Geert Wilders misused our statistics, researchers say
Researchers from two separate institutes have distanced themselves from the way Geert Wilders has used their reports to score politicial points about Dutch Muslims.
During Wednesday’s debate on the government’s 2015 spending plans, Wilders claimed that 73% of Dutch Muslims believe people travelling to fight in Syria are heroes.
The research was published in May 2013 by Amsterdam bureau Motivaction. Senior researcher Ahmed Ait Moha told newspaper Trouw the figures are not only outdated, but refer to ousting Syrian leader Assad, not support for the IS militias.
Wilders also claimed three-quarters of Dutch Muslims support the introduction of sharia law in the Netherlands. However, researcher Ruud Koopmans, told Trouw his focus was on rules outlined in the Koran not the interpretations of the Koran used to devise Sharia law.
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