Belgium Is a Recruiting Ground for Islam Radicals, Study Finds
By REUTERS
Filed at 10:38 a.m. ET
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium is a recruiting ground for Islamic militants, with one in 10 mosques used to spread anti-Western ideas, senators privy to secret service testimony said on Thursday.
A confidential Senate report based on evidence from the state security service and seen only by members of the upper house's oversight committee, said Belgium was being used to recruit anti-Western radicals.
``It is the first time we have a global view of the danger, a view we did not have in the past,'' Senator Hugo Vandenberghe, a member of the committee, told Reuters.
``The conclusion is that there are extremist groups recruiting in Brussels, that there is an influence from certain mosques to mobilize people who are not compatible with Western society and civilization,'' he said, adding that certain foreign nations -- via their embassies -- also exert influence.
The assessment was that these groups could turn militant if tension worsened in the Middle East, he added.
Several Belgian men of foreign descent were arrested by U.S. forces in Afghanistan after the collapse of the Islamic purist Taliban government last November.
Vandenberghe said young Arab immigrants who are not yet integrated into Belgian society were the main target of Islamist recruiters, as they were more susceptible to anti-Western views.
Several hundred people were involved in radical Muslim groups in Belgium, which has a population of 10 million, he said. According to the report, about 30 of Belgium's 300 mosques are considered radical.
``That is a minimum because it's just an estimate. The influence is larger than those 30 but maybe these mosques are more outspoken,'' he added.
Another committee member, Senator Martine Taelman, said Belgium needed to pay more attention to the long-term strategy of radical Islamic groups.
``It is very difficult to screen those mosques because the situation can change very quickly as religious leaders shift between mosques, and mosques considered as moderate can become radical and vice-versa,'' Taelman said.
Vandenberghe said Belgium's state security service needed more resources to deal with the emerging threat.
In the United States, FBI Director Robert Mueller announced plans on Wednesday to shift hundreds of agents to boost the crime-fighting agency's counter-terrorism activities. |
