Amsterdam, August 8, 2006: Dr Hak Ja Han Moon is scheduled to speak at a Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Rally for "Religious Freedom and Family Values" as part of her international speaking tour, Wim Koetsier, President of the Unification Movement (UM) in the Netherlands, stated at the Sunday Service of the Amsterdam Family Church (Verenigingskerk) today.

Dr Moon was due to speak at a UPF Rally in The Hague on July 14, but the Dutch Immigration Service (IND) refused to give clear confirmation that she would be allowed to enter the country, indicating rather that it wished to conform with the German government’s urging that the Netherlands act in accordance with the Germany’s Schengen ban. The Dutch Unification Movement, in the name of the Verenigingskerk, the older and better known name of the Family Church, had been challenging IND’s lack of a clear affirmative decision for some time, and hoped for resolution by appeal to the judicial system. Since the court hearing was scheduled for July 13, only one day before the planned rally, it was decided that Dr Moon would rearrange her schedule and she participated with her husband in the fourth Assembly of the Mongolian People’s Federation for World Peace (MPFWP) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The court later found the arguments of the IND insufficient to ban Dr Moon; and one would have expected the IND’s response to be to submit new arguments or say they would appeal to a higher court – or lift the ban; but on Thursday, August 3, Wim Koetsier was notified that the IND had merely repeated their old justifications for keeping the ban.

Mr Koetsier echoed the thoughts of many UM members, "it seems the IND thinks it’s above the court, that it does not need to pay any attention to it." The UM management committee had confirmed that the case should be pursued, even to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg if the courts in the Netherlands are unable to enforce judgement on the IND. Lawyers consulted by the newspaper Trouw have indicated that the UM would have a good chance of succeeding.

The UM argues that even if the IND feels justified in conforming with Germany’s request that the Moons be banned, thus rejecting the US State Department’s request that they be allowed entry, this ban is violating the human rights of members of the Verenigingskerk in not allowing them to receive their spiritual leaders in the Netherlands.

The UPF Rally scheduled for August 26 in The Hague will proceed even if Dr Moon is again denied entry, as did the July 14 rally. It will be followed by similar rallies in Amsterdam, Utrecht and other cities. Twelve is a significant number, as seen in the 12 sons of Jacob, 12 tribes of Moses and 12 apostles of Jesus, and the UM would like to hold similar rallies in all 12 provinces of the Netherlands. There is a determination to not be deterred by the actions of the IND, though Wim Koetsier expressed some frustration: "we have been busy with this for ten years, involving so much effort. It seems the courts here have no power, they cannot alter the behavior of the government, only give an opinion.." Indirectly related to this, he commented, "Father and Mother Moon’s words are like food, they give you energy, but Father and Mother Moon do not dictate what you do with that energy, anymore than food dictates what you do with the energy your body receives from consuming it.

Where there is unity and freedom, there can be progress. The disputed area of the Middle East is probably less than five per cent of the region. If the inhabitants of the Middle East concentrated on what creative things they could do, also with the huge revenues they receive from their natural resources, now, it seems, gas as well as oil, the desert could truly blossom." And he confirmed that UPF-NL would continue to support the Middle East Peace Initiative, which has programs for European participation in August and September in addition to its ongoing efforts at all levels in Israel/Palestine and its diplomatic representation at the UN and elsewhere.

Notes. More on items mentioned in the article above, in the following paragraphs:

2. July 26. Court rejection of IND arguments - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/upf-nl/message/70;

3. MFWP Assembly, Switzerland, July 14/15. Report - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/upf-nl/message/72;

4. Trouw article - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/upf-nl/message/70;

6. July 14 Rally - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/upf-nl/message/56;

8. Middle East Peace Initiative - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mepi-nl/message/116.

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