بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
First Steps in Banning Quran Schools in The Netherlands
News:
The Dutch government is taking measures against informal Islamic education organizations like Quran schools and other private schools where children can learn Arabic and Quran. This entails a whole range of restrictive measures to intervene, monitor and alter the Islamic education curriculum.
Comment:
The step of the Dutch government to intervene in informal Quran schools, centres and houses where the Muslims children are taught the basics of their religion is showing that the Dutch assimilation policy will follow the hard-line French model. To give an example: the French President Emmanuel Macron recently closed down mosques and Islamic centres and demanded that Muslims should leave their religion and accept secularism, democracy and the creation of an “Islam de France.” He ordered the umbrella organisation, French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), to come up with a charter of Islam in France in which they endorse this. And unfortunately, they complied.
The times of intellectual conduct and discussion to seduce Muslims to incline towards liberal democracy and convince them that liberal democracy is “superior” to Islam has been pushed to the background. Now, the conduct of many Western countries with Muslims is that of muscular liberalism by imposing Western thought and preventing Islamic thought. The Muslims in the Muslim lands have vividly encountered this monstruous liberalism. But now this monster has turned towards the Muslims who live in their societies.
Even though both approaches, the soft and the hard approach, are alternated between each other according to its proper time, place and suitable circumstances, the core of the conduct of Western countries with the Muslims in their societies is based on the idea of assimilation. The objective of this policy is that the Muslims completely assimilate and exchange their Islamic thinking with secular thinking and finally leave the fold of Islam. This reality necessitates a clear and comprehensive understanding of this assimilation policy and it is crucial for the existence of the Muslims in Western countries. Also, it is important to understand in which areas this assimilation policy is focused on. These are four areas:
Symbols and expressions: The Islamic symbols and expressions of the manifestation of Islam in public life are problematized, for example: mosques, minarets, traditional outfits like the hijab, jilbaab and niqab. All of these expressions have been demonised and attacked in the Netherlands.
Divine Rulings of Islam (ahkaam ash Shari'a): The divine Rulings of Islam and Islamic ideas which are in contradiction with the secular liberal vision, such as the rights of women, circumcision of boys, male-female relationships, halal slaughter, marriage, concept of piety, Ummah, Khilafah and jihad etc. are attacked and demonized.
Independent groups that stand up for Muslims: These are groups and organizations that stand up for the rights of Muslims and are critical of anti-Islam policies. These kinds of organisations are scrutinized, thwart, silenced and demonised.
Intuitions for Islamic Education: These are the places where Islam is taught and Islamic personalities are formed so that Islamic identity is propagated and preserved, such as mosques, Quran schools, schools for Arabic language, secondary education and primary schools. These are the primary sources where the Muslims learn their religion and the Islamic culture is passed on from generation to generation. Now these organisations are targeted by the government and demonised in politics and the media.
These policies are determined to cut of the Muslims from the source of Islam and Islamic education in order to influence the upcoming generations of Muslims. Muslims must understand this grave danger and must act upon it as a matter of life and death. The assimilation policy is a process which proceeds step by step. If Muslims do not encounter every step they take, the steps will rapidly follow up by other steps, till nothing remains.
We, Muslims, have to understand and expose the failure of liberal democracy and its villainous attempt to divert the Muslims from Islam by resorting to imposing ideas, interfering in private spheres and restricting the learning and practise of religion. This is oppression and trademarks of dictatorial regimes whereas Islam is free from oppression, and it has solutions for humankind.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Okay Pala
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahir in The Netherlands