ENORB Complaint to La RTBF about Belgian Justice Minister’s Islamophobic Comments

Get The Trolls Out! partner for Francophone Belgium, European Network on Religion and Belief (ENORB) have sent a letter of complaint to one of Belgium’s public broadcasters La RTBF (Belgian Radio-Television of the Francophone Community) after it failed to challenge Islamophobic remarks by the Federal Minister of Justice Vincent van Quickenborne. Appearing on Matin Première [Morning One] radio programme, the Minister claimed that Muslims in Belgium hold outdated beliefs, incompatible with Belgian values. In evidence, he cites the relative lack of women and Flemish speakers on the board of the Muslim Executive of Belgium, the official Muslim interlocutor of Belgium’s Federal Government for the implementation of the 4th March 1870 Law governing relations between the government and subsidised religious or secular communities.

ENORB believe these remarks are a clear example of dog-whistling and state interference in citizens’ freedom of religion and belief. As the Muslim Executive itself point out in their response – if the Minister makes comments on Islam, “he should also do the same with the Jewish community and the Catholic Church. I don’t see any female priests. Why does he have to bother with the representation of women in the Executive? Women are represented, and they are respected.”

In their complaint, ENORB stated:

“This type of comment may seem inoffensive but it can be experienced as direct violence by a group that is constantly being othered and discriminated against. Freedom of religion and the principle of reciprocal non-interference between the churches and the state denies the state any right to promulgate religious dogma, not to mention defining what constitutes ‘good’ dogma. It is not appropriate for the Minister to make value judgements about specific religious practices. In this case, public authorities cannot, in their action, go as far as to consider that some believers maintain religious practice that is outdated or incompatible with ‘Belgian values,’ and ought to adapt to our times and values. The Minister’s statement is a clear example of ‘dog whistling.’ Treating Muslims as having different values that are not compatible with European ones, he implicitly appeals to an Islamophobic discourse that frames the Muslims as ‘the other.’ We regret that the news segment presented the Minister’s statement as is and did not provide more by way of explanation and challenge to these affirmations. Journalists have a responsibility to challenge hate speech and explain the harm it causes. Dog whistling is no exception.”

ENORB has not received a reply as of yet - this page will be updated if and when La RTBF respond.