Flanders: Minister proposes youth movements for immigrants

Via brusselnieuws.be:

Flemish minister Pascal Smet (SP.A) is considering starting a special youth movement for and by immigrants. This after the Council of Europe concluded that the existing youth movements are not succeeding in bringing together Flemish and immigrant youth.

The Felmish youth movement are split on the issue. Jill Marchantof Chiro Brussels says that it’s not a good idea and immigrant youth should be placed in the existing youth movements. Marchant worked with the BINT project for teenag girls from Molenbeek who wanted to be counselors. Chiro Youth of Flanders says that separte youth movements means giving up on the idea of real coexistence in society. They say that instead the existing groups should be more open to experimination and to being truly open for immigrant children. 14% of their members are of non-Belgian origin.

The Scouts movement in Flanders said they’re aware of the problem and can understand Smet’s proposal. The immigrant and traditional youth movement should cooperate together and the latter should be open for diversity.

Belgium: Sharia bank accounts to be offered by Chaabi Bank

Via HLN (Dutch):

Moroccan bank Chaabi is considering launching Sharia bank accounts in Belgium, reports La Libre Belgique.

Chaabi’s Belgian branch says they’re currently studying the idea and will soon consult the FSMA (Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission).

Former Finance Minister Didier Reynders supported Islamic banking, but the current minister, Steven Vanackere, hasn’t yet stated his opinion.

Flanders: 53% don’t want Muslim doctor

Via Het Nieuwsblad (Dutch):

53% of the Flemish prefer not having a Muslim family doctor. 40% prefer a White doctor. 22% said they prefer not being treated by a gay doctor.

The survey was conducted last November by the GfK Significant agency for Vitaya magazine. A thousand Flemish ages 20-70 were asked about their relationship with their family doctor.

Belgium: Youth theaters complain about ‘Muslim prudishness’

Via De Telegraaf (Dutch, h/t NRP):

Jo Roets, artistic head of the Laika threater group, told newspaper De Morgen that prudishness among immigrant youth will be a hot item in the coming years. Immigrant teenagers shut their eyes or avert their heads when it comes to naked scenes.

Theater maker Jan Decorte says that a woman leading a group of children asked before a show whether there would be any nudity “because our Muslim youth may not see naked people.” Decorte says it’s a form of censorship.

Brussels youth theater Bronks says they’ve also seen a turn towards prudishness. The theater wants youth to realize that naked scenes are part of storytelling and there’s no need to turn one’s head away.

“We want immigrant youth to understand that they should look beyond their own convictions, and that such scenes are part of the artistic framework,” says Marij De Nys of Bronks. De Nys says that they get more appalled and disapproving reactions compared with a decade ago.

Flemish media recently reported a ‘new prudishness’ in sports clubs. Boys increasingly prefer to shower after gym class with swimming trucks on, or just skip the shower.

Belgium: Self-immolation in apparent attempt to escape forced marriage

Via Het Nieuwsblad (Dutch), RTL (French):

A 16 year old North African girl set herself on fire in the La Louvière hospital Thursday. The girl had felt unwell at the end of the school day and had come to the hospital with her parents.

Shortly before the hospital released her she slipped away. She went up to the eighth floor, where she first tried to jump out of a window. Then she put on disinfectant gel and set a match to herself.

Witnesses say they heard her shouting that this was the only way to escape an arrange marriage. The girl’s mother told journalists on Friday these rumors were untrue.

The girl was brought to burn center in Neder-Over-Heembeek, and her situation has since improved.

Belgium: Muslim executive ‘under control of foreign countries’

Via HLN (Dutch):

“Belgian Muslim bodies are definitively under the control of foreign countries. The Muslim Executive will now be led only by people who will prioritze the interests of their land of origin over those of Belgian Muslims,” says the AMDB (Democaratic Alternative of Belgian Muslims), who say they unite ‘all components of the Muslim community’ in Belgium.

The general assembly of the Muslim Executive recently extended Semsettin Ugurlu’s term as chairman, as well as a series of other positions. The Executive also passed a motion of no-confidence against the new members, and the three members of ADMB were excluded. AMDB says the general assembly orchestrated the illegal exclusion of the three active members who refused to comply with embassy-Islam line.”

Just 11 of the 44 members of the general assembly were present. AMDB say that this way they passed the motion of no-confidence against the AMDB members who are ‘known for their battle for a transparent, democratic Islam’ which is not linked to any state intervention.

The AMDB do not recognize the legality of the decision and its members intend to continue in their positions and sue the Muslim Executive in court.

Flanders: “Imams hardly in touch with their local community”

Via VRT:

Research commissioned by the Equal Opportunities Support Unit shows that many of the imams who are working in Flanders hardly speak any Dutch, the language of their local community. In addition, they are hardly in touch with the local community.

The research shows that most of the imams active in Flanders didn’t grow up here and never learnt French or Dutch. They have little understanding of Belgian or Flemish affairs. As a result contacts with Belgian youngsters are strained. In consequence many young Muslim Belgians go in search of information about Islam via other channels increasing the chance of radicalisation.

(source)

Belgium: “Belgium is no Eldorado”

Via VRT:

Belgium’s brand new Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Maggie De Block (Flemish liberal), presented her policy document to lawmakers on Wednesday. Ms De Block wants to come down hard on abuse of Belgium’s asylum system and encourage voluntary repatriation when appropriate.

The Asylum Secretary also announced the speedy creation of a new closed asylum centre as well as a new centre for illegal delinquents.

(…)

The Asylum Secretary identified the priorities of her policy: limiting the asylum procedure to six months and short shrift for people who apply for asylum for a second time. She was also keen to stress that Belgium is no Eldorado: “Putting asylum seekers up in hotels has to stop. There has to be an end to the enormous fines that the courts impose on us by the day.”

(source)

Liege: Kurdish protest against Turkish air-raid

A thousand Kurds protested in Liege (Belgium) yesterday against the Turkish government. 36 Kurds were killed in an air-raid by the Iraqi border Thursday.

KU Leuven: No exams on religious holidays

Via VRT:

Leuven University has decided to allow students to move the date of their exam if this conflicts with a holiday in their religion. The university has now drawn up a list of holidays that qualify.

The holidays all occur in the calendars of the Christian, Jewish and Moslem faiths. They include the Orthodox Church’s Easter, the Jewish New Year and Greater Eid.

(source)