Brussels In 20 Years...

Brussels could soon be a Muslim city according to an article in Le Figaro, here abridged:

The capital of Europe will be Muslim in 20 years. At least that is what a study published last week in the daily La Libre Belgique declares. Almost a third of the population of Brussels is already Muslim, and those practicing Muslims, because of their high birthrate, will be the majority in 15 or 20 years, indicates Olivier Servais, sociologist at the Catholic University of Louvain. Since 2001, Mohammed has been the most popular name by far for boys born in Brussels. However, Servais exercises caution in making long-term predictions, since Brussels, as capital of the European Union, has been experiencing large waves of immigrants.

The fact remains that "if their parents were hardly practicing" in order to facilitate integration into their host country, "the young show a marked tendency to return to religion." About 75% of the Muslims today consider themselves as practicing. Flemish journalist Hind Fraihi goes further: "The young are more and more radicalized. They reject Western values, even their parents are concerned. In Brussels, there exist pockets, such as Molenbeek, where you sometimes have trouble remembering you are in Belgium..."

From the Tafoukte bazaar to the Mohammed jewelry shop, the music of the Maghreb captivates the passers-by. Brimming over with multi-colored plastic buckets, sneakers and shimmering caftans, the Prado walkway leads to the city hall of Molenbeek, the Moroccan quarter of Brussels. Almost all the women are veiled and the merchants speak Arabic. "We feel better here than in France or Spain," says Akim, manager of a clothing store. "Maybe it's because we're a large community. It's like being back home!"

Philippe Moureaux, the socialist mayor of Molenbeek explains that a few years ago, "Muslims came to me. They wanted me to be 'president' of their new mosque..." It's no wonder this former minister, who claims to be agnostic, is highly regarded by the Muslims who constitute an ample third of his 83,000 constituents. He created a Consultative Council for mosques endowed with municipal subsidies, opened a municipal slaughterhouse for use during the sacrificial feast, drew up an electoral slate that included a majority of Muslims... "These are gestures of respect, they earned me the trust of this community. We went far, some say too far. But for me, the only solution is openness."

According to Alain Escada, president of Belgium and Christianity, "we are going from one capitulation to another. More and more school cafeterias offer halal menus at the expense of Christians. The authorities no longer do their job. The politicians, with their short term vision, are ready to do anything to win an election, but the clergy also is putting Muslims and Christians on an equal footing, even though this is far from being reciprocated: look at that archbishop who was recently assassinated in Iraq."

Note: The reference is to the Chaldean archbishop of Mosul who was kidnapped and killed recently. The incident has been widely reported by the French Catholic websites and America's responsibility (in its indifference to the fate of Iraqi Christians) repeatedly decried.

Jean-François Bastin, a 65-year old Belgian with a checked turban on his head and a beard dyed red, is now Abdullah Abu Abdulaziz Bastin. A convert to Islam, he founded the Young Muslim Party in 2004. Abdullah will not shake hands with a woman. "It's betraying Allah," he blurted out. "It is also deceiving the woman by making her believe she is equal. But I'll give you a big smile!" he hastens to add.

Bastin exclaims that the smiles of the politicians to the Muslims are nothing but a "crude exploitation: there's been enough of this sort of neocolonialism," he clamors. "They claim they will defend us, then they ban the veil in the schools!" "We could use this study as a basis for demanding more visible mosques, prayer calls, cemeteries, schools, nursing homes...," insists the convert. "I say to the Muslims: 'Stop acting as if you are colonized! The colonizers were kicked out of Algeria, maybe that will happen here.' He concludes: "The immigrants have done enough, more than enough to integrate. Now it's up to Belgium to adapt."

Those interested in praying in a Brussels mosque have a choice of 47 to choose from. Click here for the list, and thanks to Islamisation for the information.