Flemish Minister Blocks Opening of Controversial Islamic School in Belgium

The decision of the Flemish Minister of Education is based on an opinion from the education inspectorate and a proposal from the competent administration. Indeed, at the request of the first structure, the State Security Service conducted an investigation into Lectio, the non-profit organization that filed the recognition application for the school.

From this investigation, it appears that "Selam college", whose creation project had sparked controversy in recent months in Genk, does not meet a number of recognition conditions, including respect for the Belgian Constitution and international treaties, particularly those relating to human and child rights. "The Education Services Agency finds that recognition cannot be authorized," said Minister Crevits, to justify herself.

It should be recalled that the Islamic Federation of Belgium, linked to the Islamist-Turkish Milli-Görü movement, which had wished to create an Islamic establishment in Genk, had faced, at the beginning of the project, the opposition, among others, of the N-VA and the Vlaams Belang.