Dutch Vicar Declares Christians Face 'Submission & Persecution'

A Dutch vicar called H.G. Koekkoek has said in a book that Dutch people should not be surprised if they have to live under Sharia law within 25 years.

Koekkoek, who has studied the Koran in detail, thinks that demographically it is too late for the ethnic Dutch and they, especially practicing Christians and Jews, have a bleak future:

"Within 25 years Islamists are expected to be in the majority in the Netherlands. And whoever is in the majority, has the power, also in a democracy," he says. "Introducing sharia everywhere is a goal of Islam. What remains to the Christians is submitting to Islam or persecution."

Here is the full story from Islam in Europe:

For ethnic Dutch it's a frankly shocking opinion, but pastor H.G. Koekkoek dares to say it: we should not be surprised if within 25 years sharia, Islamic law, will be introduced in the Netherlands.

This is rather what the baptist pastor from Alphen (aan den Rijn) says. It all appears in his recently published book "Mohammed, Islam, the Koran and the Bible" ('Mohammed, de islam, de Koran en de Bijbel'). The rather boring title hides an explosive cargo. "But my book is certainly not meant to insult, I write with a lot of respect about Islam and about Mohammed, who I think is an honest man," he says.

Dominee Koekkoek (70) studied the Koran in detail. He decided to write the book after a series of study evenings on this subject. "People came from all over the country for that. The subject of Islam attracts many. There is fear of Islam and of Muslims. That is on the basis of slogans that we hear, without knowing what Islam is. And also the government knows nothing about it," he says.

"My goal is to tell what Islam is. Simply, put the facts side by side, look at what are our points of contact. Because there are such. Judaism is the oldest religion; Christianity originated from it. But we actually don't know that also Islam originated from Judaism and Christianity. Therefore the God of Islam and the same as that of the Jews and the Christians. So there are more points of contact, but there are also clear points of difference. And I'm not going to avoid that in my book. I name the pretty things, but also the dangerous sides of Islam."

According to the clergyman, the Jewish religion is not missionary, aimed at spreading. "Christianity is, and that was done with the sword. Islam is also missionary. The missionary urge in Islam differs however, that is aimed at the entire world. It is clearly the goal by means of Jihad - the holy war - to bring the whole world under Islam, if need be by strong means."

Koekkoek doesn't give any opinion about that in his book. "I draw attention, and whoever draws attention asks a question that he doesn't answer. The reader answers the question."

The Alphen resident says he wants to teach his readers understanding of Islam. "Islamists are people like us. Many live in peace with Jews and Christians and are respectable people. Some things in Islam are really essentially different. Why do Muslims call our women whores? In Islamic doctrine people are brought up very solidly and it's normal that women cover themselves. If these people come to our world and see those women with naked legs than in their eyes they are immoral. You can try to have understanding for that."

Koekkoek also doesn't believe that Muslims in the Netherlands will in the end let go of the base of their belief. "The Jews were already 2,500 years out of Israel, but their they always kept to their religious customs," he says. "That will also happen with Islam, the mosques ensure that. It's about the doctrine. And that says: we are in war with the Netherlands, because that is not an Islamic state."

The Islamic part of our population is increasing rapidly, he says. "Now already half of all babies have Islamic parents. The forecast is that in about fifteen years, half of the population will consist of Muslims. Presently they'll be in the majority, with all the consequences of it. That could be political and religious consequences. Christians run the chance of becoming second-class citizens who could choose from two things: persecution of submission," says pastor Koekkoek, who's been a pastor for 40 years in the Triomfatorkapel.

He draws a somber future for Christians in the Netherlands. He says he hopes it won't turn out like that, but that he only outlines what can happen. He says he fears that it can't be stopped anymore.

It is not the first book of his published by his association Het Licht des Levens, but it is the first that attracts so much attention. "Hundreds of books in one week. I've never yet gone through that. It does show how much ethnic Dutch are engaged with Islam."

Well, either that or how frightened they are about the future - the ones who haven't already voted with their feet, in any case.