The controversial British-Palestinian Muslim cleric Haitham al-Haddad will participate in a public debate in Amsterdam on Friday evening.

Originally, the Islamic law expert and scholar was due to speak at Amsterdam’s VU University, but the university cancelled the event following public and political commotion surrounding the radical cleric. The Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel CIDI urged the Dutch government to bar him from entering the Netherlands. A majority of Dutch MPs sought to bar him from entering the Netherlands.

Al-Haddad had been invited by the Amsterdam Islamic students association of to debate in a symposium with lecturer Yasser Ellethy, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Theology.

Debate in De Balie

The debate on Friday evening will now be located at one of Amsterdam’s renowned debating halls, De Balie, which offers a public platform for its debates, seminars, screenings and performances on multi-cultural, literary, social and political issues. Director Youri Albrecht confirmed that al-Haddad will meet Green Left MP Tofik Dibi head to head in the debate.

The cleric, who sits on the UK’s Islamic Sharia Council, is known for his radical statements like “Jews are the enemies of God and the descendants of apes and pigs”.

De Balie’s Albrecht said it was of utmost importance that the debate be held in a public arena and denounced parliamentary motions which compromised freedom of expression.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide