Press Release
The Response to the Belgian Education Minister, Pascal Smet, Anti-Islam Statement
(Translated)

Yesterday saw the launch of the Moroccan school, Iqra', in Belgium. It opened its doors not only to the new students but also led to a great deal of clamour in the Belgian society. The opening of the school has been the subject of discussion in Belgium in the last few days.

Some policy makers have expressed their concern that this school will not encourage integration but leads to isolation instead. Whilst others have expressed their support for opening schools like this, including the Belgian Education Minister, Pascal Smet, who has expressed his view when he appeared on a programme called "The Seventh Day" on VRT Channel. He said that the school provides a solution for the students who do not have the Belgian nationality, but he expressed his rejection of the school if it is an Islamic school saying it will be a problem then.

During the television broadcast, the minister explained that from the angle of freedom of education, the school enjoys full rights as long as it is defined as a Moroccan school and not an Islamic one, if it was an Islamic one it will be a big problem.

With these words the minister showed that he is bias but even more, he exposed his hatred to Islam. According to him the school will unite the Muslim youth and bond them by the Deen and then transform them to be religious causing fear and terror to society.

The position of the minister was made very clear. But it seems that the minister, Pascal Smet, forgot that in the Belgian Flanders area, Catholic and Jewish schools also exist and that they aim to teach their students their values along with the regular education.

So why does the minister consider the Moroccan school to be a big problem if it happened to be Islamic? What about what he calls the freedom of education that he spoke about? Or is it that Muslims do not get a share in the freedom of education that aims to teach their sons the value of their Deen along with the regular school curriculum?

We know of the double standards that the politicians turn to in Belgium against the Muslims for many years. The freedom and rights that are written in the Belgian constitution are not implemented on the Muslim community. Yesterday, the implementation of the ban on wearing Khimar(head scarf) in schools took place. So in this context of anti-Islam policies in Belgium for many years, they are not considered strange or shocking.

The Muslim community must understand first that the problem lies in the secular thoughts which carry today an anti-Islam speech more than it being an anti-religion speech.

The Catholic and Jewish schools are seen as normal by the West, but society must resist the Islamic schools. This means that the Islamic identity is not recognised in the Belgian society.

The Muslims who are committed to the Islamic way of life are not considered part of this society. So is this what they mean by multicultural society that is built on mutual respect? Is this the integration that the West boasts about?

The superficial secular view point about life proves once again that this secularism is nothing but a guarantee to injustice and exclusion. The words of Pascal Smet must be criticised on this basis. There is a stark difference between secularism and Islam in the way they view the many different cultures. Islam treats the people of other religions with respect and does not belittle them.

A look into the history of Islam is sufficient to show us this difference. The failure of secularism in terms of its intellectual basis which is separating Deen from life and in terms of its intention to show that all people are equal must be confronted intellectually and Islam should be given as the alternative way of life that has no equal. And that the people of other religions will not be excluded from the Islamic society, instead they will be embraced.

This is an advice to the Muslims in Belgium to remain committed to the Islamic identity and to debate with the sons of the West on an ideological basis. This is the only correct way to respond with strength to the anti-Islam words that have no basis.

 Okay Pala
Representative Member of Hizb ut Tahrir The Netherlands