The municipality of Ranst, where Vlaams Belang holds a majority, has dismissed an Islamic religion teacher from the local primary school over concerns of “signs of radicalisation”.
According to councillor Christel Engelen (Ons Ranst – Vlaams Belang), no formal complaints or reports were made regarding radical statements from the teacher during lessons. However, the municipality stated it did not want to take “any risks”.
Engelen declined to provide further details about the case. She explained the decision was aimed at ensuring that children are not exposed to or in contact with any form of radical or fundamentalist discourse. She emphasised that this risk was deemed significant in relation to the teacher involved.
The councillor noted that the decision followed a screening of the teacher, which was initiated after receiving signals of potential radicalisation.
"Some issues came to light during the process," claimed Engelen. "It is our responsibility to ensure children have a safe educational environment. The teacher in question is no longer employed with us."
