Jahjah's Arab European League
Will Campaign in The Netherlands

Utrecht - The Dutch branch of the new European political party, the Arab European League (AEL), was presented by its Belgian leader Mr. Dyab Abou Jahjah and the interim head of the AEL, Mr. Jamil Jawad, 38, in the Netherlands, at a meeting in Utrecht on 2 March. This was a first stop of Mr. Jahjah in a series of lectures to be presented throughout the country in the coming week.

The gathering in Utrecht was meant to introduce the AEL and its programme to the Netherlands. The first and most important point of the organization in the Netherlands, said Mr. Jahjah, is to emphasize the importance of citizenship for the Moroccan community rather than integration. "What is integration? Native Dutchmen have to obey the law, that is the only criteria. We live here as well. You are not simply hosting us as guests, as this is also our house. We, therefore, want a part in the discussion on how best to furnish the house".

The meeting in Utrecht, organized by the Moroccan/Dutch Academics Union (Umah), was also cause for a protest demonstration by Moroccan youth who identify themselves with the Berbers in Morocco and not with the Arabs. Abou Jahjah was born in Lebanon. According to a spokesman for his group, "He (Jahjah) is not offering a solution. His hatred of the Jews is very bad. He carries us along, he sews divisions and involves us in the difficulties of the Middle East, while we here in the Netherlands are interested in solving our own problems".

The Dutch interim chairman of AEL NL, Jamil Jawad, told some 200 Moroccan youth attending the meeting, that, "We want to become a political party and a highly activist movement. Our starting assumptions are Arab-Islamic norms and values". The AEL is necessary, said Jawad, because of the, "hatred which is directed against everything Arab and Muslim, the erosion of religious freedom and freedom of speech and the pro-American and pro-Zionist policy of the Dutch Government".

The AEL, said the political scientist Jawad, believes the State of Israel should be "dismantled" and to this effect, he said, the AEL will hold demonstrations in an attempt to persuade the Dutch Government to adopt such a policy.

Mr. Jahjah presented in general outline the position of the party when it "hopefully" participates in the general election of 2006. As for those who hold the Islamic faith, the Netherlands should designate important Islamic dates on the calendar as national holidays and educational institutions should have courses in the Berber, Arabic and Turkish languages.

The laws regarding marriage should be transformed into contracts based on religious convictions. The minimal age for entering into a conjugal relationship would be sixteen years. There would be no need to build more homes for the elderly as they would live with their children.

It would be against the law to sell alcohol in supermarkets and prostitution and drugs would be illegal. Moreover, sexist advertising would be banned and zero tolerance should be the attitude of law enforcement officials. 3 March 2003