The first Islamic primary school in the Dutch province of Groningen will open on August 17, beginning with around 70 pupils in grades 1 through 6. ISB Al Kitaab will provide Dutch-language education based on the Quran and the Sunnah, alongside the standard national curriculum, including Dutch, mathematics, reading, spelling, general studies and physical education. School leader Rosa van Barschot said: “We do not celebrate Sinterklaas, Christmas and Easter, but we do celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.” Some pupils may also participate partly in Ramadan, although fasting is not compulsory for children of primary-school age. Each school day will begin with a passage from the Quran, specifically its seven-verse opening chapter. Al Kitaab is operated by Stichting NOOR, which manages seven Islamic primary schools across the Netherlands. More than 100 applications were reportedly received, with most classes already full and places largely remaining only for kindergarten-aged children. Stichting NOOR also faced scrutiny last year after an investigation found that some Islamic religion teachers working at Dutch primary schools had made statements outside the classroom that conflicted with the democratic Western values schools are legally required to uphold. According to the investigation, some teachers said women should obey their husbands and that a husband should ensure his wife wears a headscarf, discussed corporal punishments under Sharia while describing them as serving a deterrent purpose, and described homosexuality using highly derogatory religious language. The broader investigation also examined Islamic teaching materials that included passages linking Jews with a love of money and lessons stating that same-sex marriage is forbidden in Islam and could lead to the "breakdown of society" and "(serious) diseases." Al Kitaab hasn’t been officially linked with the growing Muslim Brotherhood ecosystem in the Netherlands but shares ideological outlook and a focus on education just as the Brotherhood. Several recent reports from European intelligence agencies have shown that the European expansion of the Muslim Brotherhood is aided by funds flowing to Muslim Brotherhood-linked organizations from Turkey and Qatar. The EU and UK both recently terror-listed the IRGC but no such action has been taken in Europe against the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.