Cablegate: The Netherlands: Combating Extremism Through

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 THE HAGUE 002651

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM SOCI SCUL KISL NL
SUBJECT: THE NETHERLANDS: COMBATING EXTREMISM THROUGH
ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH

REF: A. STATE ...

B. THE HAGUE 2599

Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES CHAT BLAKEMAN FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (
D).

1. (C) SUMMARY: The GONL is fully trying at the national and
local levels to combat Islamic extremism on Dutch soil. The
government's approach involves a two-pronged effort. First,
the Dutch are promoting social integration in order to shrink
the pool of potential recruits for extremist groups. Second,
they are tackling extremists directly by reinforcing the
government's ability to investigate and prosecute terrorism
and to frustrate individuals and groups that promote violent
radicalism. Most of these programs are new, so their
long-term effectiveness is hard to judge; preliminary
indications are mixed. Many official efforts to reach out to
communities most susceptible to the extremist message have
been received skeptically. Embassy The Hague and AMCONSULATE
Amsterdam are actively cultivating ties with the Dutch Muslim
community, and have recently established a Working Group on
Integration Issues to coordinate outreach and reporting
opportunities among all mission elements. END SUMMARY

I. HOST COUNTRY EFFORTS:
-----------------------

NATIONAL LEVEL:
--------------

2. (C) Although the September 11 attacks in the U.S. and the
Madrid bombings convinced the Dutch government to reexamine
its counterterrorism policies (septel), the murder of Dutch
filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Dutch-born Islamic Extremist in
November 2004 was an equally traumatic wake-up call. The van
Gogh murder, and the subsequent arrest of members of the
Hofstad Group, was viewed by many as proof that
long-standing Dutch approaches were inadequate to counter
extremism within the Netherlands growing and largely
non-integrated Muslim community (ref b). Minister of
Integration Rita Verdonk was given primary responsibility for
combat radicalism nationally, along with a 40 million Euro
budget for this purpose. On August 19, 2005 Verdonk unveiled
a comprehensive program entitled Empowerment and Integration
Policy, Prevention of Radicalization from the Perspective of
Integration Policy. The plan includes 34 projects and
initiatives for implementation over the next 3 years, and
tasks individual ministries with carrying out specific parts
of the plan. The programs are designed to counter radicalism
from Muslim extremists as well as right-wing extremists and
others espousing violent ideologies.

PRONG ONE: EMPHASIZING INTEGRATION
-----------------------------------

3. (C) The first prong of the government's comprehensive
approach is to reduce the appeal of radical ideologies,
especially among youth, by promoting the concept of shared
citizenship, strengthening social ties between native and
non-native Dutch, and encouraging vulnerable youth to remain
in school. To this end, the Education Inspection Board was
tasked with establishing a national center to report
incidents of discrimination and extremism in the education
sector. The GONL has also begun partnering with
government-funded think tanks to empower youth and imbue them
with democratic norms, strengthen social ties between
minorities and native Dutch, and empowering Muslim circles
against the influence of radicalization. Specific areas in
which the GONL has become or intends to become more active
nationally include;

-Mentoring and coaching for teachers and students.
-Promotion of active citizenship
-Support of civil initiatives in the areas of the labor
market, economic entrepreneurship, education, youth, sports,
and neighborhood safety.
-Measures and initiatives to remove impediments for
minorities on the labor market through creation of more
training and work experience placements, countering prejudice
and coaching higher-educated minority youth

4. (C) The 34 specific projects listed projects fall into the
following categories:

-- Shared Citizenship within Democratic Rule of Law: These
include education projects to promote awareness of a shared
past, present and future between Muslim communities and
native Dutch, as well as programs to highlight the social
benefits of ethnic diversity. Promoting the celebration of
Day of Freedom World War II remembrance day is also a
priority. The program envisages a series of lectures and
conferences on fundamentalism and radicalization, and
promotes contracts and covenants between local authorities,
schools, Islamic organizations and mosques on moral
frameworks and code of conduct.

-- Local Approaches to Enhance Empowerment and Social Ties:
The GONL will sponsor a conference of the 30 largest towns
and minority organizations this fall to coordinate
activities. The GONL plans to develop and maintain a diverse
group of contacts within communities for consultations, and
to improve the expertise of government officials and other
professionals (teachers, police, etc.) working within Muslim
communities.

-- Involving Youth and Parents: The program establishes a
summer school program for 20 at-risk college students to
discuss issues such as free speech and rule of law. Personal
coaching for leadership for high potential leaders within
communities to act as role models will also be provided.
Youth leaders will receive training in engaging in and
leading debate and spokesmen for their communities, and in
promoting intergenerational debate between Muslim youth and
their elders. Refugee youth, who are particularly vulnerable
to radicalization, have been targeted for engagement in
debates on social ties and radicalization.

