Muslims in the Netherlands are becoming more strict in the Doctrine

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

Editing - 9:24, June 8, 2018

Visitors to the Mevlana mosque in Amsterdam during the evening prayer at the beginning of Ramadan. © ANP

The religiosity among Dutch people of Turkish and Moroccan origin has increased in recent years. They pray more often, the women wear a headscarf more often and the mosque is visited more often. This is shown by research from the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP).

According to the survey, 78 percent of Moroccan Muslims pray five times a day, compared to 33 percent of Turkish Muslims. Visits to mosques have increased among Turkish Muslims. About 40 percent of both groups visit a mosque at least once a week.

Moroccan Muslim women increasingly wear a headscarf. More than three-quarters of them (78 percent) say they wear one, compared to 64 percent ten years ago. There is also an increase in young people and the second generation. This increase does not exist for Turkish Muslim women. Seven of the eight Moroccan Muslims fast every day during Ramadan. In Turkish Muslims, that applies to just over half. A very large proportion of Muslims almost always eat halal.

Among Turkish Dutch people, there has been a slight increase in the non-religious part during the period 2006-2015, not among Moroccan Dutch. The proportion of Muslims has decreased among Turkish Dutch (from 93 to 86 percent), but not among Moroccan Dutch. Of them, 94 out of 100 consider themselves Muslim. Especially higher educated and second generation Turkish Dutch are relatively non-Muslims.

On the basis of their religious behavior, opinions and identification, five groups of Muslims can be distinguished. The two most religious groups, the pious and strictly practicing Muslims, make up 84 percent of Moroccan Muslims. Among Turkish Muslims this is less than half (45 percent). There are few secular Muslims (7 percent among Turks and 2 percent among Moroccans).