Belgian King Honors Father of Hate Crime Victim on National Holiday

There are 19 of these Belgians who will receive a title of nobility or an honorary distinction from King Philippe on the occasion of the national holiday celebrated every July 21 since 1980. Some will be elevated to the rank of baron, while others will become Commanders of the Order of Leopold or Commanders in the Order of the Crown, according to Het Laatste Nieuws.

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The professor of Islamic studies at the Royal Athénée Charles Rogier in Liège, Hassan Jarfi, father of Ihsane, a young Moroccan fatally beaten in 2012 by four young people as he was leaving a nightclub in downtown Liège because he was gay, is one of the Belgians who will be decorated as Commanders in the Order of Leopold, the highest and most important of the three national orders. After the murder of his son, he created the "Ihsane Jarfi Foundation", whose mission is to actively fight against all forms of discrimination and/or violence against individuals or groups because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.