Two Muslim candidates win seats in Belgium local elections

 

Two candidates from Islam Party have won their way to the local councils in two major districts of the Belgian capital Brussels.

The local elections were held in Anderlecht and Molenbeek on Sunday. 

The party reportedly plans to field candidates for the regional and parliamentary elections and also intends to fight for seats in the European Parliament. 

The results have been hailed as a new era for the Muslim community in Belgium.

On April 26, The London-based human rights group Amnesty International criticized politicians for failing to act against the growth of Islamophobia in Europe in a report entitled "Choice and Prejudice," focusing on the rise of political movements that target Muslims or Muslim practices in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. 

A 2008 estimation showed that 6 percent of the Belgian population, about 628,751, is Muslim. Muslims construct 25.5% of the population of Brussels, 4.0% of Wallonia and 3.9% of Flanders.