The Netherlands: It is time for the silent majority to speak out

In response to the murder of Theo van Gogh, the Dutch filmmaker, a series of attacks of the Islamic schools and mosques took place in The Netherlands. The &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/yougoslavia/2001/07/14/10090.html ' target=_blank>Dutch authorities continues the investigation of the murder, hunting a Syrian who was allegedly in contact with four men arrested on terrorism charges.

Justice authorities allege the Syrian is the axis of several terrorist cells believed to be active in the Netherlands. Besides the Van Gogh murder, the man is also accused of two other crimes.

He was allegedly involved in the death threats against anti-Islamic Dutch MP Geert Wilders and the preparations for a terrorist attack against key buildings, including the Dutch Parliament in The Hague and the Borssele nuclear reactor, informs Expatica.

"It is time for the silent majority to speak out because the fundamental rules of our society are at stake," Bram Peper, a former mayor of Rotterdam, told the funeral service.

Since van Gogh was shot and stabbed as he cycled to work, a wave of arson attacks has targeted at least eight mosques.

A Muslim school in Eindhoven was also badly damaged in a small bomb blast on Monday that police said they suspected was in retaliation for the murder.

Van Gogh's father and sister told the funeral the film director would have deplored the attacks on Muslim buildings, as Reuters reported.

According to The Australian, Driss el Boujoufi, deputy head of the Ummon association, which oversees 90 Moroccan mosques in the country, said security had been boosted at places of worship and schools.

"We have asked our followers to be on the lookout around our mosques and schools," he said.

"But most mosques don't have the means to ensure security round-the-clock."

An internet site set up for condolences following van Gogh's murder was forced to close because of a flood of racist messages, but several far-right marches called in Amsterdam failed to attract any significant numbers.