Posted on January 20, 2012

Muslim Party Seeks Power in Dutch Parliament

Abigail R. Esman, Forbes, January 16, 2012

The Dutch Muslim Party has announced plans to seek seats in the Dutch Parliament. The party already has a hold in regional governments in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and other Dutch cities.

The Partij Voor Moslim Nederland (Party for Muslim Netherlands), as it calls itself when it is not referring to itself as The Dutch Muslim Party (note the strong differences in meaning), campaigns on an anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, and anti-discrimination platform. It hopes to take part in Parliamentary elections in 2015. Among its principles:

  1. Criminalization of blasphemy
  2. Free speech within limitations:  speech that can be seen as insulting or offensive on religious grounds will be prosecuted.
  3. Damage or destruction of holy texts for any religion to be criminalized by law.
  4. Members of the party can also be non-Muslims.
  5. Women and men are to be seen as equal under the law.
  6. The party is to be based on the Islamic principle of Shura
  7. All troops must be withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan
  8. Turkey must immediately be made a member of the EU
  9. Support to Israel must be stopped
  10. Zero-tolerance for all drugs, including marijuana (currently tolerated under Dutch law)
  11. No bans shall be set against the current practice of importing poorly-educated women as brides for Dutch Muslim men

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