May 24, 2024
Mona Keijzer before her sacking as junior economic affairs minister in 2020. | Photo: Rijksoverheid
A number of Dutch Muslims have filed a formal police complaint against BBB parliamentarian Mona Keijzer for stating on a talk show that “the hatred of Jews is almost part of Islamic culture.”
The complainants argue that Keijzer, who is considered by some as a candidate for the prime ministerial role in the new right-wing cabinet, is promoting hatred, violence, and discrimination against Muslims with her comments.
Keijzer made the statement last week during an appearance on the Sophie & Jeroen talk show as part of a discussion on the coalition agreement. The plan includes lessons about the Holocaust in the compulsory integration course that non-EU arrivals in the Netherlands must take.
“You see that many asylum migrants come from countries where the religion is Islamic,” she said. “We know that the hatred of Jews is almost part of the culture there.”
Her comments were criticized by others at the table, including Jewish writer Arnon Grunberg, who pointed out that the Holocaust was driven by other Europeans. Keijzer later apologized if people had misunderstood her original comment.
“Nevertheless, the incident is hurtful and worrying,” said Kasim Tekin, who is behind the complaint. “She says we are anti-Semitic, while history, including the Holocaust, shows Jews never had to fear Muslims. This sort of vote-catching is preparing the Netherlands for more laws that will particularly affect Muslims.”