Belgium’s efforts to manage the rapidly growing Islamic scene in Brussels

Belgium is struggling to manage the rapidly growing Islamic scene in Brussels, preventing radicalism and responding to Muslim factions in its society, indicated The Economist in an article published Saturday, 14th of July.

For the British Magazine, Brussels is divided into two main parts, with people of Catholic heritage and others of a Muslim community that accounts for a quarter of the city’s population. The Muslim community in the Belgian capital includes a majority of Moroccans and Turks.

To explain the growing trends related to Islam, The Economist stated that pupils opting for Catholic instructions in state-run elementary schools in Brussels moved from 23% to 16%. On the other hand, the proportion of those who prefer to have Muslim lessons grew from 43% to 51%.

Meanwhile, trends show that only 20 major churches (represent fifth of the total) are redundant and only seven Catholic priests were ordained in the last years.

While numbers related to Catholic Christianity are declining, authorities in Belgium have been trying to encourage moderate Islam, especially after the 2016 bombings.

Earlier this year, the Belgian government announced that Saudi Arabia is not the official manager of the Great Mosque, the oldest mosque in Brussels and the seat of the Islamic and Cultural Centre of Belgium.

The step was taken to implement a recommendation submitted by the parliamentary inquiry committee on terrorist attacks, intending to «put an end to the interference of foreign states in the teaching of Islam in Belgium», said the same source.