Netherlands: PM denies policies are anti-Islam

Netherlands: PM denies policies are anti-Islam

Via RNW:
Mr Wilders' Freedom Party isn't officially part of the new cabinet - they're supporting the government from parliament - but they've got an agenda and they're not afraid to push it. In this case, the issue being pushed is Wilders' ambition to combat the spread of Islam and, even as Mark Rutte was sworn in as prime minister, one of the senior figures in the Freedom Party, MEP Barry Madlener, said this cabinet's policies are meant to do just that.

Prime Minister Rutte disagrees.

"I’m not focused on Islam. Which explains why the PVV [Wilders’ Freedom Party, ed.] is not in government. We hold different views about the nature of Islam. But they have every right to present their arguments.”

Mr Rutte and his governing partners have agreed to disagree about their interpretation of immigration policy. But the policy itself has been agreed upon, and Geert Wilders helped write a lot of what is going to be implemented.

His influence on the coalition's plans can be seen in particular in the new, much stricter immigration and integration policy. For example, family reunification will become more difficult, new Dutch passports will become conditional, and holders of double nationality can more easily lose their Dutch citizenship.

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