Belgium’s Muslim Executive urges Justice Minister to reject recognition of contested council

Muslim Executive of Belgium (EMB) has urged the Minister of Justice, Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), not to grant permanent recognition to the Muslim Council of Belgium (CMB), whose temporary two-year accreditation is set to expire in June. In a statement received by Yabiladi on Wednesday, the EMB responded to a request submitted by the CMB, recalling that «four private individuals — neither elected, legitimate, nor representative — were appointed arbitrarily by the former Minister of Justice without consulting the grassroots community».

The EMB, which had its official recognition revoked by Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) through a royal decree on September 29, 2022, stressed that this government-imposed shift «caused confusion and rejection within the community», especially with the «remote-controlled creation of the non-profit organization CMB». The EMB strongly denounced the «submission of a new project by unelected individuals, without consultation with mosques and representing only a minority of them — individuals lacking both democratic legitimacy and community representation».

«An organization that is not grounded in the community base, namely the mosques, cannot claim to represent the Muslim faith, let alone the Muslim community in our country», the EMB further criticized. It called on Annelies Verlinden to reject what it described as an «illegitimate» project and to «open a sincere dialogue» with representatives «emerging from the democratic process of 2014», the year in which the EMB was elected by 292 of the 300 mosques in Belgium.

The EMB added that this representation was updated in January 2022 and «remains in effect», overseen by a commission that developed the electoral process and «currently represents a vast majority of the country’s mosques». In 2023, the elected body was dismissed «without legitimate reason and in an illegal manner, by political decision», the EMB stated.

In a letter, the president of the CMB, Esma Uçan, informed the current Minister of Justice that she will not run in the upcoming elections for the renewal of the Council’s leadership. Her decision not to seek re-election follows the withdrawal of two key components — Diyanet and Milli Görüş — both of which represent dozens of mosques.