A neighborhood that is a country
Belgium’s immigrant population is mostly Muslim, with large communities of Moroccans, Algerians and other North African origins concentrated in specific urban areas, especially in the capital of Brussels. Molnbak, a district that used to be a quiet workers’ neighborhood, has received “lane” over the years as a focus of radicalism, not only in the eyes of the Belgian authorities, but also for the rest of Europe.
In this neighborhood, the terrorists responsible for the November 2015 terrorists were hidden in Paris, before opening their deadly attack that combined suicide and shooting attacks, with the memory of all of them being the attack in the Bataklan Theater that led to the murder of 130 people and hundreds of wounded. Seven people from Mellanbec were arrested in connection with the attacks, a bleak reality that continues to chase the residents living in the neighborhood and add another dark side to the entire Breus city that Belo is most suffering from a poor reputation after it previously called “the capital of the European Jihad.”
But this is just one episode in a long and tragic history of extremes related to the area. From the 2004 bombings in 2004, the shooting at the Brussels Jewish Museum in 2014 to Brussels attacks in 2016, Molnbeck served as a linked thread for the network of jihadists, and created a gloomy pattern that cannot be ignored. Over the years, this neighborhood has become a symbol of the larger problem that deposits Belgium, and in the extension of Europe as well: Islamic extremes. However, the problem is not limited to molebell – in cities like that Ebrik, Anderlecht and others, the influence of Islamic ideology is increasing, especially among the younger generation. What started as a “simple” challenge of integration has evolved into security concern for the whole continent.
The region’s social-economic challenges are fertile ground for extremes. Molnbak, along with other parts of Brussels, has long struggled with high unemployment rates, which are disproportionately felt among immigrant communities. Many of the young people in the neighborhood are disconnected from the Belgian society and have low chances of financially and classically. The sense of alienation and frustration among their sharpness because of the state’s failure combined with immigrant populations, and this demographic vulnerability in combination with the influence of extreme Islamist ideologies, created a vicious circle of disengagement and radicalization. For many, the temptation of radical Islam offers not only identity but also a sense of belonging and a goal in the world that urges them to marginalized.
Belgium failed in the fight against the extremes
Belgium’s treatment in Islam as a religion in her national context was particularly controversial. The state’s unique approach to secularism is defined by recognition and funding of seven religions, including Islam, and its policy provides religious education supported by the state. The government’s decision in the 1960s delegated the management of Islamic affairs to Saudi Arabia had long-term consequences. In fact, by providing the possibility of foreign powers, especially from the bay, to influence Islam in Belgium, the state has nurtured unknowingly, or from a deliberate “daughter” approach, a pattern of Islam was created in Belgium, which has gained less in Belgian society and is more adapted to a fundamentalist interpretation of religion. The result was the expansion of Havavism in the country, a stringent and formative form of Sunni Islam, which nourished the radicalization in many Belgian mosques.
This approach supported by the state for deeply controversial religious pluralism, especially when the influence of conservative bay regimes grows within Belgium’s Muslim communities. Prominent political scientists in Belgium, such as Jamila Banviv, claim that the country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia and other ruler countries in a light bay on the expansion of extremes. According to Banviv, the state’s failure to regulate Islam’s ideological elements has made Belgium a fertile ground for groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which has a significant presence in Brussels.
In neighborhoods like Molnbeck, these interpretations of foreign -back Islam have found a strong grip, especially among young people. The influence of tough religious people has created a religious environment in which radical opinions not only to be baptized but promoted. Padella Macboli, director of the Aislamic fundamental tracking center in Brussels, claims that the growing visibility of the full scar is indicative of a broader social change toward the ultra-conservative Islam. In her opinion, the normalization of these practices marks a deeper cultural and ideological gap between Muslim communities and the broader Belgian society. She kept and described the growth of radicalization as a “conversion”, which it estimates to threaten to undermine the secular values that Belgium advocates.
