MPs on Tuesday called for a controversial imam, or Muslim religious leader, to be banned from the Netherlands because of his support for the marriage of young girls.

Mohamed al-Maghraoui caused a storm in Morocco in 2008 when he published a fatwa – or religious edict – saying it is acceptable for girls to marry at the age of nine. He is due to attend a five-day conference later this month to celebrate the opening of an extension to the As Soennah mosque in The Hague.
PvdA MP Kadija Arib called on the authorities to refuse a visa to Al-Maghraoui, a call echoed by other MPs from across the political spectrum. ‘He should not be welcome,’ VVD MP Pim van Strien is quoted as saying.
Closure
Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam PVV, said the mosque should be closed down if Al-Maghraoui is allowed to speak.
However, Tofik Dibi, a parliamentarian for the left-wing green party GroenLinks, said the visit should go ahead. ‘His visit is an opportunity for free-thinking Muslims to break through this sort of man’s position of power,’ Dibi said.
‘It is encouraging to see how many Muslim-Dutch people are giving this man the cold shoulder rather than a warm welcome on social media websites,’ the MP told news agency ANP.
Radical
According to the Volkskrant, the mosque itself has been at the centre of controversy for carrying out Muslim marriages and giving a platform to radical preaching.
Al-Maghraoui’s fatwa led to the Moroccan authorities closing down his schools. He eventually fled to Saudi Arabia. The fatwa was also condemned by Moroccan religious leaders.
Al-Maghraoui justified the marriage of nine year old girls by referring to Mohammed consummating his marriage to Aisha when she was that age.