A Letter from a Flemish Mother

Gates of Vienna posted the following earlier, and I thought it was worth reproducing here.

In its way it does more to sum up the collective mental condition that has gripped the Western world than a thousand posts on blogs such as this one.

This letter was forwarded to a blogger on a Dutch news site. It was written by a woman in Antwerp to the mother of an imprisoned Moroccan criminal. The woman wrote the letter after seeing the criminal’s mother on a Flemish television news program.

Many thanks to Timo of the Dutch Defence League for the translation:

Dear Madam,

I saw your vehement protests in front of the TV cameras against the transfer of your son from a prison in Aarlen to a prison in Leuven. I heard your complaints about the distance that separates you from your son and the difficulties you have in visiting him.

I also noticed the media attention from journalists and reporters about other mothers in similar situations: they are defended by several organization for human rights and such.

I am also a mother, and I completely understand your protests and discontents. I want to join you in your battle because, as you will see, there is also a large distance between me and my son.

I work hard, earn less, and have the same financial difficulties in visiting my son. With a lot of effort I can reach him on Sundays, because I work all the other days, even Saturdays, and besides that I have my family duties towards my other children.

In case you didn’t understand it yet: I am the mother of the boy that was brutally slaughtered by your son, in the gas station he used to work for at night to pay for his studies and support his family.

I will visit him again next Sunday. While you hold your son in your arms and cuddle him, I shall only lay some flowers on his modest grave at the city cemetery.

Oh, and I almost forgot: you don’t have to worry, the state keeps a part of my lousy wage to pay for a new bed for your son, because he burned the two previous ones in his cell where he is doing time for the brutal crime he committed.

Finally, also as mothers, maybe we can contribute something to stop the inversion of human values. Human rights should only be there for the rightfully deserving.

So much for a letter from a grieving mother. Maybe this is something that we, in these dark days, should think about more often!

Civil Unrest in Brussels

Esther at Islam in Europe reports that the Ramadan festivities are going with a bang in parts of Brussels, with several agents of the state beaten up, cars burnt, and immigrant gangs openly calling for violent insurrection:

The past couple of nights there were various disturbances and unrest in the Brussels suburbs of Anderlecht and Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. Different news reports give different accounts of what appears to be different or similar incidents.

Thursday night a stone was thrown at a police car in Moleenbeek. About an hour later youth set fire to car tyres and then threw stones at the police when they showed up. The police showed up and was confronted with about a hundred youth. Several cars and doors were vandalized. Wednesday afternoon a police patrol interrogating a victim of a violent robbery in the Anderlecht suburb of Brussels, was circled by a growing group of youth. The police felt threatened and called in reinforcements with police-hounds.

The inspection of Brahim (25) was also exceptionally difficult. Stones were thrown at the agents, and they decided to put the dogs back in the car and calm the situation. This didn't work. Brahim threw the inspector down the steps of a metro-station and beat him black-and-blue.

A colleague couldn't get Brahim off the inspector and only when a third agent showed up with a hound could Brahim be kept in check. Till the last moment the young men tried to incite the crowd against the agents. Meanwhile, the security services were dealing with a group of youth who were troubling workers at the Rustplein in Sint-Jans-Moleenbeek.

Additional reinforcements were sent there too.

Elsewhere youth set fire to a parked car, in order to challenge the agents. Several minutes later, there was a confrontation between a group of a Pakistanis and a group of North Africans, the former suspecting the latter of stealing a bike. The 'suspect' had nothing to do with the case, but the atmosphere in the neighborhood was tense. Later a police car stopped a Renault Clio in Sint-Jans-Moleenbeek. Two of its three passengers were suspected of trying to cause riots a few days earlier. One of the passengers had drugs in his possession, and the registration documents were not in order. This inspection also caused tensions, but the situation was was quickly calmed down.

It is not the first time that incidents are provoked by the youth. The procedure is always the same: The police is lured somewhere, and when they get there they discover the pavement has been smeared with slippery mud. Then the youth start throwing things at them. The police in Anderlecht is planning more patrols, preventive measures, and talks between the municipal council and the representatives of the immigrant community.

Sources: Brusselsnieuws, Nieuwsblad (Dutch)

***UPDATE*** 29th August:

Hudson New York has an article which mentions the frequent violence and unrest found in Muslim areas of European cities during Ramadan:

It is hot in Brussels. Ramadan has begun. The faithful in the predominantly Muslim borough of Molenbeek are not allowed to eat or drink from sunrise until sunset. Non-Muslim policemen, patrolling the streets of Molenbeek in their sweltering cars, are not allowed to eat or drink either. As every year during Ramadan, that they have been told by their superior, Philippe Moureaux, the Socialist mayor of Molenbeek, they have to respect Muslim sensitivities and not to “provoke” Muslims by violating Islamic Ramadan restrictions in public. In effect, Islamic or Sharia law is already applied - for everyone - in the Muslim areas of Brussels.

