The mosque in Heusden-Zolder, which is led by Mehmet Üstün, the chairman of the Belgian Muslim Executive, plays an “important role” in the spread of extremist ideas in the Limburg region, according to a report by State Security, which the television programme “Pano” of VRT was able to obtain.
According to Pano, the Belgian intelligence report rated several mosques in Belgium, among them the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Heusden-Zolder, Limburg. The facility is run by several members of the Üstün family, including Mehmet Üstün, who has been president of the EMB, the organisation representing Muslims in Belgium, since May 2018.
The State Security said in its report that “the Sultan Ahmet Mosque plays an important role in the spread of extremism in Limburg”. This conclusion is based on the cooperation between the mosque and the authorities. According to Pano, Mehmet Üstün’s name is explicitly mentioned.The deciding factor, according to the VRT broadcast, seems to be the mosque’s cooperation with the Islamic Information Centre. According to Belgian intelligence, the mosque would allow the centre to use its premises and organise activities with its youth section. The State Protection Service sees this centre as spreading “extremism among young people in Heusden-Zolder and the surrounding area”.On Facebook, the chairman of the mosque reacted and rejected the accusations. “There is clearly a confusion here with an association that has nothing to do with our mosque and its representatives. I cannot but assume a deliberate misinformation to damage my reputation and that of our community,” he wrote.