-- Emancipation of Girls and Women: Active attempts to engage
women in public and private debate on issues related to
religion are envisaged.

-- Involving the Muslim Community: The government is reaching
out to the Muslim community to counter the impression that
Muslim youth are not fully accepted members of Dutch society,
and is seeking support from Muslim community leaders in
explaining that that Dutch society offers opportunities to
those who persevere, that Islam has a place in Dutch society,
and that Muslims have much freedom to practice their religion
here. Attempts to explain political Islam to the Muslim
community youth are also underway, including government
efforts to provide alternative perspective through popular
Dutch-Moroccan websites. The GONL has also proposed funding
programs to train imams in the Netherlands, thus reducing the
need to import potentially radical imams from abroad and
increasing the links between the religious leadership and
Dutch society. Supplemental training for Koran teachers and
to youth workers in the various ethnic communities will be
provided, and the GONL will sponsor messages aimed at
improving the profile of Islam in the Netherlands.

-- Involving the native Dutch Population: The program
proposes establishing an Integration Council consisting of
both minority and majority representatives, instead of the
exclusive minority representation currently in place. The
government is also encouraging dialogue between Muslim
communities and media outlets and opinion-makers. In the
next few months, there will be a national bus tour entitled
Netherlands New Land providing information and a platform
for debate to each of the communities it visits.

PRONG TWO: COUNTERING RADICALIZATION
------------------------------------

5. (C) In addition to adopting tougher counterterrorism and
immigration measures (septels), the GONL is focusing on
increasing awareness of the dangers of radical Islam,
particularly among vulnerable populations, and on increasing
the ability of individuals to counter the appeal of extremist
groups. The GONL's plan notes that defending oneself against
radicalization requires specific knowledge and skills,
including knowing how to live with Islam in a secular and
Western society and respect for the democratic legal order.

6. (C) The GONL has announced the creation of neighborhood
social network groups comprised of influential community
members whom educators, police or parents can contact at the
first signs of radicalization. This group will also have
non-advertised contact with the Dutch government and security
services, but will serve as a first line of defense within
the community against radicalization.

7. (C) The national government has also commissioned a
study, to be completed by year's end, on the causes of
radicalization and effective strategies for countering it.
The National Counter Terrorism Board (NCTB) has also begun to
monitor radical websites active in the Netherlands and is
carrying out notice and take down procedures.

LOCAL EFFORTS:
-------------

8. (C) Since the populations considered most vulnerable to
radicalization are concentrated in urban areas, many of the
most active counter-extremism programs have developed at the
local level. The quasi-governmental Netherlands Institute
for Safety and Crisis Management (COT) has developed
anti-radicalization programs for the cities of Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, including guidance for local authorities on
early-warning signs of radicalization. The programs are
fairly comprehensive and include measures to combat
discrimination, promote integration, and foster positive
school environments on the neighborhood level. Another
aspect of the program is the creation of a central
information house or clearinghouse that collects
information on groups within the Muslim community from
various local government agencies (i.e. welfare, tax,
passport, etc.) The information house has some tangential
contact with law enforcement, but seeks to avoid overt ties
because of political sensitivities. Project coordinators
originally envisaged creating a database to manage
information on a citywide basis, but legal restrictions
including strict privacy laws have stymied progress. The
information house will analyze information and look for
trends and indicators that reveal radicalization among youths.

9. (C) Another aspect of the plans is an early-warning
radicalization indicator checklist. The list, which is being
compiled by local law enforcement officials with support from
the intelligence services, draws from input provided by
social scientists, teachers, community leaders, and others
living and working directly with vulnerable populations.
Some indicators on the list include: relatively sudden change
in appearance or activity; sudden interest in religion;
increasingly homophobic or bigoted displays of
discrimination; increasing isolation, disaffection or
absences, following of a radical figure or participation in
independent religious groups, decreasing respect for women
and authorities, perception of Western society as the enemy,
and decreasing involvement in crime. The list is not
intended to be a comprehensive checklist, but rather a tool
for local law enforcement officials and others to help
identify potentially extremist individuals and groups early
in the radicalization process.

