Due to the increasing number of young candidates going for jihad in Syria or Iraq, the Cooperative Union of Moroccan Dutch (NMS) has launched a hotline to advise their families.
A telephone service to advise and inform families facing the radicalization of a loved one, this is what provides the Association of Moroccans in the Netherlands. Called Hulp Radicalisering, the device also includes a site and has created a Twitter account Monday, January 5th with regular feeds
The purpose of the association is to create a climate of trust. The helpdesk can guide parents to the appropriate government department if necessary. If the hotline is primarily intended for Moroccans, it generally targets all those involved in radicalization.
An impotent government
The device, built without the help of government subsidies, has been launched to fight against a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly important: The well established communication of Islamist movements on the Internet traps more and more young people, and facing radicalization, their families are often powerless. The lack of information and the feeling of shame can isolate them, losing confidence in the Dutch government says Farid Azakran, spokesman of the association, at the site of Dutch information Nu.nl.
According to him, these families need to be listened to and counseled, and authorities are not doing enough, they merely confiscate the passports of their children in case of suspicion of radicalization.
The initiative was initiated last October with a recruitment drive across the country. For now, a dozen cities are concerned: The Hague, Arnhem, Delft, Amersfoort, Zoetermeer, Zeist, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Gouda. According to Dutch site Nl.times information (in English) Chakib Lamnadi, head of the project, intends to extend the service to two other cities (Huizen and Tilburg) in 2015. He also indicated the possible creation of a government hotline around April 2015.
Several comparable hotlines have been launched by the authorities in several European countries since 2013, including Austria, Germany, and France.
With Telquel
