Fire in Islamic school linked to Van Gogh murder

THE HAGUE: A fire has caused major damage to an Islamic primary school in the southern Dutch town of Uden in what appears to be the latest attack on Muslim schools and places of worship, television said on Tuesday.

Mayor Joke Kersten told NOS public television graffiti scrawled on the school walls had referred to the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a suspected Islamic radical.

Vandals had scrawled: ‘Theo, rest in peace,’ NOS reported. The mayor avoided using the term attack, but did admit that the fire bore indications of arson. “A school does not ignite spontaneously,” she said. No one was hurt in the blaze.

Since the murder of van Gogh, the Netherlands has witnessed a surge in attacks against Muslim targets. Three mosques were targeted by arsonists and two by vandals over the weekend, and early on Monday a bomb exploded at an Islamic school in Eindhoven. No one was hurt in the attacks. afp

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