Pictures are circulating on social media showing a Pakistani imam reciting a sura from the Quran at an awards ceremony in the Brussels Parliament in mid-January. This event was not organised by the Brussels Parliament, as we were informed. Following this incident, the rules of procedure will be amended in order to “preserve state neutrality”, according to Parliament President Rachid Madrane (PS).
Images shared on X by MP Theo Francken (N-VA) and others. They show Muhammad Ansar Butt, a Pakistani imam, reciting religious prayers in the Brussels Parliament.
Bruxelles : un imam pakistanais radical récite une sourate du Coran au micro du Parlement bruxellois avant de recevoir un prix des mains de la socialiste Nawal Ben Hammou, secrétaire d’État bruxelloise à l’Égalité des chances https://t.co/ut1s1sAp0R pic.twitter.com/TEKW7YJf0K
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According to Bruzz, the imam published the video on his social networks on the 15th of January. It is a ritual prayer practised in Islam. The N-VA MP, who was interviewed by the newspaper, said: “This is extremely questionable, even shocking. The separation between state and religion is sacred to me. It is reprehensible for someone to recite Quranic verses in the parliament of the capital of Europe.”
The scene took place during an award ceremony for Brussels residents of Pakistani origin “who have distinguished themselves in various fields”, including sportsmen or entrepreneurs. “As on many occasions, Ms Ben Hamou was invited to an award ceremony by an organisation, in this case the Friends of Brussels organisation,” explained her spokesperson. She was not the organiser of the event and did not finance the association.
When the recitation began, Brussels State Secretary Nawal Ben Hamou (SP) “left the room because she felt that a parliament, even if it must be open to civil society in its diversity, is not an ordinary place, but a state institution,” her spokesperson added. The State Secretary recalled that “the neutrality of the State is a fundamental principle and must therefore lead to the avoidance of philosophical or religious rituals being performed within it”.
The government explains that a rabbi and a priest were also present at the event.
For his part, Parliament President Rachid Madrane (SP) explained that the event had not been organised by Parliament, but was part of the regular visits carried out at the request of MPs, in this case Hasan Koyuncu. He points out that if Parliament is supposed to be a place open to citizens, this incident should not have happened.
“It is a public institution, it is the heart of democracy, it must remain neutral,” explains his spokesperson. To prevent something like this from happening again, Rachid Madrane wants to remind the MP in question and the various parliamentary group leaders. The issue will also be discussed on Monday and the Rules of Procedure will be amended to remind them that “neutrality must be respected”.
Bruxelles : un imam pakistanais radical récite une sourate du Coran au micro du Parlement bruxellois avant de recevoir un prix des mains de la socialiste Nawal Ben Hammou, secrétaire d’État bruxelloise à l’Égalité des chances – Fdesouche / bx1.be