Hague: Student tries to pray in parliament, arrested for terrorism

Hague: Student tries to pray in parliament, arrested for terrorism

Last week Izz ad-Din Ruhulessin wanted to pray in the Dutch parliament building and was arrested for preparing a terrorist attack.

An intermission in the tour of Parliament, a good time to pray.  So thought the Arabic and political science student from Nijmegen Izz ad-Din Ruhulessin last week.  He put his scarf on the ground by the entrance to the main building (Ridderzaal) and began to pray. But an agent quickly intervened.  "He said that demonstrating was forbidden," says Ruhulessin.  "I had to identify myself and open my bag.  He said that he was never good in languages but was in chemistry.  A zero plus zero could give a big explosion.  He insinuated that I could have committed an attack.  He spoke with colleagues and when it turned out that I had a traffic fine open.  Therefore had to go with him to the police station."

After he paid the fine, he had to wait for a long time.  The Ruhulessin got to hear the charge: preparing a terrorist attack.  The laptop, voice recorder and mobile phone in his bag were the cause.  A while later the student was freed: nothing was found.  His picture was taken.  End of adventure.  Conclusion: the Hague cop was too enthusiastic.

But is Ruhulessin, of Moluccan/Dutch origin, who converted to Islam three years ago, really that innocent?  He turns out to be an active poster on various internet forums.  And those are far from reasonableness and moderation.  For example on Wij Blijven Hier: "Integration is an act of the kufr brother, therefore keep away from it inshallah.  Integration is namely to say that Dutch norms and values are better than those of Allah the only legitimate legislator."  And when somebody remarks that there's nothing funny when people who criticize Islam are killed or threatened: "They should not 'criticize' Islam.  They only have themselves to blame."

On the same site Ruhulessin writes: "I understand very well (though I don't think it's the preferable method) that western NGO'ers will be killed, seeing that most Western NGOs use their work as a front to force Western norms and values in our countries."

And there are more lectures, in which the student displays his not very subtle view of Dutch society.


Q: Izz ad-Din Ruhulessin, how is that?

A: Well, on such an internet forum it's always more un-nuanced than it is.  Some things I type provocatively on purpose.  Sometimes it's somewhat trivial.  It doesn't always make sense to argue, because the other people only see their own point of view.  I think that it's wasted trouble to dedicate three more pages to it.  But it's such that I sometimes let myself be provoked too quickly.  You know that people there are somewhat bad to listen to, so you take it out on them.  I never said that people should be killed or so.  That postings that I post on mailing lists are for that matter much more nuanced.

Q: you don't stand behind what you wrote any more?

A: Yes, but I'm studying.  Than I get sometimes new insights.  Something like that develops. Moreover, I've stopped with responding on internet forums.

Q: We read postings from a very short time ago

A: OK, I sometimes do it a bit.  But much less than in the past.


Source: HP/De Tijd (Dutch)

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