Belgian Islamophobia: MPs vow to ‘impeach’ Muslim extremists

Members of several European right wing parties pose with signs, after the presentation of their organisation of 'Cities against Islamisation' in Antwerp. (AFP Photo / Jorge Dirkx)

Belgian politicians have submitted a proposal to impeach or limit the influence of Muslim extremists in power. MPs fear that Muslim politicians do not shake hands with women and are creating an isolated community.

Alain Destexche, a liberal member of the Federation
Wallonia-Brussels, and Deputy Mayor of Koekelberg Philippe Pivin
submitted the proposal in front of the Belgian Parliament on
Wednesday to exclude extremist parties from a range of local
functions. The proposal is currently open for signatures by other
members of Parliament.

“The people of the Islamic party do not want to be mixed with
others in public transport and other communal places,”
local
media quoted Alain Destexhe as saying. “They advocate getting
married and wearing a veil at 12 years old, based on Islamic
law.”

Alain Destexhe. (Reuters / Remy Steinegger)

The two liberal politicians said that the European Court of
Human Rights had explicitly stated that Sharia law is not
compatible with the rights and freedoms written in the European
Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is why the power of Muslim
extremists must be minimized.

The proposal argues that if elected, ultra-conservative Muslim
beliefs are inconsistent with the ECHR’s laws against racism and
xenophobia, as well as those aimed at punishing the denial or
minimization of the Holocaust. Those who hold such views should be
impeached, and prevented from presiding over local councils or
managing communal bodies, the proposal said.

Destexhe referred specifically to the newly established Islam
Party in Belgium, which won two seats in municipal elections in
October 2012 and vowed to implement Islamic Sharia law in
Belgium.

“The Islam-elected party has refused to shake hands with
Molenbeek [municipality in Brussels-Capital Region] Mayor Francoise
Schepmans [after being elected]. I feel that some people do not
understand how similar this is to the behavior of the extreme
right, and how they are creating their own isolated community,”

Destexhe explained.

The two Muslim candidates, Lhoucine Aït Jeddig and Redouane
Ahrouch, are both from Brussels’ two heavily Muslim municipalities,
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and Anderlecht, respectively.

Redouane Ahrouch, Abdelhay Bakkali Tahiri (president of federation of Bruxelles-Capitale), Lhoucine Ait Jedding. (Image from islam2012.be)

“We are elected Islamists but above all we are Muslims,”
Ahrouch told reporters after being elected in October. “Islam is
compatible with the laws of the Belgian people. As elected Muslims,
we embrace the Koran and the tradition of the Prophet Mohammed. We
believe Islam is a universal religion. Our presence on the town
council will give us the opportunity to express ourselves.”

Ahrouch is known for refusing to shake hands or make eye contact
with women in public.

The Islam Party announced a plan to put forward candidates for
regional and parliamentary elections in Belgium, as well as the
European Parliament, prompting fear and speculation among many
Beglian politicians.

“It is very worrying to see what is happening. We see people
with the Islamic background forming their own political party and
demanding the introduction of Sharia law and Islamic state in
Belgium,”
politician and member of the European Parliament for
Flanders Philip Claeys told RT after the Islam Party was formed.
“Until now Muslim people mainly supported socialist parties and
other leftist parties. But now they feel confident enough to make
their party.”

Claeys believes it is a “big problem” when people who
move to Belgium do not respect the separation of Church and State,
or favor of equality of men and women and the rule of law: “We
should put a stop to this mass immigration of people coming from
outside Europe, mainly Islamic countries, of people who cannot and
will not adapt to our way of living in Western Europe.”

According to recent estimates, about 628,751 Belgians – 6
percent of the population –– are Muslim. Belgium has witnessed a
rise in radical Islam in the country over the past decade, with the
Sharia4Belgium group prompting the most concern. Sharia4Belgium was
a fundamentalist group that condemned democracy, and called for
Belgium to be reformed into an Islamist state.

The group advocated the death penalty for criminals, and its
members were witnessed making radical statements, threatening
non-Muslims and behaving violently. Several Belgian politicians
were threatened multiple times for their political opposition to
the group.

The group was dissolved in October 2012 after both of its
leaders were arrested, one for incitement of hatred and violence
towards non-Muslims and the other for possession of illegal drugs
in Morocco.

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Source Article from http://rt.com/news/proposal-belgium-limit-muslims-612/

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