The radical Islamic organisation Shariah4Holland has caused a stir in the Netherlands. The movement is holding a conference in Amsterdam on Saturday and has invited Fouad ‘Abu Imran’ Bekacem, the leader of Shariah4Belgium, recently sentenced to two years in jail for incitement to violence. Media attention and questions from the anti-Islam Freedom Party are inevitable.

But who or what is Shariah4Holland? Does it amount to anything more than a shadowy organisation? Five questions answered:

What does Shariah4Holland want?
Shariah4Holland first emerged in December 2010 as an offshoot of Shariah4Belgium. The group wants to turn the Netherlands into an Islamic state. In a YouTube film it calls on Queen Beatrix to convert to Islam. “We shall only rest when death overtakes us or the flag of sharia flies above the Royal House in The Hague,” the group says in a statement.

Who are the members of Shariah4Holland
“A group of young people from the Netherlands who are prepared to fight for Allah’s laws,” in the words of Shariah4Holland itself. It’s a marginal group with – most likely – no more than a dozen members. The Dutch branch is controlled by Shariah4Belgium and its leader Abu Imran. He was recently given a two year jail sentence for inciting hatred and violence towards non-Muslims. Abu Imran has not yet been arrested and has yet to serve his sentence. Nevertheless, he is still expected to speak at Saturday’s conference in Amsterdam

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