Church & Religion

Freedom of religion and religious beliefs are a fundamental right in the Netherlands and The Hague. People are free to worship as they choose, either individually or in groups, provided they remain within the boundaries imposed by the law and respect others with regard to noise levels, health hazards and disturbances of the peace.

In the Netherlands, church and state are separate. The government does not interfere in the internal affairs of organisations that profess religious or philosophical beliefs. There are approximately 300 mosques and prayer centres in the Netherlands, and Islamic burial grounds have been established in many places.

The Hague counts more than 200 church congregations in its midst. It seems there is something for everyone, including Francophone, American, English, German, Russian Orthodox, Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish-speaking, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, African, Eritrean and Ethiopian and International congregations.

In addition the city has about 16 mosques, two synagogues and a large number of Asian temples and other non-Christian houses of worship.

In July 2007 the Eik en Duinen cemetery announced that it would expand the number of Muslim graves in the new section of the cemetery. In 1979 Oud Eik en Duinen was one of the first cemeteries in the Netherlands to offer Muslim graves.