On VRT radio, Minister Vincent van Quickenborn announced his decision to begin the process of withdrawing recognition from the Executive for Muslims of Belgium (EMB), explaining that this body, the authority responsible for the Muslim community in the country, “now and cannot be a negotiator”.

According to a report by State Security, “the EMB is particularly criticized for its lack of transparency as well as its permeability to foreign powers, mainly Turkish and Moroccan influences”, which a few months earlier had linked Otsun to extremism. was connected.

Read: No subsidy for Muslims executive in Belgium in 2022

For the Minister of Justice, the wait has been too long, which is why he has decided to initiate the process of withdrawing the executive’s official recognition, which will also end his subsidies by the state. “The organization is not representative of all the Muslims of our country. We see an older generation that has lost touch with young Muslims. It is harmful to modern Islam”, explained Vincent van Quickenborn.

However, the minister recalls that federal entities can still recognize mosques on an individual basis. EMBs receiving approximately EUR 600,000 in subsidies per year for this purpose will have the right of reply in terms of this withdrawal process.