Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende visited a Turkish mosque in the city of Eindhoven on Sunday in a show of solidarity after a wave of attacks on Muslim buildings in the Netherlands.
More than 20 attacks on Muslim sites have been reported since the Nov. 2 murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an alleged Islamic extremist. An Islamic elementary school in Eindhoven was bombed Nov. 8, and two mosques have since been burned down. No injuries were reported in any of the attacks on Muslim property.
"It's not possible that school children should have to be afraid," Balkenende told worshippers at the Fatih Mosque on the final day of the Muslim fasting month, Ramadan.
Dutch pollster Maurice de Hond said Sunday that support for Balkenende and his Christian Democrat party has plummeted since the Van Gogh murder, and a majority of the country prefers rival Labor leader Wouter Bos.
No vandalism was reported Sunday, though police said two Molotov cocktails were thrown through the window of a school in Heerlen. A police spokesman said the school was not identified with any religious community and the attack was not thought to be related to recent events.
Thirteen suspects have been held on terrorist charges since Van Gogh's murder, including the alleged killer. Van Gogh was an outspoken critic of Islamic extremism.