire. It brings into question to very identity of the Dutch nation through discussion, debate and reflection.

IMO will continue to build bridges with the host Dutch community and foster greater understanding.

IMO will also help the Dutch people realize that the migrated communities are not alien to their interests but supportive of their economic prosperity.

Government:
The Dutch administration has been renowned across the world as one that stands for fairness and makes decisions whilst occupying the moral high ground. Recently it has polarized itself to a situation where it is touching on adopting extreme measures. Is such an attitude as a result of a lack of understanding of the problems? Do the Dutch fear the unknown? Is there a lack of information about a potential threat and they need to be better at understanding it?

All of the aforementioned questions could be the reason behind taking measures that are perceived as extreme, draconian, unfair and unjust by the citizen.

IMO will engage with the Government to demonstrate that there are better methods of dealing with the situation than extreme measures.

IMO will remind the Government that the freedom it has given to their society to insult Islam is not conducive to the international community or the Dutch national interests.