Islamophobia in Belgium: National Report 2015

This section of the European Islamophobia Report details the state of Islamophobia in Belgium in 2015 and establishes its significant growth across the country over the year. Islamophobia in Belgium is shaped by factors both internal and external to the country; most notably peaks in Islamophobia in Belgium correlate with events in Paris such as the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January and the series of terror attacks in the French capital in November 2015. Belgian Muslim women and young Muslims are disproportionately affected by the phenomenon, notwithstanding Muslim men and those presumed to be Muslim or those affiliated with Islam who are also targeted by Islamophobia. In spite of the growing rates of Islamophobia in the country, Bel- gium is also home to numerous counter-Islamophobia initiatives. Analysis of these groups demonstrates several examples of good practice, which have informed the set of recommendations proposed at the end of this section of the report.