Rotterdam: Top official has links to radical Turkish organization
A top official in Rotterdam, Bilal Taner, is in contact with a Turkish radical-Islamist organization, which is fiercely anti-Israeli and anti-American, openly supports the Hamas terror organization and glorifies martyrdom for Jihadists.
The warm personal connection with Rotterdam senior adviser Bilal Taner was recently clarified when he was extensively congratulated in an orthodox-religious manner on the Haksöz Haber website for the birth of his daughter. This website serves as a platform for radical Islamists, anti-Israeli and anti-American authors. The radical Turkish movement reject societies which are not based on the Koran.
The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism wrote in a 2005 report that "Haksöz is a Turkish-language Jihad website which glorifies martyrdom, calls for resistance against the occupation in Iraq and the Palestinian territories and shows torture scenes in Iraq". The website shows photos of dead Hamas members with titles such as "to the light of the Koran" and "The martyrs light our way."
The movement supports the armed struggle of Hamas, Which is called a terrorist organization by the EU. In the German-language American Jewish Committee 2006 report "Antisemitism - Made in Iran" (Antisemitismus - Made in Iran) it says: "The goals of Haksöz include uniting Muslims in the battle against Israel and the United States".
The orthodox-religious congratulations to 'our brother in Rotterdam' is signed by prominent members of the Turkish Hasöz Haber movement. Several of the congratulations to the Rotterdam policy official come from important activists who were passengers on the Mavi Marmaris, one of the ship in the flotilla which recently tried to break through the Gaza blockade. The attempt ended in a bloody encounter with the Israeli navy where several people were killed. The dead activists are honored as martyrs by Haksöz.
Prominent members of the Turkish organization Özgür-Der also congratulate 'our Rotterdam brother'. Özgür-Der is an organization which works closely with Haksöz Haber. Özgür-Der said in a recent publication that the US intimidates the Muslim world with the occupation of Afghanistan.
Sources in the municipality characters the high official as 'a man with extreme religious views'. Leefbaar Rotterdam responded in shock to the De Telegraaf research. "Inconceivable that such people are taken for such important positions. Apparently officials are not screened before they deal with precarious issues as integration," says council member Anita Fähmel. She demanded a written clarification from the city administration.
In the past Fähmel asked Parliament to deal with the Turkish Fethullah Gülen organization. "This eventually led to a study by the state of this organization, in which you saw infiltration of ultra-orthodox Muslims in the municipality and municipal districts."
The top official refused to comment, despite extensive written questions from De Telegraaf. The municipality says they see "no reason to doubt his integrity".
Source: De Telegraaf (Dutch)
