The Council of the Egyptian Community in the Netherlands, has summoned parliament by letter to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from opening an office in the Netherlands. The immediate cause is an article in the Egyptian newspaper Youm7.Youm7 reported a couple of days ago that the Muslim Brotherhood is planning on opening an office in Amsterdam. An inaugural meeting already took place in a mosque, that was not mentioned by name. Sources within the intelligence services and diplomatic world seriously doubt the truth of the article.
The purpose of the office is to bring the cause of the Brotherhood international attention. Hence the choice of Netherlands. The International Criminal Court is located here and cases against the Egyptian government will also be brought before this court.
The new facility will also be used to affect Europe’s public opinion, reports Youm7. Also Amsterdam would be a better location than London to organize meetings for members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe.
An official office of the Brotherhood would put The Netherlands in an awkward position. The Muslim Brotherhood is not on the list of banned terrorist organizations and a branch is legally difficult to refuse. Also, by the arrival of an official office, Netherlands would run the risk that the tensions in Egypt would also arise here.
However, it is doubtful whether there will be an office in Netherlands. The source of the article is anonymous. And Youm7 is known as a newspaper that has bluntly chosen the side of the army. The newspaper has also printed incorrect news in the past, for instance when they claimed that Egyptian Copts no longer need a visa to enter The Netherlands.
This message was from a correspondent in The Netherlands, just like the message about the new office. In circles of the Muslim Brothers in The Netherlands, the story of the opening of an office is totally unknown as well, says one of them.
The message in Youm7 appears to be a hoax. The question remains why this message was brought into the world in the first place. According to intelligence sources the message fits the polarization process taking place in Egypt. Suggesting the Muslim Brotherhood seeks safe haven in The Netherlands, discredits the organization. After all, the average Egyptian does not appreciate the West.
The Council of the Egyptian Community in the Netherlands plans to use all legal means to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood to take up residence in the Netherlands.