Dutch charity event canceled after controversy over guest speakers

A controversial fund-raising gathering scheduled for March 8 in Rijswijk, a town near The Hague in western Netherlands, has been cancelled by its organizer, the local municipality announced Friday.

The Rohamma Foundation recognized that the charitable aims of the gathering had been overshadowed by recent events and the decision to cancel it was a brave choice, the municipality said in a statement.

The gathering courted controversy as the Dutch press found that three of its guest speakers had made hate speeches before or had allegedly encouraged people to take part in jihad. Dutch daily the Telegraaf dubbed the event as a "jihad gala."

Earlier this week, the Dutch foreign ministry withdrew visas for the three invited imams, based on "new information from the counter-terrorism unit."

Before deciding to cancel the event, the Rohamaa Foundation had insisted that their gathering was for charity purposes.

"The foundation raises money for the welfare of the disabled, the socially disadvantaged and other dependents," it said on the website of the fund-raising event.

The organization hoped to sell 2,500 tickets at 20 euros (22.6 U.S. dollars) per person. Endit