Lauren Walker – Eye on Islamism

Danish PM seeks to extend religious full-face veil ban to educational institutions Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday she was seeking to extend the 2018 niqab ban to educational institutions and remove prayer rooms, citing concerns about social control and oppression.

June 5, 2025 Lauren Walker

(Euronews) Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has called on Thursday for stricter measures limiting religious symbols and rituals in education, asking for a ban on full-coverage veils worn by some Muslim women to be extended to schools and universities. The country’s overall […]

Five imams in Belgium risk eviction for being ‘paid by Turkey’

October 21, 2024 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Five imams have seen their work permits being withdrawn after it was uncovered that the Turkish government was funding them. They risk being evicted if they are not employed by the end of this year. The Flemish region’s Employment Minister […]

Anti-terrorist operation: Arrests across Belgium, security forces on high alert ahead of Olympics

July 25, 2024 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Seven people suspected of being involved in the activities of a terrorist group have been arrested in several house searches across Belgium. First reports suggested the suspects were involved in preparing a terrorist attack. The Antwerp Federal Judicial Police carried […]

‘Proportionate restriction’: ECHR upholds ban on Islamic veil in secondary education

May 16, 2024 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that it upholds the ban on hijabs in Flemish Community secondary schools. It rejected the applicants’ complaint that the ban is incompatible with freedom of religion. The case was brought by […]

41% more terrorism and extremism threats in 2023

March 1, 2024 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) The threat level in Belgium remains high, with Brussels in particular a potential target — as October’s terror attack proved. Belgium’s threat assessment body (OCAD) has observed a significant rise in threats in 2023. The second-highest threat level remains in […]

New type of spying and jihadist terrorism on the rise, State Security warns

January 12, 2024 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Espionage and counterintelligence are once again key priorities for Belgium’s State Security. However, the threat of jihadist-inspired terrorism, which was at the top of the agenda several years ago, is also resurging. At the start of every new year, Belgium’s State Security […]

Brussels terror attack: Police looking for CCTV footage and witnesses

November 15, 2023 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Investigators are looking for witnesses and camera footage related to the terror attack that claimed the lives of two Swedish nationals in Brussels on 16 October. The Federal Police published a search notice on Wednesday at the request of the Brussels […]

Jihadism-inspired extremism still biggest terrorism threat in Belgium

July 28, 2023 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) The greatest threat of terrorism continues to come from individuals inspired by Islamist extremism, often referred to as jihadism ideology. However, violence from right-wing extremists can also not be ruled out. Last year, there were 215 threat reports related to […]

Antwerp venue cancels ‘Queer Iftar’ as safety cannot be guaranteed

March 22, 2023 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) An event inviting Muslims of the LGBTQIA+ community in Antwerp to celebrate an iftar, a meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan, in a safe space on 31 March has been cancelled for security reasons. “Queer Iftar” was a joint initiative set up […]

Brussels terror trial: Victims’ testimonies start this week

March 6, 2023 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Three months since Belgium’s biggest trial started, procedures will progress to a new phase that will see around 100 victims and their relatives share their testimonies this week. On Monday morning, medical experts, including a rehabilitation doctor and a psychiatrist, […]

Over 35,000 women and girls in Belgium affected by female genital mutilation

June 29, 2022 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) More than 35,000 women and girls living in Belgium are estimated to be circumcised or at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM), which is a human rights violation, a recent study has found. At least 200 million girls and women in […]

EU to improve digital information exchange in fight against terrorism

June 10, 2022 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) European justice ministers have agreed on several measures to step up the EU’s fight against terrorism in the EU, primarily by facilitating the digital information exchange in terrorism cases across borders. The proposals for additional measures are part of “ongoing […]

Sixth anniversary of terrorist attacks: Belgium pays tribute to victims

March 22, 2022 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Belgium paid tribute on Tuesday to victims of terrorist attacks, including those lost during the attacks that rocked the country six years ago in Brussels and Zaventem. On 22 March 2016, a double attack took place in Belgium, first at […]

Lawyer who survived 22 March terrorist … attack sues Belgian state

March 11, 2021 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) A lawyer who survived the terrorist attack in Brussels on 22 March 2016 is taking the Belgian government to court for its mishandling of the aftermath of the incident and its treatment of the victims. The man, Nic Reynaert, is […]

Belgian jihadist and children missing from Syrian Al-Hol prison camp

March 2, 2021 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Jihadist Nora Verhoeven and several other Belgian women and children have reportedly gone missing from the Syrian Al-Hol prison camp, according to a psychologist involved in the possible repatriation of the group. Two doctors and two psychologists had planned to […]

Genital mutilation poses threat to thousands of girls in Belgium

February 5, 2021 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Around 15,000 women in Belgium have been reported as victims of genital mutilation (FGM) and another 8,000 girls are still at risk, the Centre for Secular Action said on Friday, the eve of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female […]

Belgian court convicts Iranian diplomat of attempted bombing

February 4, 2021 Lauren Walker

(Brussels Times) Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who has been convicted for his role in a foiled terrorist attack, was given a 20-year prison sentence by the criminal court in Antwerp on Thursday. The Vienna-based official plotted to bomb a rally of the […]