Secret Counter Campaign in The Netherlands Reveals the True Outlook to Islam

News:

Dutch newspaper NRC, reveals secret countercampaign of the National Counterterrorism and Security Coordinator (NCTV) in The Netherlands against Islam.

Comment:

In a recent research done by the Dutch newspaper NRC, details were revealed of a secret countercampaign of the National Counterterrorism and Security Coordinator (NCTV) in The Netherlands. Between 2015 and 2017 it worked on a secret campaign, called the “Brand Destruction”, to prevent young Muslims from becoming “radicalized” by spreading anti-radicalization videos among young Muslims. The government planned to subtly spreading these messages within the Muslim community.

At the same time a comparable campaign was setup in the capital, Amsterdam. This initiative however came out and was discredited. So out of fear that this secret campaign could be exposed and harm the entire prevention policy it was redesigned. As consequence, The National Counterterrorism and Security Coordinator, “begun” covertly subsidising “existing” “Muslim initiatives” who would promote a “secular” and “liberal Islam” understanding.

These kinds of counter and prevent initiatives are of course not new, they have really become the backbone policy of Western secular states against Islam and the Muslims. From UK’s cunning Prevent strategy to France’s blunt and aggressive policy and all denominations between these two have the same motives and objectives. And that’s simply forcing the Muslims to assimilate in to the dominant secular values. The sad part is that Muslim groups and individuals are used and utilised in order to push the government agenda.

The rhetoric is that, Islam and the Muslims are a threat to the secular liberal values. But meanwhile these governments form the biggest for themselves. By intermingling in the religious lives of the Muslims while according to them the state should have a neutral stance against all religions and should not interfere. Secondly, the freedoms which form the pillars of the secular liberal ideology are violated by attacking, curbing and restricting the Muslims “freedoms”. And covertly trying to misled and divert the Muslim community and forcing them to leave certain aspects of Islam and embrace their way of thinking and their way of live. Resorting to oppression shows that these states are in distraught and choose self-destruction in order to survive. This only shows that the secular ideology is incapable to deal with others. As their ideology does not provide any solution for this, they really don’t have a clue how do deal with Islam and the Muslims other than oppression and misleading.

So, they become experts in misleading the Muslims, by oppressing them but claiming that their policy is not against them but against individuals and groups who are using violence. What’s interesting is that their internal discussion which has been leaked by NRC confirms this. The NRC quotes internal memos of officials of The National Counterterrorism and Security Coordinator where some of them argue that young Muslims are attracted to “radicalisation” because of anger at society, exclusion, mental problems and other personal grievances, whereas the majority believes that Islam itself is the driving force behind “radicalisation.”

So, the problem is not with “radicals” but with Islam who brings forth “radicals”. And for the ones who believes that anger at society because of oppression and exclusion is the source of “radicalisation”, also believe that these individuals will seek for Islam for solution. What would for example an individual be called who is anger at society because of oppression and exclusion and stands up to oppose it with democratic and liberal solutions? An activist? An idealist? A champion of? But not an “radical” or “extremist”. So, the key is again Islam. Regardless whether the initial motives are societal or religious the solution is sought from Islam. That makes all the Muslims who are sincere in their religion, “radicals”.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Okay Pala
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in The Netherlands