Amsterdam
At least 18 of the Netherlands’ busiest mosques have lost their imams in the last few months, the Dutch Immigration Service said this week. The imams, all Turks, were deported after failing to take a test of Dutch language and culture. Since March, all immigrants, even those who have lived in the Netherlands for years, have been required to return to their countries of origin to take the test at a Dutch embassy. The imams ignored that requirement, and when the deadline passed, were deported. The Islamic Institute of the Netherlands, complaining that the travel requirement was disruptive to religious life, wanted imams to have the option of taking the test in the Netherlands. But Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk would not allow exceptions. “We have one law here,” she said, “and even imams have to obey it.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
