This factsheet outlines the position of Islam within the Dutch legal order and within Dutch society as a whole. Of the 16 million people now living in the Netherlands, some 800,000 come from a Muslim background. This is over ten times as many as in 1971. Muslim shops, societies, schools and mosques are now familiar features of Dutch towns and cities.

The Dutch government does not interfere with the internal affairs of any religious community. However, it pursues policies aimed at the integration of ethnic minorities, the majority of whom are Muslims. The aim is to enable them to participate in democratic society, to combat disadvantage and to prevent and counter discrimination and racism.

1 History 

Just over fifty years ago, very few Muslims lived in the Netherlands, but Islam was nevertheless the most widespread religion in the Kingdom. Until 1949, the Kingdom of the Netherlands included what is now the Republic of Indonesia, with its predominantly Muslim population, and Suriname, with a Muslim minority of Indian and Javan origin, which did not gain independence until 1975. The first Muslims to settle in the Netherlands itself came in 1951 from Indonesia, after it had become an independent republic. A labour shortage created by an economic boom in the 1960s led the Dutch government to recruit temporary workers abroad, particularly in Turkey and Morocco, where the population is predominantly Muslim. Recruitment ceased in 1974, but this did not put a stop to migration, since many of these migrant workers settled in the Netherlands, where they were joined by their families. Shortly before Suriname become independent in 1975, a sizeable group of Surinamese immigrants also arrived in the Netherlands.

Muslims currently make up around 5% of the total population of the Netherlands, the majority coming from Turkey (310,000), Morocco (277,000) and Suriname (60,000). Other Muslims, many arriving in the Netherlands as refugees, come from Iraq (35,000), Somalia (30,000), Iran (25,000), Afghanistan (25,000), former Yugoslavia (particularly Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, 25,000), Pakistan (17,000), Egypt (14,000), Syria (5,000), Ethiopia (3,000) and Nigeria (2,500). The majority are Sunni Muslims, though there are a large number of Alawites among the Turkish community.

The following figures show how the Muslim population has grown in the past 30 years:

Year	Muslim population
1971	54,000
1975	108,000
1980	225,000
1997	573,200
2000	735,600
2002	800,000

2 Equality 

Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution states: ‘All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated equally in equal circumstances. Discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, political opinion, race or sex or on any other grounds whatsoever shall not be permitted’. This means that women have the same rights as men, and Muslims the same rights as Christians. Conversely, people in the Netherlands also have the same obligations, to pay taxes, for example, or to send their children to school. Under Dutch law, school attendance is compulsory up to the age of 16. It is of great importance to society that anyone settling in the Netherlands accepts these and other reponsibilities, in the same way as the Dutch should accept and respect all newcomers.

3 The right to vote 

Immigrants who have acquired Dutch nationality are entitled both to vote and to stand for election. Both the House of Representatives and the Provincial Councils have members with a Muslim background. In fact, the Netherlands even had a number of Muslim MPs before Indonesia became independent. Non-naturalised immigrants in the Netherlands who have been legally resident in the country for at least five years are entitled to vote in local elections. They are also entitled to stand for election, and Muslim parties regularly participate in local elections. There are now more than 200 local councillors of Muslim origin.

4 Freedom of religion 

Freedom of religion and belief is a fundamental right in the Netherlands. This means that people are free to worship as they choose, either individually or in groups, provided they remain within the bounds imposed by the law or by consideration for others (as regards for example noise, health hazards and disturbance of the peace).

In the Netherlands, church and state are separate. The government does not interfere in the internal affairs of religious or ideological organisations, particularly their forms of worship and organisation. There are now 400 mosques and prayer centres in the Netherlands (200 Turkish, 130 Moroccan and 30 Surinamese). Islamic burial grounds have also been established in many places. Until 1986 the government provided financial assistance for the construction and furnishing of churches and mosques, but subsidies of this kind were abolished because Parliament felt they contravened the principle of separation of church and state. Subsidies are, however, awarded to Muslim associations, provided they actively contribute towards the integration of Muslims into Dutch society.

5 Islamic customs 

Ramadan, obligatory prayer and dietary laws: Many Dutch employers accommodate their Muslim employees by adjusting the workload and changing working hours during Ramadan. Muslims are often prepared to work on Western public holidays, such as Christmas and New Year’s Day, in return for time off on Muslim feast days. Many employers provide rooms for Muslim employees to pray, and company canteens often take account of their dietary laws and customs. Some local authorities offer Muslim communities the opportunity to make a public call to prayer once a day or more.

Circumcision: Many male circumcisions are still performed privately in Muslim circles, and a number of hospitals also carry out the procedure. Most medical insurers only refund the costs if the procedure has to be performed on medical grounds, although some do so on religious grounds too. Building on local initiatives, the possibility of including circumcision as part of standard medical training is being investigated. Female circumcision is not permitted in any form.

Headscarves: Women and girls wearing headscarves have become a familiar sight at universities and secondary schools in the Netherlands. Private schools (based on particular religious, ideological or educational principles) are entitled to ban headscarves under the school rules, and though the government has advised against this, the freedom of education enshrined in the constitution prevents it from taking any action.

Ritual slaughter: Legislation governs the treatment of cattle and the method used for slaughter in the Netherlands. In so far as EU legislation permits, measures have been taken to allow the slaughter of cattle in accordance with Islamic custom. The Dutch government has granted some abattoirs a permanent licence to perform ritual slaughter, provided they comply with certain strict conditions. Abattoirs may also be issued with licences to perform ritual slaughter during the annual feast of sacrifice. Of the 4500 butchers currently registered in the Netherlands, 500 are Islamic.

