Imams Lead Mass Protest in Rotterdam Urging Global Action Genocide in Gaza

IQNA – A large protest took place in Rotterdam over the weekend, as imams and preachers from across the Netherlands led a demonstration condemning Israel’s ongoing brutal war on Gaza.

The organizers called on the international community to intervene and prevent what they described as genocide against Palestinians.

The protest began outside the Turkish Peace Mosque in the southern part of Rotterdam. It drew a substantial crowd in response to calls from mosque leaders over the past several days. Demonstrators marched from the mosque to the Rotterdam City Hall, located in the city center.

Participants urged the Dutch government to halt arms exports to Israel and condemned what they described as "double standards" in the enforcement of international law, particularly regarding the prosecution of Israeli officials accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sheikh Youssef Afkik, imam and preacher at the Al-Islam Mosque in The Hague and one of the protest organizers, said: “The world must take responsibility and act to prevent genocide in Gaza.”

He further described the international silence as “complicity in the continued assaults on Palestinian civilians.”

According to Sheikh Afkik, the protest was organized in response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He said it aimed to convey the concerns of the Muslim community in the Netherlands to policymakers.

The size of the crowd reflects how angry people are about what’s happening, he noted.

Sheikh Nouruddin Mohammed, imam of the Amersfoort Mosque, also spoke at the demonstration.

He emphasized that the event was initiated by religious leaders and drew participants from a wide range of national backgrounds.

“Our goal is to send a strong message from the city of Rotterdam rejecting forced displacement and genocide against the people of Gaza,” he said.

He added that the protest served as “a call to the Dutch government and the international community to act urgently and stop enabling crimes committed against Palestinians.”

The protest comes amid rising global concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and injured since the start of Israeli war in October 2023.

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