Islamophobia in Belgium: National Report 2018

As with preceding years, Islamophobia in Belgium has continued to grow and to per- meate diverse aspects of Belgian society. The nature of Islamophobia in Belgium re- mains constant – it is based on narratives of threat and perceived alterity of Islam and Muslims. Direct manifestations of Islamophobia throughout 2018 have been wide- spread and have affected Islamic sites with physical attacks and graffiti on mosques, Islamic practices such as halal slaughter, and also presumed Muslim individuals. During 2018, far right political and socio-political movements have had sig- nificant influence on Islamophobic narratives and action in the nation, particularly apparent in the case of the far right socio-politically-led Marche contre Marrakech in December which saw the overt manifestation of the intersection of traditional anti-immigrant racisms with anti-Muslim racisms. Furthermore, Islamophobia in Belgium is increasingly normalised, evident for example in the number of reported cases pertaining to Islamophobia in the police force, mainstream and popularised media narratives perpetuating Islamophobic tropes, and continued policy limiting expressions of Muslimness. Islamophobia in Belgium during 2018 has continued to have a distinctly gen- dered dimension – with numerous attacks against visibly Muslim women in par- ticular. Examples of attacks against Muslim women range from verbal aggressions, denial of access to services, Muslim women forcibly having the headscarf removed, and go as far as attempted rape. National Islamophobic debates continue to focus on the headscarf, and in this area, some gains and losses have been made – whilst some organisations have made accommodations of Muslim women’s dress, key figures con- tinue to demonise visible Muslimness in the nation. At the heart of Europe, the Belgian capital hosts a distinct far right presence at the supranational political level. In 2018, plans for the opening of a far-right think tank in Brussels to support associated European politicians were announced by Steve Bannon in the USA – showing the globalising nature of Islamophobia and its poten- tial to impact the nation. Counter-Islamophobia work and activism remains strong and effective in Bel- gium, with increasingly comprehensive reporting and counter-action as detailed below.