In Belgium’s parliament, an imam last week began reciting verses from the Koran that explicitly call on Muslims to kill and capture Jews.
The Quran excerpt is Al-Azab Surah (chapter) verse 33:26. It says, “And he defeated the people of the Book, who supported the enemy’s alliance from their home base and cast fear into their hearts.” You “believers” killed some and killed others. took people captive. ”
In the Quran, Jews are called “the people of the book.”
Tuesday’s event was not sponsored by parliament, but was an initiative of Hasan Koyuncu, a Socialist Party lawmaker and vice-president of Brussels’ French-speaking parliament, and the Friends of Brussels.
performance led to widespread condemnation
Councilor Theo Franken, a critic of the event’s organizers, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “This guy invited that imam. He’s the deputy speaker of parliament. Is this okay?”
Recalling her detention in Tehran, MP Daliya Safai said: “Here in the Brussels parliament, with the same slogan, we wake up every morning in the Ayatollah’s prison and demand that we pray in our cells with the same words and with the same voice.” “It was done,” he said. Unlike many others, I was able to escape from that prison alive, but it’s even more shocking to hear the same thing 24 years later here in Belgium, the heartland of Western democracy. . ”
Brussels-Capital Region’s Secretary of State Nawal Ben Hamou left the event during the incident.
Idit Rosenzweig, Israel’s ambassador to Belgium, said of X that she was “absolutely horrified” by the incident. “He has made a terrifying and symbolic statement to those who know the Koran, directly from the parliamentary podium in Brussels, a city of 18,000 Jews who are experiencing rising levels of anti-Semitism and fear. He could have chosen something else instead of a message like that.
I was truly horrified to learn that an invited Muslim preacher at the Brussels parliament chose to recite portions of the Surah Al-Azab, which depicts the battle between Muslims and Jews. This is a surah that clearly (verse 26) calls for murder and the killing of Jews. Capture the Jews! in… pic.twitter.com/2jO7maJQrg
— Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig Abu (@IditAbu) February 16, 2024
The Imam who recited the surah was Kali Muhammad Ansar Noorani.
Reacting to the incident at X, Parliament Speaker Rashid Madeleine said: “Parliament is a temple of nothing but democracy. I intend to propose integration in the future.”respect neutrality [parliament] Rules. “
Ben Ashoor Malik, a member of the House of Representatives, said of X, “Parliament is a place of democracy. It is a place of public debate where completely different ideas are in conflict. The perch of Parliament is not a place of democracy.” said. This prayer can be recited even during a casual visit. ”
“Belgium, together with France, is the most pro-Hamas and anti-Israel leader in all of Europe, and it is no wonder that together with Belgium, Islamic extremism is widespread,” said Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Tsikri. “Turning our backs on Israel has proven to be a difficult strategic mistake.”
Chikli added that he hopes the pro-Hamas government will be replaced in the future by one that upholds Western values.
From October 7 to December 7, Belgian anti-discrimination agency UNIA recorded 91 incidents reported in connection with the conflict. This is far more than the 57 cases recorded in all of 2022. Of the 91 incidents, 66 were of an anti-Semitic nature and eight were of an anti-Semitic nature. Islam and anti-Arabism.
According to the World Jewish Congress, Belgium’s 29,000 Jews are based primarily in Brussels and Antwerp.