Barely two miles from Molenbeek lies Brussels’ European district. One of its huge glass and concrete buildings is the European Parliament where the elected representatives from the 27 members states of the European Union (EU) convene. The 736 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) have just returned from their summer break. They are mostly unaware of life in Molenbeek. Most of them never go to that part of the city. It is probably a sensible decision, because Molenbeek is known to be unsafe for non-Muslims. Nevertheless, it is a shame that Europe’s politicians are unaware of day-to-day life just around the corner. It means that most of the 736 MEPs, who make up the second largest democratically elected assembly in the world (after India), do not know what life really is like in an ever growing section of Europe’s urban areas. A walking tour of Molenbeek should be compulsory for every MEP.

Some friends in Brussels organize one-hour trips through Molenbeek. They go in an inconspicuous car, driven by a local who knows the escape routes, and with a bodyguard. Otherwise the risk would be too great. These trips are called “safaris.” Similar “Eurabia Safaris” are organized in other European cities. One of the highlights - though absolutely not the most dangerous one - of the safari in Rosengaard, the Muslim section of the Swedish city of Malmö, is a short stop, to give the visitor the opportunity to take a quick snapshot, in front of Malmö’s “Jihadskörkortsteori” (Jihad Driving School).
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More Violence in France & Belgium

Translated with thanks by R. Dunn.

Rise in the number of arson attacks in Maubeuge. A few weeks ago, wood, paper and a gas bottle were placed in the hallway of a block of flats in rue Valmy, before being set alight. Many basements in the center of town have also been targeted, as has been the local school La Joyeuse, where four fires were started a few days ago.


Anvers (Belgium): he tries to talk to youths - and gets stabbed. A man tried to appease a tense situation and seperate youths near a mini-golf club. He was stabbed twice and is seriously injured.


Montbeliard: trouble at the swimming pool. "Young swimmers" between the ages of 15 and 18 make their presence known by using the big diving board against the rules (the pool isn't deep enough in that area). The lifeguard who tries to step in is molested, thrown in the pool, then beaten when he climbs out. The swimming pool has been closed for a few days, and security is being tightened. This incident is surprisingly similar to another that took place at Oullins swimming pool, where youths used the diving board when the swimming pool was closed, before they hit and threatened the people working there and stole things.


Pont-Eveque (Isere): A 19 year old man was very seriously injured when he was stabbed multiple times, including in the throat. His aggressor, 20 year old Yanis Debouzza, who already has a police record, has been arrested.


Hainaut (Belgium): Motorists targeted by showers of rocks. The storyline is always the same. Motorists are driving down the road when all of a sudden, stones start landing on their cars.
"Apparently, these stones are being thrown by people in a car driving in the opposite direction".


Caen: Ludivine, 22, can only cry. A broken nose, two purple black eyes, the young blond woman was beaten by her boyfriend, Ge Lau. He is an illegal immigrant and has no papers. The couple were going to move into a council house.


Lille - a passer by starts getting cash out a machine. Yousef B. and Mohammed R. seize him. One of the pair gets him in a strangle hold, the other threatens to stab him if he doesn't give them his credit card code. The man is severely beaten, and the pair run off with his wallet. The man's two eyebrow areas are open wounds and he has 2 teeth missing.
"We had 5 euros left so we bought some grass. After, we went by a kebab shop and that made us hungry." says Yousef, who already has 3 convictions. Yousef gets 10 months without parole, and Mohammed 10 months.


Dunkerque. Djamel B. is sentenced to four months in prison for having slapped his concubine for 3 hours, without any explanation.

Brèves de Belgique

A short list of recent incidents of 'cultural enrichment' in Belgium (translated with thanks by R. Dunn):

Molenbeek: dragged behind a van for 30m. A van driver who was trying to overtake a car kept honking non-stop. At a red light, the motorist driving the car stops and rolls down his window to have a word with the van driver. He is hauled out of his car by his shirt and dragged along behind the van for 35 meters. The police have arrested the van driver, 26 year old Ahmed and 24 year old Bilial, who was in the passenger seat. The 46 year old motorist has severe head injuries.


Knife attacks and vandalized police cars in Anderlecht. The police were at a crime scene to assist an expert. The suspect, Abdelhak, tried to stab the expert, he then fled the scene before being arrested. Before fleeing he had punctured the tyres of all 4 police cars.