10. (C) In addition to these new plans, municipalities with
sizable at-risk populations already have the City of
Amsterdam has $61 million euros for integration and
anti-radicalization efforts, some of which comes from EU
funds and the rest from city revenues. One program
implemented by the city is And Now Something Positive,
which provides a trip to Morocco for 20 Dutch-Moroccan
at-risk youth for three weeks to complete service programs.
Many of these programs are long-standing; for example,
Mohammed Bouyeri, the convicted murderer of filmmaker Theo
van Gogh, grew up in an Amsterdam neighborhood that has
numerous community-based initiatives. One of them is an
award winning crime prevention scheme entitled Neighborhood
Fathers. The group, a neighborhood watch program to inform
authorities of illegal and extremist activity, was
established in 1999 after riots erupted between Moroccan
youth and local police.

NGOs
----

11. (C) The government has engaged NGOs and
quasi-governmental organizations in developing and
implementing some of the anti-radicalization strategies. In
September, three Dutch mosques in Amsterdam drafted a code of
conduct in cooperation with local authorities to help fight
radicalism, promote democratic values and encourage imams to
speak Dutch in return for stronger action on discrimination
against Muslims. Also, a private Dutch foundation that
provides consulting advice to small businesses has recently
implemented a project to provide such marketing, financial,
and legal services to immigrant entrepreneurs in ethnic
communities.

EFFECTIVENESS OF DUTCH PROGRAMS:
-------------------------------

12. (C) The comprehensive national anti-radicalization plan
is still in the early stages of being implemented, so its
real impact cannot be judged at this time. There is no
question that relations between Muslim and non-Muslim
populations in the Netherlands is a politically volatile
issue, and there is broad agreement that engaging the Muslim
community to reduce radicalization should be a high priority
of the government at all levels. On the other hand, Minister
Verdonk -- who is personally identified with controversial
proposals to reduce Muslim immigration and to remove
radical imams from the Netherlands -- is extremely
unpopular among the Dutch Muslim population. The fact that
her ministry is developing and championing the latest
government outreach programs is, therefore, cause for
skepticism. Although Verdonk's ministry has sought the input
of Muslim organizations in developing its ideas, a contact in
her recently confided that overcoming the doubts of the
Muslim community regarding the government's intentions will
be a major challenge.

13. (C) The government recognizes that existing integration
and community policing efforts at the local level have more
credibility and better chances of success than a new national
initiatives. For this reason, many of the proposals in
Verdonk's plan are intended to reinforce and strengthen local
efforts. For example, the plan envisions establishing a
national center acting as extremist hotline/call center to
provide support to local community officials. A community
policeman from Amsterdam recently told post that having
access to such a center might have helped local police deal
with Mohammed Bouyeri (Theo van Gogh's murderer) before he
turned to violence. The policeman, who knew Bouyeri
personally from this former involvement in community
activities, had been arrested one month prior to the murder
for riding a metro train without a ticket. The policeman
observed that Bouyeri had drastically changed his appearance
-- growing longer hair and a full beard -- and refused to
shake hands with his former, non-Muslim, friends. The
community policeman notified the police intelligence unit
about his concerns, but there was no mechanism in place to
effectively deal with Bouyeri's dramatic evolution and danger
signs.

II. U.S. MISSION OUTREACH
-------------------------

GENERAL APPROACH
----------------

14. (C) Embassy The Hague and the Amsterdam Consulate are
actively broadening their existing networks of Muslim
contacts, NGO's, and other organizations dealing with Muslim
youth. In this regard, the International Visitor Leadership
Program (IVLP) has been especially effective tool. Upon
their return from the U.S., Muslim participants in this
program have helped broaden the Mission's circle of contacts
by helping to set up joint events and other outreach
activities. Each year since 2001, an increasing portion of
the Mission's IVLP slate has been filled by Dutch Muslims, a
trend the mission fully intends to continue (see below). The
Mission Program Plan (MPP) will be modified this year to
reflect the higher priority given to expanding Mission
contacts with and understanding of the Dutch Muslim
community.

SPECIFIC STEPS:
--------------

MISSION-WIDE
------------

15. (C) To better coordinate its outreach and reporting
activities related to countering extremism, the Mission
established an Integration Issues Working Group in August,
2005 to bring together all relevant Embassy elements. The
group is chaired by the Political Counselor and includes
representatives from ECON, PA, GLO, RSO, FCS, LEGATT,
AMCONSULATE Amsterdam, and other Mission elements. The
Charge D'Affaires actively follows and participates in the
activities of the Working Group, which meets every two weeks,
to review Mission activities in this area and to develop
future plans. Among the projects initiated specifically by
the Group to improve the sharing of information are:

-- A mission-wide data base of contacts in the Dutch Muslim
community and others involved in
integration/counter-radicalization efforts;
-- A calendar of upcoming Muslim- or extremism-related events;
-- An archive of public and mission-produced documents
related to counter-extremism in the Netherlands.
-- Detailed reporting and outreach plans for each section.

