KEY MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003340

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958 N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR PTER SOCI SCUL KISL KPAO
SUBJECT: KEY MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS IN THE NETHERLANDS



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Muslim community in the Netherlands
boasts an array of organizations claiming to represent
Muslim interests. The Dutch media and government frequently
look to spokesmen from these groups to express "Muslim"
views on integration initiatives and other matters. Some
post contacts have questioned how connected such groups
actually are to the communities they claim to represent, but
there is no question that they are an influential part of
the ongoing Dutch debate on integration issues. The
attached list illustrates the breadth of Islamic community
organizations in the Netherlands and gives some indication
of how they interact with one another; it is not intended to
be comprehensive or exhaustive. END SUMMARY.


I. Contact Group for Muslims and Government
--------------
(Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid) (CMO):
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2. (U) The CMO is an umbrella organization, founded in 2001,
which gathers together 7 organizations of Turkish, Moroccan
and Surinamese origin. The CMO claims to represent 80
percent (560,000) of the Dutch Muslim population, most of
whom are Sunnis. The group acts as the main advisory body
to the government on Islamic issues. The current leader of
this umbrella organization is Ayhan Tonca; the leadership
position rotates every two years between leaders of the
included groups.


3. (U) The CMO includes the following organizations:

- Islamic Foundation of the Netherlands (Islamitische
Stichting Nederland / Hollanda Diyanet Vakfi) (ISN): The
current leader is Cevdet Keskin. This group owns most of
the Turkish mosques in the Netherlands, in the name of the
Turkish government. Members include those working at the
Turkish Embassy. The group is the Turkish Diyanet's
representative in the Netherlands.

- Turkish-Islamic Cultural Federation (Turks Islamitische
Culturele Federatie) (TICF): This is the largest Turkish
federation in the Netherlands. Ayhan Tonca is the head of
the group.

- Union of Moroccan Muslim Organizations in the Netherlands
(UMMON) (Unie van Marokkaanse Moslim Organisaties in
Nederland: The group, currently led by Driss Boujoufi and
founded in 1978, an umbrella organization, which
approximately 80 Moroccan mosques are affiliated. The board
of the UMMON stresses that in political matters it takes a
neutral position.

- Milli-Gorus Northern Netherlands (Milli-Gorus Noord
Nederland): Leader is Haci Karacaer (a former IV
participant). Although it caters to a largely Turkish
population, Milli-Gorus trains its own imams and is not
connected to the Turkish Diyanet. The group's European
Headquarters is in Cologne.

- Dutch Islamic Federation (Nederlandse Islamitische
Federatie) (NIF): A. Sahin is the leader of the group. This
is the southern branch of Milli-Gorus. Embassy
interlocutors have suggested relations between the north and
south branches of Milli-Gorus are strained.

- World Islamic Mission Netherlands (WIM): The group
maintains control of some Surinamese mosques in the
Netherlands, and is led by Nasr Joemman.

- Islamic Center Netherlands Foundation (Stichting
Islamitisch Centrum Nederland) (SICN): This is a Turkish-
Islamic umbrella organization, which has approximately 50
member institutions, including primarily mosques and youth
centers. The group's current leader is A. Kandemir.

II. Contact Group for Islam (Contact Groep Islam) (CGI):
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) The CGI was formed in 2004 in protest against the
CMO. Hikmaty Mahawat Khan is currently the leader of this
group. The founders of CGI, including Alevites, Shiites,
and Ahmaddiyas claimed that CMO did not adequately represent
them. The group claims to represent 20 percent of the
Muslim community (150,000 Muslims).

III. Islam and Burgerschap (Islam and Citizenship):
-------------- --------------


5. (U) This group, led by Mohammed Sini who some call the
"grandfather of integration," was founded in 1999 by the
Ministry of Justice. The goal at that time was to increase

THE HAGUE 00003340 002 OF 002


dialogue about the compatibility of Dutch citizenship and
Muslim values. Today the group sponsors various
conferences, panels, and events to increase the discourse.

IV. Foundation of Moroccans and Tunisians
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(Samenwerkingsverband Marokkanen en Tunesiers) (SMT):
-------------- --------------


6. (U) The SMT was founded in 1987 to act as a nationwide
consultative organization to defend the interests of
Moroccans and Tunisians in the Netherlands. Habib El
Kaddouri currently leads it


V. FORUM:
--------------


7. (SBU) The Director of FORUM Institute of Multicultural
Development is Sadik Harchaoui. The group is not a Muslim
organization per se, but a national center of expertise in
the field of multicultural development. Originally funded
by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, today the
organization receives considerable funding from the Ministry
of Integration as well. The group sponsors various
programs, speakers, and conferences on behalf of the
Ministry of Integration.

Blakeman