The Guardian: Muslims' fury over calls to use Dutch in mosques

Islamic groups in the Netherlands have reacted with fury to a Dutch government member's suggestion that only Dutch should be spoken in the country's 450 mosques, reports on Tuesday British "The Guardian" daily.

"Imams have a duty to convince their fellow Muslims that (they) have to be loyal to the values and norms of Dutch civil society," the immigration minister, Hilbrand Nawijn, was quoted as saying at the "opening of a controversial new college to instruct imams in Dutch attitudes toward homosexuality and women's rights."

According to the daily, the college, and the language proposal, were inspired by the murdered populist politician Pim Fortuyn, whose LPF party became the second biggest earlier this year, earning it a place in a center-right government.

The homosexual Fortuyn incensed the 800,000 Muslims in the Netherlands before his death by dismissing Islam's views on gays and women.

Mr Nawijn is himself a LPF member. The college, at Soesterberg in Utrecht province, will give imams intensive Dutch language lessons and courses on freedom of speech and religion, euthanasia, and non-discrimination.

Issues which are regarded as problematic by many Dutch citizens - such as the wearing of headscarves, female circumcision and honor killings - will also be tackled.

"Imams can play an important role in correcting Islam's negative image and of spurring the acceptance of Muslims here," Nawijn said.

Attendance at the college will be mandatory for new imams and they will not be licensed unless they pass the final exam. Failure is also likely to mean deportation.

"If they refuse to attend the minister will make it clear that they are not welcome in the Netherlands any more and they will not get residence permits," a spokeswoman for the immigration ministry said.

The courses will only be mandatory for new imams - those already working will be unaffected, although the government has said it will encourage them to attend too.

About 33 imams, including several from Morocco and Turkey, are enrolled on the 600-hour course so far, The Guardian says.

According to the paper, the country's Muslim community has generally welcomed the college as a chance to prove it is not riddled with extremism, But Nawijn's comment that only Dutch should be spoken in mosques has been badly received.

"The idea that only Dutch should be spoken is meddling, and interferes with freedom of religion," said Yassin Hartog, a spokesman for the Muslim lobbyist Islam and Citizenship.

"Religious organizations should be able to organize themselves as they want."