16. (C) Since August the Working Group has developed a
comprehensive engagement plan for Ramadan 2005, identified
four new Muslim IV candidates, and conducted a series of
round table discussions on integration and extremism with
local contacts chaired by the Charge d'Affaires. The Country
Team has adopted a policy of inviting at least one
Dutch-Muslim contact to all Embassy receptions and events.
During the upcoming Ramadan season, the Charge will host (for
the first time) an Iftar dinner at his residence, and will
also invite Ambassadors and Consuls from predominantly Muslim
countries to a separate event. Embassy participants will
attend Iftar dinners with Dutch Muslim families in
conjunction with the country's first nationwide Ramadan
Festival.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS
--------------

17. (C) During the current fiscal year, the Mission sent four
Dutch Muslim IV grantees to the U.S. Two participated in a
program on E-Commerce and the U.S. Economy and two in
Managing Diversity in a Multi-Ethnic Society. Furthermore,
the Embassy hosted 'Citizen Diplomat' Nassar Beydoun, Member
of the Board of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce and
President, Project Control Systems Inc. His program included
meetings with the Dutch government, City of The Hague and
City of Amsterdam officials, young ethnic entrepreneurs,
Muslim students, and a dinner with former Muslim IVLP alumni.
Last year the Ambassador, the PAO and PD staff attended two
Iftar dinners in Amsterdam.

18. (C) In November, Dr. Gary Weaver, an International
Affairs professor and immigration and multi-cultural expert
at American University, will serve as a U.S. speaker on the
topic, Immigrants, Identity and Integration in
Multi-Cultural Democracies. The target audience are Muslim
groups and Dutch officials who are engaged in integration
initiatives. Public Affairs promoted Dutch involvement in
the State Department's 9/28 web chat with Dr. Weaver on this
topic. The Public Affairs section has also helped line up
American speakers for the national Ramadan festival, such as
Dr. Kamran Ali, a visiting American Fulbright Scholar at
Leiden University, Dr. Jessica Stern of Harvard University,
and Dr. Shabbir Mansuri, the Founding Director of the Council
on Islamic Education (based in San Francisco). The section
is also attempting to place op-ed pieces in community
newspapers in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods.

19. (C) In consultation with Public Affairs section the
Fulbright commission has greatly stepped up its outreach to
Dutch Muslims. The commission hired a part-time Dutch
Turkish immigrant who has helped the commission to increase
the number of Dutch immigrant applicants for Fulbright study
grants. For example, 27 Dutch immigrant applicants submitted
applications before the 9/16/05 Early Application deadline
out of 181 applicants.

20. (C) The Public Affairs section is also actively engaging
media outlets to promote the counter-extremism agenda. For
example, the Embassy sponsored a U.S. reporting tour for
journalists from four Dutch cities with large Muslim
populations focused on the immigration, integration, and
assimilation experience in the U.S. The Section is also
working to place op-ed style pieces in community newspapers
in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods.

OTHER SECTIONS
--------------

21. (C) In coordination with the Working Group and Public
Affairs, other Mission elements have actively stepped up
their outreach to the Muslim community and other activities
to reflect Mission priorities. These include:

-- Consulate General: Consulate staff have stepped up their
already active outreach to Dutch Muslim community leaders in
Amsterdam, including by visiting mosques and participating in
mosque-sponsored events. The Consul General regularly
attends meetings with local Muslim groups, has attended Iftar
events. In September, 2005 she represented the USG at the
opening of a new Islamic University in Rotterdam..

-- Political Section: POL requested and received in August a
Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) to focus exclusively on
issues related to Dutch Muslim integration, radicalization,
and extremism. Her efforts have already substantially
enhanced the Section's contact base and reporting
opportunities. The Political Section is also engaging with
Dutch government and think-tank contacts on the possibility
of organizing an Islamic Extremism conference in the
Netherlands sometime in the coming year.

-- Global Issues: The Global Issues section has engaged the
Ministries responsible for anti-radicalization programs,
including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has extensively
researched local governments' anti-radicalization programs.
The section is also preparing an IV visit for a policy
officer at the National Counter Terrorism Board who works on
anti-radicalization issues.

-- Foreign Commercial Service: FCS has intensified its
engagement with minority business owners and community
leaders. It is participating in the Black Woman Business
Owners' Association, which includes Muslim women business
leaders. FCS is also actively recruiting Dutch-Muslim
students for its intern program.

-- Economic Section: ECON will cooperate with FCS in
outreach activity, and is drafting a report detailing the
socioeconomic realities of Muslims in the Netherlands.

BLAKEMAN

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