While Moltenbeck is perhaps the infamous neighborhood in Belgium, the challenge of extreme Islam is not limited to one place. Around Brussels and other cities such as Antwerp and Laiz, the Islamist extremism has slowly grabbed a place of honor among the Muslim population. Over the past two decades, Belgium has produced some of the highest numbers of foreign fighters who joined ISIS, with estimates that about 500 Belgian citizens traveled to Syria or Iraq to join jihadist groups. Despite years of terrorist counterterrorism efforts, including counterterrorism and terrorist cells, Belgium remains an important intersection for the terrorist organization that is actually threatening the security of Europe as a whole.
One of the most disturbing trends in this radicalization process is the role of youth. Belgian schools, especially those in Muslim neighborhoods, become a battle scene for competing ideologies. Reports of children influenced by extreme Islamist beliefs are not uncommon. In some schools, wearing hijab or even full facial poison has become a growing mark among young girls. In some cases, these children are so influenced by their families or communities that they actively reject any form of secularism. Teachers report that some students refuse to attend school events, stating religious prohibitions on poetry or dance.
Furthermore, there is an alarming increase in anti-western rhetoric within these communities. Some of the Muslim young people in Belgium openly reject the mainstream of Western democracy, and instead call for the laws of Sharia across the state. Such opinions, which were previously considered marginalized, are now being drafted within these communities, especially among the young generations. These ideological rifts created an increasingly polar society, one in which integration seems to be a distant hope, and the radical ideologies that have previously thrived the shadows, a day -to -day rash farm.
Reading wake -up to the entire continent
The tension between Muslim communities and the broader Belgian society is definitely noticeable. On the one hand, many Muslims report a sense of racism and alienation, and claim that they are often suspicious of their religion. Young women like Samia Billy who live in Brussels and wears Hajab, reporting that she and other women like her have experienced more hostility since the 2015 attacks in 2015, when many claim that they are receiving uncomfortable looks. It created a circle of distrust and resentment, where both parties see more and more the other as a threat.
The Belgium government has taken steps to address these problems, but with mixed results. In 2024, the government pledged to invest in millions of euros to improve socio-economic conditions in areas such as Molnbeck, with the aim of reducing unemployment, improving education and creating community information plans. However, despite these efforts, many residents feel that little has changed, and extreme ideologies continue to spread and even intensify. Police actions and raids continue to be a permanent phenomenon in these neighborhoods, but they are usually seen as a occupation in the local population, which further exacerbates the gap between the authorities and the communities they are trying to help.
The last increase in gang violence, related to drug trafficking and organized crime in Brussels, only aggravated the situation. Many are worried that the rise of crime gangs will create even more opportunities for radical groups to take advantage of the youth. In fact, experts warn that jihadists recruit are often aimed at young men involved in small crimes or drug trafficking, and offer them an alternative and alternative purpose combined with extreme ideology. This relationship between radicalism and organized crime is concerned about the local authorities, fearing that recruitment networks are getting more embedded in the daily life of the neighborhoods.
What may be more worrying is the political climate in Belgium itself. The political elite is almost completely silent with regard to the issue of extreme Islam, and is often afraid to keep the largest Muslim voter public away in Brussels, which has political power in certain districts. As Maccabees noted, many Belgian politicians have made an eye on the growing presence of Islamism, and instead preferred short -term alketral achievements over long -term solutions. This political reluctance to confront the basic causes of radicalization, along with the state’s willingness to recognize the scope of the problem, only further established the gap between the Belgian Muslims and the rest of the population.
Belgium’s crisis with radical Islam is not only; It reflects a bigger problem that continues to expand in Europe, but Belgium’s example stands as a prominent reminder of the risks of ignoring the ideological roots of extremes – on any side. La Figaro’s article serves as a wake -up call for the continent and warns that Belgium’s failure to fully combine its Muslim population, combined with its inability to effectively cope with radical Islamist ideology, may have disastrous implications for neighboring countries. The big question is whether Europe will learn from Belgium’s mistakes or other countries will go the same way.