Dutch Prime Minister Under Harsh Criticism for Wishing Muslims a Happy Ramadan

Amsterdam, 12 Ramadan 1437/18 June 2016 (MINA) – The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, received a storm of criticism after wishing Muslims a “nice Ramadan” yesterday.

It is the first time that the Prime Minister has wished Dutch Muslims a happy Ramadan, mwn.com was quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The PM tweeted: “I want to wish the one million Muslims in the Netherlands a nice Ramadan. Ramadan kareem.”

Geert Wilders, the leader of the opposition party and a self-proclaimed anti-Islamist, responded to the message of the Prime Minister calling him “crazy.”

Wilders was not the only one to criticize his message to Muslims. Many other Dutch citizens condemned Rutte’s move toward Muslims, wondering why Rutte did not send similar wishes during Christmas or other important national festivities to other groups. Some even equated wishing Ramadan Mubarak with anti-Semitism.

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Both U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted similar messages without stirring any controversy in their respective countries. Cameron sent his very best wishes to everyone who is observing the holy month of Ramadan. And Obama wished everyone a Ramadan Kareem.

Some of the reactions were harshly critical of Islam itself with many associating Islam with murder and oppression. Some went so far as to claim that the Dutch Premier’s message to Muslims “is a slap in the face of the victims of Islam.” (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)