The official representative body of Muslims in Belgium, called Executive of the Muslims of Belgium (EBM) introduced the new 17 members of the body in a ceremony held on Sunday.
Nooruddin Ismaili, of Moroccan origin, has been designated as the President of the state-supported body which was formed in 1998 to regulate the cultural, educational, and social affairs of the Muslims in Belgium.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ralf Folter, a director in the cabinet of Belgian justice minister of justice Annemie Turtelboom, congratulated the new members and noted that the ministry has minimum interference in the affairs of the EBM.
He said that the Belgian states treats the Muslims equally with the followers of other religions in the country.
Until now the EBM was elected by the Muslim community in Belgium for three years, but for the first time a different process was followed.
One representative each from 282 mosques in Belgium gathered on 8 March and elected a general assembly of 60 people. This general assembly then elected the 17-member executive body, which includes eight members of Moroccan origin, seven of Turkish origin, one of Bosnian origin and one of Albanian origin.
Speaking to the Kuwait news agency, KUNA, Ismaili said the EBM was formed by the Belgian state to “give the Muslims a voice.” He said the task of the EBM is to coordinate with the state on the recognition of mosques, training of teachers for Islamic education, and other social affairs like visits to hospitals and prisons.
Ismaili said his main focus will be on the recognition of 292 mosques officially by the Belgian state. Till now about 80 mosques have been recognized officially, he noted. The Belgian state supports official mosques financially.
He said there are one million Muslims living in Belgium which has a population of 11 million. The largest group of Muslims in Belgium come from Morocco and Turkey and to a lesser extent from Pakistan, Algeria, Tunisia, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Meanwhile, Isabelle Praile, a Belgian convert to Islam and former vice president of EMB, criticised the way the new members were selected as “undemocratic.” Speaking to KUNA, she said there was not one a single Muslim of Belgian origin in the new EBM.
Praile estimated that about 50,000 Belgians have converted to Islam. She also lamented that there were only two women in the new body although the percentage of Muslim women in the country is quite high.
In response, the new President of the EBM said Muslims of Belgian origin were candidates but they were not elected.