Belgian Equality Commissioner Resigns Amid Controversy Over Headscarf and Church-State Remarks

Appointed at the end of May by the Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities, Sarah Schlitz, the government commissioner to the IEFH, Ihsane Haouach, resigns. For some, the controversy sparked by her remarks on the separation of Church and State would be at the origin of this decision.

But for her, her difficulties began long before. "Since my appointment, I have been the subject of violent personal attacks that have only amplified. Regardless of my appointment, the debate on neutrality is legitimate, but it cannot be done with the intention of harming," she said in a letter addressed to the Secretary of State and made public by her office, reports bx1.

For the one whose appointment had been contested because of her veil, it was difficult for her to continue to evolve in an environment of "constant challenges and personal attacks". It is therefore in the face of all this that "I have decided to submit my resignation to protect myself from the cyberbullying I am suffering, to protect my loved ones as well as the institution and the fight it carries".

She adds that resigning does not mean that she is putting an end to her commitment and her fight for equality and fundamental rights. I will continue to defend these causes in other forms. In the meantime, I want to take the necessary step back," she writes, before thanking all those who have supported her throughout this difficult period.

In a statement on Friday evening, in reaction to Ihsane Haouach’s resignation, the Secretary of State said she regretted this decision. "I have taken note of Ms. Haouach’s decision, which I regret. She had been appointed to this mission because she has the required qualities, particularly in terms of management," she stressed.

"I understand that she aspires to be able to continue her professional career serenely and to put an end to the persecution she has been suffering for many weeks. I of course respect her choice and I wish her to thrive in the rest of her career," concluded the Secretary of State.

The MR, through its president Georges-Louis Bouchez, was the first to contest the appointment of the commissioner. "The appointment of a woman wearing a conviction sign as a government commissioner of the institute for equality between women and men is totally contrary to the principle of the neutrality of the State," he had written on Twitter. Upon announcement of her resignation, he was pleased with this decision, which according to him, was "the only solution". "The resignation of the government commissioner to the Institute for Equality between Women and Men (IEFH), Ihsane Haouach, was the only solution. The neutrality of the State is intangible. Respect for people must remain the order of the day. Thus, the fight is against communitarianism, not against individuals; for real living together," he wrote on Twitter.

Before being appointed to the IEFH, Ihsane Haouach, a graduate of the Solvay Business School, was an administrator of Brugel, the regulatory authority for the electricity, gas and water markets in Brussels. She is also behind several initiatives in favor of young people and women.