The Dutch House of Representatives has adopted a motion to ban the Muslim Brotherhood.
The motion, proposed by Party for Freedom (PVV) MPs Maikel Boon and Geert Wilders on March 9, requests that the government ban the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliated organizations in the Netherlands. It received 76 votes.
The text of the motion references the fact that a French government report warns of the long-term infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood, with its ultimate goal being to establish an Islamist state based on Sharia, and the fact that the French parliament, on January 22, adopted a resolution to ban the Muslim Brotherhood.
Boon and Wilders also submitted several other motions, all of which were rejected by the House. These include:
“Islam does not belong to the Netherlands;" “All Islamic schools should be closed;" “A legal ban on the wearing of Islamic head coverings by underage girls in primary and secondary education;" “Denaturalization and forced re-migration of dual nationals convicted by final judgment of a serious crime;" “A voluntary re-migration scheme for non-Western immigrants with Dutch nationality;" and “Tightening of the Civic Integration Act 2021 to make civic integration an effectively enforceable obligation.”
This is not the first time PVV has tried to ban the MB; however, it is the first time it has succeeded.
Those in opposition to the motion pointed out that the Muslim Brotherhood was not mentioned as a threat in the most recent Terrorist Threat Assessment for the Netherlands by the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), implying that the organization is not a threat to Dutch soil.
Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) MP Tijs van den Brink also said that, according to intelligence service AIVD, the Muslim Brotherhood does not take the typical form of a terror organization and therefore cannot be banned. CDA voted against the motion.
Powerful, but not yet law
While an adopted motion is politically powerful, it does not automatically become law.
First, the Dutch government must decide whether to carry the motion. If it does, the responsible minister (usually the Justice minister) must then decide whether there is sufficient legal basis to attempt a ban.
The Dutch system generally bans organizations only if they threaten public order or the democratic constitutional state.
At this point, the Public Prosecution Service brings a proposal before a civil court to declare the organization illegal under Article 2:20 of the Dutch Civil Code. The Dutch court then examines whether evidence shows that the organization operates in the Netherlands, engages in activities threatening public order, or promotes unlawful conduct.
If the court agrees, it can then declare the organization prohibited and banned.