A public conference on Islamism in schools, scheduled to take place at a Brussels bookstore, has been cancelled after organisers received threats apparently from young Muslims.
In the Brussels municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, the authors of the book Allah n’a rien à faire dans ma classe (Allah has nothing to do in my class), Jean-Pierre Martin and Laurence D’Hondt, were scheduled to present their work at the local Fnac book and technology store outlet on November 16.
The two journalists’ book covered the increasing pressure on teachers by Islamists, which the pair said made it difficult for educators to teach biology and history — in particular, the Holocaust — as well as discuss the radicalisation of their pupils.
On several occasions during the week leading up to the event, the store’s employees were the victims of verbal threats and on November 15, Fnac decided to cancel it, based on an internal security analysis.
Martin made the announcement on social media.
“The conference scheduled for this afternoon at the Fnac in Woluwé is cancelled. We understand that the Fnac is remarkable in its support for the authors and our book. ‘Youths’ threatened the staff. Thank you for your understanding,” he wrote on X.
Asked for further explanation, Martin stated: “Over the past three days, groups of ‘youths’ have repeatedly intimidated the staff, citing the ‘ban on mentioning the name of Allah’. They have demanded that the conference and book signing be cancelled and that the book be withdrawn.”
On Facebook he wrote: “Who is to blame? The Kingdom of Belgium is suffering from deep-seated ills: Deafness and blindness.
“For those who have not read our book, you should know that it is benevolent towards Allah and the other gods. It is benevolent towards those who have faith.
“Above all, our book is a plea for freedom of conscience, for freedom, for the future of your children and the love their teachers give them.
“Those who want to censor this book, and unfortunately will never read it, hate us and are trying to frighten us.”
D’Hondt also reacted to the cancellation.
“There are serious threats against anyone who wants to defend freedom of expression,” she said.
The publisher and the store announced on social networks that they had cancelled the event, without giving further details.
“The decision to cancel the event was taken solely by Fnac and was not taken on the orders of the police,” police chief Michaël Jonniaux told the daily La Libre Belgique.
Olivier Maingain, mayor of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert city, had asked the police to send several plain-clothes officers to the scene.
He said young people had wanted to provoke incidents at the store and feared they still would misbehave despite the event being cancelled.
Martin and D’Hondt’s book was seen as a warning about what was happening in classrooms and was presented as a “cry for alarm”.
The authors have collected testimonies from teachers revealing their fear in the face of Islamist ideology present in their classes.
“Teachers testify to the questioning of the teaching of subjects and values, such as equal rights between men and women, respect for individual freedom, freedom of conscience and religion …”, Martin said about the book.
According to the writers, teaching has become a dangerous profession and schools are no longer a sanctuary. Islamists, they wrote, consider classrooms to promote the school of disbelief, because that is where freedom of conscience is taught.
Teachers are not equipped to deal with the situation, the authors claimed.
The cancellation of the presentation of the book provoked much reaction on social media. Liberal budget minister Alexia Bertrand said it was” a new blow to our freedoms and freedom of expression”.
“We must never tolerate this. We will never tolerate it. I expect all political leaders to join me in strongly condemning these actions.”
Centre-right MEP Assita Kanko said it was “shocking” and called it “Islamic fascism at its finest”.
“This proves once again that it is impossible to talk about topics related to Islamic radicalisation in our schools,” she said.
“I hope the authors will want to present their book in the European Parliament. I am ready to welcome them and reserve a safe space for them so that people who are interested can attend and share views. This is a conversion we need to have.
“I refuse to accept the destruction of free thinking. Freedom of expression must be protected at all times. Also at school,” Kanko concluded.
Belgian Socialist politician and lawyer Julien Uyttendaele described the affair as: “Yet another warning signal. Politicians can no longer turn a blind eye.”
