The Executive of the Muslims of Belgium (EMB) has submitted a request for the recognition of the Great Mosque of Brussels, according to the department of Brussels Minister-President, Rudi Vervoort.
Currently, there are 21 recognised mosques in the Brussels Region, and eight others have their recognition request pending. The request for the Great Mosque in the Cinquantenaire Park will now be added to that list, as the EMB filed the paperwork last week, reports Bruzz.
For as long as it existed, the Great Mosque was run by the Islamic Cultural Centre of Belgium (ICCB), which was financed by Saudi Arabia. However, after the terror attacks in 2016, it was decided, following an investigation, that the ICCB was no longer allowed to operate the mosque.
The Parliamentary Investigation Commission on the Brussels attacks, which considered that the ICCB "spread Wahhabi Salafism, a trend that can play a determining role in the radicalism and violent radicalism," it said.
It left the mosque in March 2019, and the Executive of the Muslims of Belgium was appointed to take over the management of the mosque.
If and when the Great Mosque will be officially recognised is unclear, as the Brussels government can only recognise one after it obtains the opinion of the FPS Justice and of the commune, which would be the City of Brussels in this case.
"I hope that the effective recognition will follow soon, and that this recognition with a great, added symbolic value will encourage other mosques to also apply for official recognition," said Vervoort.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
