Belgium

Articles

• Belgian Councilor Released on Bail Amid Corruption Investigation
  7 October 2022, by Ginette

  Placed under arrest warrant on September 22nd, the Belgian municipal councilor of Moroccan origin, Hicham Chakir, has been released under conditions. He had been arrested for serious but unproven facts of corruption.
  It is the Indictment Chamber of Brussels that ordered the conditional release of Hicham Chakir (PS), municipal councilor in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. According to Me Karim Sedad, his lawyer, the local elected official was released on September 26 by the Indictment Chamber, but (…)

• Belgian Politician Sparks Controversy Over Arabic Teaching in Molenbeek Schools
  30 December 2022, by Sylvanus

  Teaching in Arabic in Molenbeek is not to the liking of Vooruit president Conner Rousseau. The latter says he does not feel at home there and also calls for improving conditions in these neighborhoods by investing in language, childcare and education.
  Vooruit president Conner Rousseau persists: "I don’t feel at home in Molenbeek." He had made this statement in a controversial interview last April. "In Brussels, due to the shortage of teachers, there are people teaching in Arabic because (…)

• Rising Star: Nawal Farih, 35, Brings Diverse Background to Belgian Parliament
  30 May 2023, by Prince

  Nawal Farih is one of the youngest deputies in the Belgian federal parliament. Of Moroccan origin, the 35-year-old woman, born in France and raised in Genk where she studied International Trade, entered politics in 2018 by becoming a member of the CD&V party. Since last summer, she has been in a relationship with Sammy Mahdi, the party president.
  Nawal Farih traveled a lot in her twenties as a consultant. "I worked for a publishing company that published professional magazines and was (…)

• France: a Moroccan from Belgium arrested for trafficking rare animals
  31 August 2023, by Prince

  A Moroccan from Belgium, returning from vacation in Morocco, was arrested on Wednesday for animal trafficking during a check at the Sorigny toll booth. He was transporting Greek tortoises and European goldfinches, protected species.
  The environmental police officers of Indre-et-Loire, accompanied by gendarmes and customs officers, positioned themselves on Wednesday at the exit of the Sorigny toll booth on the A10 to carry out vehicle checks in order to limit the trafficking of protected (…)

• Belgian Muslim Leaders Issue Guidance on COVID-19 Burial Practices
  19 March 2020, by Sylvanus

  The Council of Theologians attached to the Executive of Muslims of Belgium (EMB) has made some recommendations on how Muslims can bury their loved ones who have died, at a time when the coronavirus is affecting several countries.
  "People find themselves in a state of perplexity and are legitimately questioning from a religious point of view the natural death that prevents any repatriation to the country of origin, as was the case in the past. In this case, it is perfectly legitimate to (…)

• Ramadan 2019 Begins May 6 for Belgian Muslims, Aligning with European Neighbors
  4 May 2019, by Laila

  As in most European countries, Muslims in Belgium will begin Ramadan on Monday, May 6.
  This is what the Executive of Muslims of Belgium (EMB) announced this evening in a press release. This date was determined following the meeting of the Council of Theologians held this Saturday evening.
  "The EMB and the Council of Theologians extend their best wishes to the entire Muslim community of Belgium. May this blessed month inspire us to surpass ourselves and act with humanity and empathy," (…)

• Belgian Official’s Last-Minute Deportation of Convicted Cop Killer Sparks Controversy
  2 February 2019, by Amine

  One of Theo Francken’s last actions, exactly one day before he left his post as Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, was to order the expulsion of Hassan Iasir. The latter is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence in Belgium for being one of the murderers of Belgian policewoman Kitty Van Nieuwenhuysen in 2007. A complaint has just been filed to invalidate this decision.
  The title chosen by RTL.Be says a lot: "Just before his departure, Theo Francken expelled to Morocco the (…)

• Belgian National Strike Grounds Brussels Airlines Flights, Including Morocco Routes
  11 February 2019, by Said

  The Belgian airline Brussels Airlines has just announced the cancellation of all its flights for Wednesday, February 13, with Morocco also affected.
  In total, some 16,000 travelers will be affected, the company warns in a press release, due to a strike called by several unions demanding salary increases, higher retirement pensions and better working conditions.
  "Brussels Airport therefore expects serious disruptions in airport operations with very likely numerous flight cancellations, (…)

• Belgian Man Faces Charges for Sharing Child Exploitation Video from Morocco
  2 November 2020, by Sylvanus

  In Belgium, Nabil, 26, a hairdresser and family man, is being prosecuted before the Charleroi Criminal Court for disseminating a pedopornographic video filmed in Morocco.
  By sharing a pedopornographic video showing two child victims of a sexual act, Nabil was far from imagining that he had just committed a punishable act. "I saw the video on an Arab page on Facebook. I sent the video to friends to say that it’s shameful what’s happening in Morocco," he explains. But the American (…)

• Belgian Police Arrest Man with Concealed Machete at Train Station Amid Security Concerns
  14 November 2020, by Laila

  A 24-year-old Moroccan was arrested at the end of October by the police in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, for walking around with a machete in a train station.
  SCEPTR explains that the man from Namur had hidden the weapon in his bag. It was discovered by a Securail agent, a company responsible for security in rail transport in Belgium, during a routine check.
  According to the same source, the young Moroccan did not have a travel ticket and gave a false identity to the security agents.
  The (…)