Rise of Anti-Islamic Sentiment Worries Belgium

Also increasing tensions was the fact that some Jewish groups voted for the racist Vlaams Belang-VB Party because of concerns about the growing Muslim population. Jozef De Witte, The President of Equal Rights and the Fight against Racism in Belgian administration, says he is surprised that some Jewish people voted for VB.

In an interview with Zaman De Witte stated that Jewish community leaders are supposed to increase their warnings to community members advising them not to vote for VB and adds, "Which is the duty of Jewish leaders". He also points out that those Jewish people who voted for VB are a minority and they do not represent the Belgian Jewish community as a whole. De Witte noted that there have been issues between Morocco and Jewish people since the 2nd Intifada believes that Jewish people made a mistake in voting for VB as a result.

Citing: "The dominating philosophy ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend’. Since the 2nd Intifada, Moroccan and Jewish people have fought with each other. Jewish people have been severely attacked. These are the facts; in deed Jewish people are not commonly attacked by Muslims but native Belgians. The ones both attacking the Jewish and questioning the genocide are not Muslims or Moroccans but the Belgium," De Witte emphasizes that anti-Semitism is still a matter for Europe rather than Muslims.

De Witte points that the Belgian Jewish leader Julien Klener admits that Jews collaborated with the Nazi’s in the 2nd World War. De Witte stressed that even if all the Muslims in Belgium converted to Christianity, racism would never be eliminated the problem continues to exist as a deep as hostility towards foreigners, which is performed under the guise of anti-Islamic sentiment. The center has organized information campaigns in opposition to increasing anti-Islamic sentiment.