Belgium: Government member resigns over suspected links to Muslim Brotherhood

Ihsane Haouach, government commissioner at the Institute for Gender Equality, has resigned just weeks after her appointment. As a feminist who defends the wearing of the veil, she is suspected of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ihsane Haouach’s mandate in the Belgian government lasted no longer than six weeks. The 36-year-old woman, known for her feminist stance, has been at the centre of controversy since she was appointed government commissioner of the Institute for Gender Equality on June 1. An appointment that had weakened Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s federal majority, reports the website Le Monde. On Friday July 9, Ihsane Haouach finally announced that she was stepping down from her post. Officially, she is leaving her post to calm the political climate within the government.In her resignation letter, Ihsane Haouach mentions a “context of mistrust and aggression towards [her]” that makes it “impossible for [her] to carry out [her] function effectively”. But the woman’s resignation could also have other reasons, according to the Belgian daily Le Soir, including the leaking of compromising information from the intelligence services to the government. According to the latter, the woman had links to the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious organisation criticised for its communitarian vision of society.

The news was greeted with relief by those who had opposed the appointment of Ihsane Haouach, including George Louis Bouchez, president of the Liberal Reform Movement. “I am amazed that we are surprised. It’s been weeks since this kind of information was leaked, so it’s not something totally unexpected, at least in terms of a certain militancy, a certain closeness to people who advocate religious principles, who want to dictate or influence the behaviour of the state and society,” he said, as reported by the RTBF website. At her first appearance at the Equality Institute, Ihsane Haouach refused to remove her headscarf, sparking a heated debate that has grown ever since.

https://www.valeursactuelles.com/politique/belgique-suspectee-davoir-des-liens-avec-les-freres-musulmans-une-membre-du-gouvernement-demissionne/