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The slow suicide of the West continues. Muslim communities are forming across the Netherlands, and Sharia Law is slowly taking hold. None of this apparently matters though, as the people of Rotterdam have voted in a Muslim mayor. Unifying Dutch city falls to Muslim mayor In Rotterdam, where cultural and social divides are apparent, the burden of bridging them now belongs to Morocco-born Ahmed Aboutaleb. How he fares could matter beyond his city's borders.

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands — When two inspectors swung open the doors of a battered red shipping container here, they confronted a graveyard of Europe’s electronic waste — old wires, electricity meters, circuit boards — mixed with remnants of cardboard and plastic. “This is supposed to be going to China, but it isn’t going anywhere,” said Arno Vink, an inspector from the Dutch environment ministry who impounded the container because of Europe’s strict new laws that place restrictions on all types of waste exports, from dirty pipes to broken computers to household trash. Exporting waste illegally to poor countries has become...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch city of Rotterdam and its university have fired Swiss Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan as an adviser to the city over his involvement with groups that detractors say hurt his role as an expert on integration issues. Ramadan is a visiting professor of theology at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands' second-largest city. Rotterdam's mayor is Ahmed Aboutaleb, a Muslim who was formerly junior minister for social affairs and who has vowed to ease tensions between the city's native Dutch and a growing immigrant population. Ramadan was criticized after media reported last week he was hosting...

Note: The following news brief is a quote: - In cooperation with various other countries, Dutch authorities have rounded up a big cocaine gang that had links with Hezbollah. Seventeen suspects were arrested on Curacao, the biggest island of the Netherlands Antilles, the Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) has revealed. International cooperation between police and judicial services of the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles, Belgium, Colombia, Venezuela and the US led to the arrest of the 17 suspects by the Curacao police. They are believed to be part of a drugs and money-laundering organisation with international branches, thought to be responsible...

ROTTERDAM, 28/02/09 - On Friday night, a Muslim stand-up comedian was scheduled to give a show in a Rotterdam theatre with segregated seating for the men and women in his audience. Moroccan-born writer and TV producer Salaheddine Benchikhi was to make his debut as a stand-up comedian at Theater Zuidplein in Rotterdam. At his request, the theatre said it would offer female audience members the option of sitting apart from the men, as Algemeen Dagblad reported several hours before the show on Friday. According to the newspaper, 50 of the 590 seats had been reserved for women who object to...

UTRECHT, 28/01/09 - Labour (PvdA) leader Wouter Bos is urging "a civilized form of nationalism." This should however include pride by the Dutch of having a Muslim as the mayor of Rotterdam, he said at a party meeting in Utrecht. Bos spoke at the party meeting about the Integration Memorandum the PvdA wants to present to its members in March. A draft version was drawn up in December in which the traditional party line - immigrants enrich the Dutch society - appeared to have been replaced by a message in which there is also room for criticism. This week, however,...

> With tensions soaring and anger toward the city's large Moroccan and Turkish immigrant populations rising, Aboutaleb went to one of the city's most prominent mosques with a blunt message for worshippers: integrate or leave. >

Amsterdam - Moroccan-Dutch politician Ahmed Aboutaleb was sworn in on Monday as mayor of Rotterdam, the second largest city of the Netherlands. The 47-year-old Labour politician is the first mayor of a Dutch city to be born and raised outside the Netherlands. He is also the first Muslim to become a mayor in the Netherlands. Some 45 per cent of Rotterdam's half a million citizens were born outside the Netherlands or have foreign-born parents. The city suffers from a broad range of socio-economic problems. Crime involving the migrant community is an ongoing issue that causes tension with Dutch-born citizens. Speaking...

INVERNESS, Scotland, November 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A British teen who has multiple sclerosis now claims she is walking after umbilical cord stem cell therapy she traveled abroad to receive. Wheelchair-bound since 2003, 19 year-old Amanda Bryson told The Herald that she has been walking daily since immediately after her treatment from a private clinic in the Netherlands Friday. Believed to be the only British beneficiary of the umbilical cord stem cell therapy, Bryson said this week, "It sounds shocking, but I could feel the difference after just five minutes. Since the treatment I have been transformed. I am doing...

Dutch mosque razed:- BRUSSELS | June 15, 2005 6:13:54 PM IST A mosque was gutted by an arson attack in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire has yet to be established, but slogans painted on the wall of the mosque point to the probable involvement of extreme right-wing groups opposed to Muslim immigration. No mosque in south read one slogan, while another said Theo R.I.P -- a reference to the controversial filmmaker Theo van Gogh who was slain by a Muslim fanatic in November. After the killing, several...

