Elham Asaad Buaras
Eight mosques across the Netherlands have been targeted in a coordinated hate campaign, receiving threatening letters stained with a substance resembling blood. The content, composed of cut-out Qur’anic verses, contained inflammatory messages such as “Islam is no better than Nazism” and “Islam must die.”
These incidents have sparked urgent calls for increased security, highlighting the growing concern and fear among mosque communities. The coordinated threat began on September 5, when the Ayasofya Mosque in Rotterdam received a disturbing letter. Over the next week, identical threats were sent to mosques in Rotterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven, and Arnhem. The Essalam Mosque also received a DVD labelled “Last day of Islam in Europe.”
Mohamedi Elharch, Chair of the Essalam Mosque, expressed their profound alarm: “This is a very clear statement, which we take very seriously. We are now considering all sorts of scenarios about what else could happen.” The mosque has sought increased protection from the local municipality to safeguard visitors.
Elharch voiced frustration at the lack of official attention, remarking: “When it comes to parking congestion, we’re called to account, but this is almost never discussed.” The threats, he added, have forced painful questions about the mosque’s openness: “Our mosque is always open to everyone. Now we’re wondering if we should limit access to prayer times. But what would be left of the mosque then? This is not what we want.”
Five of the targeted mosques are affiliated with the Islamic Foundation of the Netherlands (ISN-Diyanet). A spokesperson confirmed that all will be filing police reports, warning that such threats are fuelled by political rhetoric that “explicitly highlights Islamophobia” and contributes to rising discrimination against Muslims.
The foundation has documented around 300 anti-Islamic incidents against Dutch mosques since 2015, including vandalism, attempted arson, and previous threats. The spokesperson questioned the limits of free speech, asking: “These actions are often dismissed as freedom of expression, but where do we draw the line, and when will there be intervention?”
The foundation is coordinating with municipalities on additional security for the mosques.
Photo: The Ayasofya Mosque in Rotterdam, where a series of coordinated threats against Dutch mosques began on September (Credit: Guilhem Vellut/Flickr Commons)
