Afmam Muhammad Ansar Butt (social networking sites)

A video clip of an imam reading a verse from Surah Al-Ahzab in the Belgian Parliament sparked angry reactions inside and outside Belgium, especially in Israel.

Imam Muhammad Ansar Butt posted on social media - before removing it - a clip of him reciting verse 26 of Surat Al-Ahzab on the platform of the Brussels Parliament following his honor, according to what was reported by the French newspaper Le Figaro.

The scene, which was only recently revealed to the public, occurred on January 13, during an awards ceremony organized by the association’s vice president, Hassan Koyongo (from the Socialist Party), with the Friends of Belgium Association. It was the imam himself, who is of Pakistani origin and lives in Leo-Saint-Pierre (Flemish Brabant), who posted the clip on Facebook, before removing it.

Pakistani imam in Parliament Brussels. 2024. Belgium is lost. pic.twitter.com/3o4Yoy5en2

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) February 16, 2024

Federal MP Theo Franken and former Secretary of State for Immigration posted the video on the X platform (formerly Twitter) accompanied by a very long message, in which he said that Brussels, which was once liberal, today looks like a lost city.

Franken expressed his regret at this, and accused the Socialist Party of "bending deeper than ever in favor of Muslims," ​​denouncing what he called "unprecedented scenes of surrender."

As for David Lister, leader of the Reform Movement in Belgium, a center-right liberal party, he called for the establishment of a committee on this topic, saying, “Centuries of religious conflicts are watching us... So how can we accept such behavior? This is the goal of neutrality.” . He explained that his parliamentary group demands accountability.

Israeli shock

In turn, the Israeli ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, Aidit Rosenzweig Abu, expressed her shock at this event, saying that she “felt extremely horrified when she discovered that a guest Muslim preacher in Parliament in Brussels had chosen to recite a verse from Surah Al-Ahzab, which is a surah that talks about a battle between Muslims and Jews,” according to the report. He claimed it.

She explained that the aforementioned verse, which is No. 26, “And He brought down those of the People of the Book who had supported them from their sieges, and cast terror into their hearts. "It explicitly calls for the killing and captivity of Jews."

She recalled that this comes amid rising anti-Semitism and fear in Brussels, where 18,000 Jews live, she said.

The leader of the extreme right in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, whose party came in first place in the legislative elections in the Netherlands, chose to ride this wave, as he published the clip on his account on X with the following comment: “A Pakistani imam in the Brussels Parliament 2024. Belgium is lost.”

Absolutely horrified to discover that in Brussels Parliament, an invited Muslim preacher chose to recite parts of Surah “Al-Ahzab”, a Surah about a battle between Muslims and Jews.

This is a Surah that explicitly (verse 26) calls for the KILLING and TAKING CAPTIVE of Jews! In… pic.twitter.com/2jO7maJQrg

- Ambassador Idit Rosenzweig-Abu (@IditAbu) February 16, 2024

As for the Socialist Party, Le Figaro stated that this issue raises more embarrassment, as Belgians will vote in less than 4 months to elect their representatives in the federal parliament and regional parliaments.

The newspaper reported that the Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities in Brussels, Nawal Ben Hammou, was the one who honored the aforementioned imam, but her companions said on Friday that she left the place when the imam began reciting verses from the Qur’an.

As for Rachid Madran, a member of the Socialist Party and Speaker of the Brussels Parliament, he tried to put an end to this controversy, stressing that representatives can organize events and that the institution also receives about 10,000 visitors annually.

The Speaker of the Brussels Parliament pointed out that he was also considering including the issue of neutrality in the institution’s regulations, saying, “Parliament is the temple of democracy: it is neither a mosque nor a church.”

In turn, the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted the Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amihai Shekli, commenting on what happened, saying, “Belgium, along with France, leads the line most supportive of Hamas and anti-Israel in all of Europe, and it is not surprising that extremist Islam is spreading within them, and it has been made clear that they are turning their backs on Israel.” "It is a difficult strategic mistake."

The newspaper considered that "what is stated in the verse calls for the kidnapping of Israeli hostages."

Jerusalem explained that between October 7 and December 7, the Belgian Anti-Discrimination Agency recorded 91 reported incidents related to the Gaza war, which far exceeds the 57 incidents recorded for the entire year of 2022, and of the 91 incidents, 66 were incidents. Anti-Semitic in nature, and 8 were anti-Islamic or anti-Arab.

Belgium's 29,000 Jews are based in Brussels and Antwerp, according to the World Jewish Congress, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Source: Israeli press + Le Figaro