AMSTERDAM — A court in Rotterdam imposed a three-year sentence on Tuesday on a Moroccan-Dutch man for trying to recruit fellow prisoners for a Muslim holy war. Bilal L., 21, was serving a 10-month jail sentence for threatening MP Geert Wilders when he asked fellow prisoners to supply weapons and explosives. The panel of three judges also accepted L. tried to recruit inmates to carry out attacks on the "enemies of Islam". L. is a friend of Mohammed Bouyeri who was jailed for life last year for killing film director Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004. Earlier this year...

AMSTERDAM — Shots were fired as police raided a building on the Moerweg in The Hague on Friday. Dutch parliament buildings hermetically sealed by police Witnesses reported seeing masked men with automatic weapons entering a flat complex on Moerweg which has been sealed off by the police. Radio 1 News was told of people hearing gunfire. The police in The Hague have declined to comment at this stage about the reports. A spokesperson would only say police operations are taking place at several locations in the city. She would also not confirm that a raid was carried out at a...

ROTTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch police arrested three men and a woman on Saturday after finding explosives in their apartment in the port city of Rotterdam, a police spokeswoman said. "We searched a house in Rotterdam early this morning based on information we had received," the spokeswoman said. She did not disclose what sort of explosives were found nor the identities of those arrested, but said they were being questioned by police. "The explosives are being brought to explode in an open area nearby and then an investigation will start," the spokeswoman said. During the raid, 15 residents from seven neighbouring...

If Pim Fortuyn knew, he would turn in his Provesanose grave. Not only was Mohammed the most popular name in Rotterdam for children, according to the Social Insurance Bank, nobody has named their child Pim.

ROTTERDAM - A man has been seriously wounded after a shooting this evening on the Heemraadssingel in Rotterdam. At around 6pm he was shot more than once....

ROTTERDAM - Police in Rotterdam removed this Wednesday a commandment from the Bible, 'Thou shalt not kill', from a wall in Rotterdam-North. A 52 year old man who tried to stop the police and the cleaners, was arrested. He was given a fine. A police-spokesman claimed Thursdag that the removal of the texts fits in the national instructions given to police-officers to be on alert on all possible signals of unrests or provocation. "On Wednesday evening we were told there was a text on a wall right next to a mosque in the Insulindestreet. There was already an attempt to...

Russia and Many Others Concerned at Iraqi Shipments of Scrap Metal With Items That Could Be Used to Make Banned Weapons UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Russia and many other Security Council nations expressed serious concern Wednesday that Iraq is shipping scrap metal that could be used to produce weapons of mass destruction out of the country to unknown destinations. At a closed-door council meeting, council members discussed a new report from U.N. weapons inspectors that Iraqi authorities for over a year have been shipping thousands of tons of scrap metal out of the country including at least 42 engines from...

THREE IMPORTANT (CONNECTED (?)) ARTICLES***************** 25 containers with imported scrap seized Ludhiana, October 28 Customs department on arrival in Ludhiana has seized twenty-five containers with imported scrap even as a special bomb disposal squad completed scanning of seven similar containers, in which over 10,000 explosives were found. Official sources said the customs department has informed the police about the seizure but the Special Bomb Disposal team of Punjab Armed Police, which finished searching containers of scrap at Dhandari Kalan dry port, has expressed its inability to continue with the scrutiny work. The team had segregated 10,525 explosive material including bombs,...

Yellowcake Found in Rotterdam Harbor May Have Originated in Iraq By Toby Sterling Associated Press Writer Published: Jan 15, 2004 AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - A recycling company found uranium oxide - a radioactive material also known as yellowcake - in a shipment of scrap steel it believes originally came from Iraq, the company said Thursday. Paul de Bruin, spokesman for Rotterdam-based Jewometaal, said that the shipment was passed on last month from a Jordan metal dealer who was unaware it contained any forbidden materials. "I've dealt with this man for 15 years and he says he's sure it came from...

A chance arrest in the city of Rotterdam and tapped telephone conversations were both key factors behind the move to the heightened terrorist alert that has been in place in the Netherlands since 9 July. On Wednesday, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that a 17-year-old Dutch Muslim youth had been arrested on 30 June on suspicion of involvement in a raid on a supermarket. A subsequent search of his home allegedly led to the discovery of a number of items which, while they had nothing to do with "ordinary" crime, could be connected with...

