(Brussels Times) Flemish minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) has said she is “relieved” at the arrest of a young man accused of sending her hate mail.
The man, aged 24 and living in Demir’s home town of Genk in Limburg province, has admitted sending the letter. In it, Demir re-stated the Flemish government’s position that they could only give official recognition to local religious communities if there was no foreign financing or any other way foreign governments could influence their activities.
Demir is not even in charge of the procedure of recognition, which is the responsibility of social affairs minister Bart Somers.
But she is of Kurdish background, born in Belgium to a couple of Turkish Kurds, who follow the Alevi strand of Islam, in contrast to the Diyanet strand followed by the majority of Turks.
