VZCZCXRO7917
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHTC #0257/01 0380627
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070627Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4730
INFO RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 0327
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000257 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/UBI, EUR/PPD 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO NL
SUBJECT: DUTCH REACTIONS TO CARTOON CONTROVERSY 
 
 
THE HAGUE 00000257  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFED:  Please handle accordingly 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: As of 6 February, there has been no 
violence in the Netherlands in response to the controversial 
cartoons, though daily newspaper "De Volkskrant" received a 
bomb threat for having reprinted the Danish cartoons.  The 
Prime Minister emphasized the primacy of law in resolving 
disputes peacefully in a democracy.  Amsterdam's Mayor Cohen 
said the city's Muslim communities are restive and an ugly 
incident could easily occur.  Amsterdam and Rotterdam 
officials will meet Muslim community leaders throughout the 
week.  Muslim organizations are considering staging peaceful 
protests in the near future.  One liberal Muslim 
organization called on Muslims to forgive the cartoonists 
and refrain from actions that would only damage the image of 
Islam.  Muslim media contacts said rioting in Middle Eastern 
cities was not a surprise, but two found the magnitude 
"exaggerated."  Many Muslim contacts were equally concerned 
about the anti-Semitic cartoons on the Arab European League 
website.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) In a statement on February 3, Premier Balkenende said 
he "regrets" the threats from Muslims over the Danish 
cartoons on the Prophet Mohammed. "Thankfully, we have 
freedom of speech here".  "In our world, we step to court 
when someone crosses the line. It has no room for threats 
and people taking the role of judges." The PM added, "We 
must realize what these images and ideas can cause in 
others." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Amma Asante, Amsterdam City Council member with 
particular responsibility for diversity issues and youth, 
said:  "We haven't noticed anything related to the Danish 
cartoons.  Probably the Muslims in Amsterdam will be hurt by 
the cartoons, but it has not led to any problems whatsoever. 
Dutch Muslims are rather liberal compared to other Muslims. 
The Muslims from Morocco are not to be compared with the 
Muslims from Saudi Arabia.  That might be part of the reason 
we have not had any problems.  We do have problems with our 
Muslim youth, but those children are not religious at all. 
Their frustrations are with their social and economic 
isolation, and with incidents of discrimination.  Employers 
are not keen to hire them because they are afraid to employ 
them - afraid that they are violent and intolerant." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ton Smakman, District Coordinator for Youth, 
Amsterdam Police:  "I am very worried, of course, because 
there has been a lot of publicity about these cartoons and 
the reaction in other countries, and I know they are busy 
with the subject on the Internet.  So far I have not seen 
anything related to this here, no graffiti, no unrest. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Adnan Tekin, Policy Adviser, Office of the Mayor in 
Amsterdam: "There were some people giving out flyers in 
Amsterdam on Saturday, condemning the cartoons but it was 
peaceful. This weekend I spoke to some people in my 
neighborhood; they were angry about the cartoons, 
specifically about the fact that they depict the Prophet as 
a terrorist.  But I heard no suggestion of anyone wanting to 
react as they have done in Brussels or Paris.  .  Following 
the murder of Theo van Gogh there was quite some discussion 
about freedom of speech here in Amsterdam, and maybe this 
situation with the cartoons will generate continued 
discussion on that subject.  This is not a new discussion 
for Amsterdam." 
 
¶6. (SBU) U.S. Mission staff contacted Muslim contacts on 
February 6 to reiterate the USG's points about the cartoon 
controversy and to take the pulse of Dutch Muslim 
communities on the issue.  Most discussions centered on 
where to draw the line on freedom of expression.  "It's fine 
to have freedom of speech, but clever people should be able 
to estimate the impact of the cartoons will have," said one 
contact.  "Reprinting the cartoons has nothing to do with 
solidarity.  If you want to show solidarity, then come up 
with a new cartoon," noted another. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Daily "De Volkskrant" reprinted the Danish cartoons 
months ago when the controversy first appeared, and again in 
its February 4th edition.  The paper reported on February 4 
that its offices received a bomb threat last week, so the 
paper has stepped up security.  The Danish ambassador said 
on February 6 that neither she nor her embassy had received 
any threats but that police have put extra patrols around 
the Danish chancery and residence, which is located adjacent 
to the DCMR. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Current affairs TV program "NOVA" on February 4 
 
THE HAGUE 00000257  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
interviewed Mr. Abu Jha Jha, chairman of the Arab European 
League (AEL), and Arab expert Ruud Jansen on the cartoons. 
AEL placed on its website anti-Semitic cartoons in the name 
of "freedom of expression."  More moderate observers 
disagreed with that approach, and some questioned whether 
Abu Jha Jha is an appropriate spokesperson for the Muslim 
communities.  Said one person:  "Abu Jha Jha doesn't 
represent your average Dutch Muslim." 
 
¶9. (SBU) One Muslim contact noted with alarm that on 
February 3 in the as-Soennah mosque in The Hague, the imam 
reportedly said in a sermon, "Insulting the beloved prophet 
is one million times worse than killing all the Jews in the 
world."  Many contacts disagreed with the anti-Semitic 
cartoons placed on the AEL site, but differed on whether the 
suit filed by the Center for Information and Documentation 
on Israel (CIDI) was the right response.  One person thought 
it would escalate matters; another thought it the right 
response and that the courts should rule on the matter. 
 
¶10. (SBU) ULAMON, the Union of Lahore Ahmadiyaa Muslim 
Organizations in the Netherlands, issued a statement calling 
on Muslims to show forgiveness, noting, "the cartoons could 
never be strong enough to weaken the beauty of Islam."  It 
called on all Muslims to stop violent actions since they 
only damage the image of Islam.  The group said that, 
instead, believers should make the cartoonists aware of 
their mistake and ask them to show more courtesy to others. 
The statement supported its assertion with verses from the 
Koran.  ULAMON is a 60-year old association of four Muslim 
organizations who present Islam as a liberal, rational and 
tolerant faith. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Amsterdam officials are scheduled to meet with 
Muslim community leaders on February 6.  Rotterdam officials 
hope to do the same later this week.  Amsterdam has the 
country's largest Muslim population, and Rotterdam the 
second. One contact said the Contact Group for Muslims and 
Government (CMO) has been meeting with counterparts in 
Denmark and Brussels to coordinate their responses.  The CMO 
is considering plans for marches in Rotterdam or Amsterdam. 
The organization is waiting until 8 February to see what the 
government's response will be. 
BLAKEMAN