The United Nations has determined that Saddam Hussein shipped weapons of mass destruction components as well as medium-range ballistic missiles before, during and after the U.S.-led war against Iraq in 2003. The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission briefed the Security Council on new findings that could help trace the whereabouts of Saddam's missile and WMD program. The briefing contained satellite photographs that demonstrated the speed with which Saddam dismantled his missile and WMD sites before and during the war. Council members were shown photographs of a ballistic missile site outside Baghdad in May 2003, and then saw a satellite...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.N. weapons experts have found 20 engines used in banned Iraqi missiles in a Jordan scrapyard along with other equipment that could be used to make weapons of mass destruction, an official said Wednesday. The discoveries were revealed to the U.N. Security Council by acting chief U.N. inspector Demetrius Perricos during in a closed-door briefing. The text was obtained by The Associated Press. The U.N. team was following up on an earlier discovery of a similar Al Samoud 2 engine in a scrapyard in the Dutch port of Rotterdam. Perricos said inspectors also want to check...

The Netherlands has seen a shift in attitudes, with multiculturalism blamed for a host of ills EVERY morning Talin, an Iranian, waits for the letter she had hoped never to see. A doctor with a husband and a six-month-old baby, she has lived in Rotterdam for seven years with her parents and grandmother. But this week the Dutch Government passed a law ordering 26,000 failed asylum-seekers, herself among them, to return home, no excuses accepted. ?I can?t sleep. They say I must go back to our country, but it is not possible because we are political refugees,? she said in...

<p>AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — A recycling company found uranium oxide -- a radioactive material also known as yellowcake -- in a shipment of scrap steel it believes originally came from Iraq, the company said Thursday.</p> <p>Paul de Bruin, spokesman for Rotterdam-based Jewometaal, said that the shipment was passed on last month from a Jordan metal dealer who was unaware it contained any forbidden materials.</p>

<p>AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The U.N. nuclear watchdog confirmed Friday that Iraq was the likely source of radioactive material known as yellowcake (search) that was found in a shipment of scrap metal at Rotterdam harbor.</p> <p>Yellowcake, or uranium oxide, could be used to build a nuclear weapon, although it would take tons of the substance refined with sophisticated technology to harvest enough uranium for a single bomb.</p>

EU prostitute corridor may let in terror bomb AP[ SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2003 11:07:46 AM ] ROTTERDAM : Efforts to tighten security for sea-borne containers won't lessen the risk that terrorists could team up with criminal gangs to sneak a nuclear weapon into Europe by land, through the poorly policed Balkans, some security experts warn. Al-Qaeda or some other terrorist group could send a Soviet-built tactical warhead along the same, well-traveled routes that traffickers use to smuggle prostitutes and drugs into western Europe, said Tom Sanderson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington...

Rotterdam plans to ban poor immigrants from moving in Andrew Osborn Tuesday December 2, 2003 The Guardian The city of Rotterdam said yesterday that it wanted to ban poor and unemployed immigrants from moving there. In a move that is likely to cause uproar, the city council adopted a policy paper which it said sought to restore "long-term balance" to the city. Almost half the port city's 600,000 population is of non-Dutch origin and the council said it was keen to curb new immigration "of the wrong sort". Its policy paper stipulated that any newcomers must earn 20% more than...

ROTTERDAM, Wednesday - The construction of what will be the largest mosque in Europe got underway in Rotterdam yesterday. For the Moroccan community, a "dream has come true", stated M. Al Sayegh on behalf of the Essalam Mosque management as the foundation stone was laid. A great deal of commotion surrounded the arrival of the mosque during the past few months. The municipality agreed in principle with the Essalam foundation that the original design would be adjusted. The 50 metre high minarets and the large dome were too Arabian, considered alderman Pastors. But last week, the mosque reported it was...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Those who visit Amsterdam this summer, watching tourists patrolling the infamous Red Light district in search of sex and drugs, might not notice how the vaunted Dutch tolerance is wearing thin. The Dutch, complaining that their culture of "looking the other way" has created a free-for-all, want to turn the clock back. The toughest stance has been taken by Rotterdam, traditionally regarded as the working man's city as opposed to Amsterdam, home of the cultural elite. And behind the calls for more law and order is a growing tendency to blame crime on ethnic minorities. Just a...