6 Integration 

The government urges all religious and church communities to help achieve the aims of integration policy. This does not conflict with the principle that the state may not interfere with religious worship or beliefs. Indeed the government believes that religious or other convictions can have a particularly beneficial influence on the integration of minorities. There are many Islamic organisations in the Netherlands, and most of those adhering to Sunni doctrine are affiliated to the four national federations of Muslim organisations. A central body representing Muslim organisations was set up in September 2002. The Muslims and the Government Liaison Body (CMO), which represents the main mosque organisations, will represent the Muslim community in talks with the government.

Many immigrants are at a disadvantage when it comes to language, education and knowledge of Dutch society. As a result, their position on the labour market and in society in general is weak. Approximately 10% of the country’s jobless are members of ethnic minorities, despite the fact that they account for only 5% of the working-age population. Government policy therefore aims to improve their starting position, and to promote integration. Legislation has been introduced to encourage employers to take on members of ethnic minorities. A taskforce drawn from industry, the trade unions and government was established in 1998 to promote the integration of ethnic minorities in industrial sectors and companies.

Local authorities offer newly arrived immigrants a programme that familiarises them with Dutch society. They are taught Dutch customs and rules and are introduced to the language. Under the Newcomers Integration Act, which entered into force on 30 September 1998, newcomers are obliged to participate in the programme. Refusal to do so may lead to a fine. Since 1 January 2002, this obligation also applies to spiritual leaders, including imams who have moved to the Netherlands from outside the European Economic Area.

7 Pastoral care 

Since all religions are equal in the Netherlands, the government believes that people who are in the army, in prison or in hospital are entitled to receive visits from a pastoral worker of their own religion. The government has earmarked funding for pastoral workers. Under the Care Institutions (Quality) Act, care providers must enable pastoral care in line, as far as possible, with patients’ religion or belief.

The need for Muslim pastoral workers is set to grow considerably. The government is prepared to fund extra training where necessary, provided candidates have a university degree or higher professional qualification and have a reasonable command of the Dutch language. The government is encouraging the care sector to introduce appropriate pastoral care for all groups.

8 Education 

The Dutch education system includes both public-authority schools, for which the government is responsible and which are open to all, and private schools that are organised on ideological or denominational lines. The Netherlands has long had Catholic and Protestant schools, and now there are also over thirty Muslim primary schools. The first two were opened in Rotterdam and Eindhoven in 1988. Muslim secondary education has been available since 2000 in Rotterdam, and since autumn 2002 in Amsterdam. Private schools have to comply with the same statutory requirements as public-authority schools when it comes to the knowledge and skills they teach. Both categories of school are funded by the government, and are visited by school inspectors.

The government tries to ensure that young people do not drop out of school, since this severely limits their future prospects. Special programmes are provided for ethnic minority youngsters whose Dutch is poor. There are teachers with Muslim backgrounds working in many schools. Local authorities also offer programmes to young people with educational disadvantages, whatever their background.

Public-authority schools are free to provide religious education at the request of parents. In many primary and secondary schools, the curriculum includes ‘religious movements’ and ‘world studies’ which cover, for example, Christianity and Islam, to encourage mutual understanding and tolerance. Pupils at several schools can choose to study Arabic or Turkish as a second modern language.

In higher education attention focuses in various ways on Islam and the languages and culture of the Muslim world. Many universities have chairs of Islamic studies and of the languages and cultures of the Middle East. The Holland College of Higher Professional Education in Diemen trains students wishing to give Islamic religious instruction. The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World, devoted exclusively to academic research into Islam, was opened in Leiden in 1998. There are also two private Muslim universities, which receive no support of any kind from the Dutch state: the Islamic University of Rotterdam (IUR) and the Islamic University of Europe (IUE) in Schiedam. These institutions train students wishing to become imams, Muslim pastoral workers and Islamic experts.

9 Imam training 

Around 50 imams are recruited each year, mainly from Turkey and Morocco. Many of them have little or no knowledge of Dutch society. The government therefore requires imams (and pastoral workers from other religions) to take a social integration course specially designed for them in their first year in the Netherlands. The course includes 600 hours of Dutch language classes, an introduction to Dutch society and other subjects associated with the imams’ work. At the end of the course, participants take a language test and a knowledge and skills test. Imams who have already been in the Netherlands for some time can take a refresher course. There is as yet no approved imam training course in the Netherlands that is widely endorsed by the Muslim community. The government has called upon Muslim organisations to take steps towards establishing such a course to train their spiritual leaders. However, the great diversity of Muslim groups makes it difficult to set up a single uniform imam training course.

Religious communities are free to involve related organisations or authorities in their country of origin in any initiative they might launch. The Dutch government does not hold talks with imams’ countries of origin on the form imam training should take, but does update these countries regularly about its integration policy. The Dutch government assumes that all religious groups will be loyal and make a positive contribution to Dutch society, in accordance with the civil rights and obligations set out in the Constitution. The government opposes influences from abroad that hamper integration (such as financial support for mosques and Muslim schools from foreign donors in order to gain influence).

Dialogue
The government attempts to promote dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims in Dutch society at both local and central level. It hopes to foster mutual interest and understanding between the two groups with visits to mosques and Muslim schools. Various local authorities and organisations have also been encouraged to organise local meetings between the communities.

10 Further information 

This factsheet was produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. For further information, contact a Dutch embassy or consulate, the addresses of which are on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website: http://bob.minbuza.nl/

International Information and Communication Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Postbus 20061
2500 EB Den Haag
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 348 4110
Fax: +31 (0)70 348 4102
Website: http://www.minbuza.nl/english

Minorities Integration Policy (Coordination) Department
Ministry of Justice
Postbus 20301
2500 EH Den Haag
The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 370 9171
Fax: +31 (0)70 370 9089
Website: http://www.justitie.nl/