The Dutch Muslim party (NMP), set up two years ago, is to participate in next year’s local council elections, reports the NRC on Monday.

NMP founder and chairman Henny Kreeft says party candidates will stand for election in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Almere and the Noordoostpolder as well as five other locations which have not yet been named, according to the paper.
The party’s election programme will be published after Ramadan (Muslim fasting period) at the end of September, he told the paper.
Kreeft, who comes from Enschede, is a convert to Islam and was active for the Liberal Democrats (D66) and List Pim Fortuyn in the past, according to the NRC.
The NMP executive consists of both native Dutch and ethnic minorties. Its aim is to promote a more positive image of Islam.