<p>ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. and Dutch authorities have agreed to install equipment at Rotterdam, Europe's busiest seaport, to detect hidden shipments of radioactive material.</p> <p>"Terrorist groups and rogue nations trying to smuggle components for nuclear weapons is a serious threat that must be addressed," U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said, surveying the sprawling expanse of cargo facilities at the port of Rotterdam.</p>

The Dutch authorities are to impose strict checks at the port of Rotterdam to prevent the possible smuggling of radioactive materials. The move comes at the request of the United States. A joint Dutch-American working group is to investigate ways of checking as many vessels as possible with the least possible delay to shipping. The measure is intended to prevent the possible smuggling of radioactive materials into the US, where they could be used for the production of nuclear weapons. The Antwerp Port Authorities in Belgium have also agreed to a US request to impose stricter security.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch floating abortion clinic was due to dock in Poland on Friday to offer onboard abortions in a challenge to the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country's strict laws. The Women on Waves Foundation, which offers abortions in international waters to women in countries where they are illegal or more restricted than in the Netherlands, said the ship would dock at Wladyslawowo. It was sure to face protests in a country where the Polish Pope John Paul, head of the world's billion Catholics and staunchly opposed to contraception, abortion and divorce, is a local hero. "This is pure...

The trial in Rotterdam of twelve suspected Islamic militants threatens to end in disaster for the prosecution. After initially demanding life imprisonment, the public prosecutor has been forced to water down the charges and is now asking prison sentences of up to three years for recruiting Muslims to fight in the Jihad, or holy war against the enemies of Islam. The Rotterdam public prosecutor's office on Monday demanded sentences ranging from six months to three years for the twelve terrorism suspects, accused of assisting al-Qaida. This meant that four of them were released immediately, because the time they spent in...

The environmental organisation Greenpeace is trying to stop a ship carrying US military equipment from sailing from the port of Rotterdam. The organisation has deployed its ship Rainbow Warrior-2 and four smaller vessels. Activists are trying to tie themselves to the ship's hawsers. Police have arrested at least six people. The equipment on board the ship is destined for the Gulf region. The blockade is intended to reflect to Greenpeace's roots in the peace movement. In a statement, the organisation says that a war would have devastating consequences for both people and the environment.

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 12/19/02 - Amsterdam, Kabul, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Seibersdorf, Taji, Al Nassr, HMS Cardiff, Bethlehem, Denpasar, Gaza, Ramallah, Rotterdam, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum BREAKING: Amsterdam, terror against the IKEA home goods chain BREAKING: Kabul, Amir Mohammed and Gulam Saki BREAKING: Lackawanna arrests BREAKING: Lebanon - On $addam's "amnesty" Iraqi citizens head home BREAKING: Seibersdorf, Austria, laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency BREAKING: Taji, Al Nassr mechanical factories - Inspection BREAKING: Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Cardiff 10th Mountain Division train at Fort Drum, Bethlehem, Denpasar, Gaza, Ramallah, Rotterdam ========= Taji ========= In Taji,...

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Four men believed linked to al-Qaida went on trial Monday on charges of plotting attacks on U.S. targets across Europe, the first terrorist case before a Dutch court since crackdowns following Sept. 11. Two Algerians, a Frenchman and a Dutchman are accused of running a terrorist support network out of a Rotterdam apartment to assist in strikes against the American Embassy in Paris and a military base in Belgium where U.S. munitions are stored. Prosecutors said the suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, membership in a criminal organization and forging documents, passports and credit...

Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion. Prosecutor asks for 3 more months to complete terrorist probe Associated Press Worldstream ANTHONY DEUTSCH; Associated Press Writer September 2, 2002 Monday 10:43 AM Eastern Time ROTTERDAM, Netherlands The public prosecutor on Monday asked for three more months to complete his case against four men accused of plotting terrorist attacks against U.S. targets in France and Belgium. Prosecutors say that in addition to the Paris embassy, the group targeted the Kleine-Brogel base in northeast Belgium, where around 100 U.S. Air Force personnel are...

AMSTERDAM - According the Dutch justice department a group of muslim-extremists arrested in Rotterdam plotted an attack on a nuclear target, just across the Belgian border with the Netherlands. It looks that they were not able to plan much of the operation, but for the justice department this information could be of great importance in the case against this group. A French and an Algerian man that were arrested two days after September 11 in Rotterdam, and an Algerian ex-roommate that was later arrested in Canada, planned an attack on the NATO-base 'Kleine Brogel' in Flamish Limburg. At that base,...

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands- A bomb blast shattered windows and blew out walls at a police post near the port city of Rotterdam in a pre-dawn attack Wednesday. The building was unstaffed and there were no injuries, police said. Police combed the area for the assailant, who apparently escaped on a motor scooter after throwing an explosive devise through the window. "The damage is enormous," said police spokeswoman Leonie Wolters. "We can no longer use the building." She said the type of explosive found in the wreckage may lead police to the attacker, but declined to give details. There had been no...