Two tram staff assaulted in Schaerbeek. Two STIB (Belgian Intercommunal Transport Society) agents who asked a passenger for his ticket were assaulted in a tram. The passenger - a 22 year old man had given them a false identity, and was being held until the arrival of the police. A friend of the 22 year old got on the tram and punched the two agents repeatedly. The passenger - Mehdi, and his friend - Hamza, have been arrested. One of the agents was taken from the scene in an ambulance.

As Belgium recently announced an amnesty for illegal immigrants which could see up to 25,000 have their status regularised, the problems caused by large numbers of Third Worlders can only get worse - they will only keep coming.

"Mentally Disturbed" Man Attackes Belgian Beauty Salons

From Islam in Europe:

The Jette (Brussels) police arrested a mentally ill 30 year old man who had it in for several beauty salons. The man went in and out of various salon while reciting verses from the Koran. In the last salon he suddenly grabbed a table and chair and threw them at the manager.

The police arrested him further down the street. He looked very confused and during his interrogation he said that he was sent by Allah to punish women who put on makeup and did not respect the Koran. After consultation with the public prosecutor of Brussels he was brought to the psychiatric unit of a nearby hospital.

Source: HLN (Dutch)

Of course, what the media fails to mention is that this is behaviour which would be seen as perfectly rational and acceptable by a believer who takes the Koran literally.

45 Polygamous Marriages in Antwerp

Translated by Islam in Europe:

There are 45 men with two or more spouses in the Antwerp (Belgium) population and foreigner register. This according to the response of alderman Monica de Coninck (sp.a) to a question by council member Wim Van Osselaer (Vlaams Belang). The question was asked due to the registration of polygamous marriages in the Dutch cities Amsterdam and Rotterdam, a year ago. Van Osselaer wanted to know how matters stood in his own hometown.

Spokesperson Eva De Wolf says that in total Antwerp has 45 men who said they had married two or more women in their land of origin. These are mainly men from Morocco, Pakistan, Mauritania and other countries where polygamy is allowed.

She also adds that absolutely polygamous marriages aren't performed in Antwerp. Whoever wants to marry in Belgium must show that he is free of any bonds of marriage. "We register only polygamous marriages for non-Belgians in the population and foreigner register if that is permissible according to the law of their land of origin." Moreover, De Wolf says that only one of the spouses can move to Belgium through family reunification.

Source: HLN (Dutch)

We'll leave the question of why Antwerp has or needs large communities from Morocco, Pakistan and Mauritania for another time.

What interests me here is the implicit double standard - the Belgian authorities will control what they do on their own territory, but not what those in their charge do - even if those people are residents who have been generously allowed to come and live in Belgium as opposed to being born there.

If these men are known about, they should be prosecuted - it is that simple.

Why should there be one rule for foreign men and another for Belgians?

All allowing men with two or more wives to live in Belgium does is significantly increase the number of children the Belgian taxpayer must pay to bring up, as well as making the law an ass.

Update on Belgian Prison Break (II)

Last time I posted an update on this story, it was to reveal that a Belgian convert to Islam (and the girlfriend of one of the Muslim criminals) had played a key role in the escape of three of Belgium's most wanted criminals from prison by helicopter.

This occurred despite the fact that after converting to Islam she had regaled the Belgian media with details of her decision - and how she'd done it because Islam is a religion of love and peace.

It now turns out that she may have paid the ultimate price for her abject stupidity - Belgian police fear that her boyfriend and his criminal cohorts have killed her to prevent her being caught and talking.

From Islam in Europe:

The Belgian police thinks that the woman who helped free three criminals from the Bruges prison two weeks ago might not be alive anymore. They fear that the threesome got rid of the 23 year old Lesley Deckers, anonymous police sources told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws Friday.

Two of the three escaped criminals have been arrested, including Lesley Decker's boyfriend. The third is still on the run, but the police got a lot of tips about him. On Lesley they haven't received even one tip.

The three escaped the Bruges prison using a helicopter rented by the woman. They spent some time in a hotel in Amsterdam, from which they went to commit bank robberies in Belgium. On of the three was arrested in Brussels on Monday, the second was arrested in Morocco on Thursday.

Source: AD (Dutch)

Religion of peace indeed.

Update 11th August:

She's alive and has been caught.

Update on Belgian Prison Break

When I wrote previously about three criminals who escaped from a Belgian prison in a helicopter, I was chastised for mentioning that the three escapees happen to be Muslim.

Just like they happen to be three of Belgium's most dangerous criminals.

It now emerges that the woman who rented the helicopter used in the escape and coerced the pilot is the girlfriend of one of the criminals - a Belgian convert to Islam, who went on television after converting several years ago to tell the world how she had adopted Islam because she abhorred violence.

From Islam in Europe:

The court in Bruges identified the woman who rented a helicopter under the pseudonym "Kelly Verstraeten" last Thursday and freed three criminals from the Bruges prison. The woman is Lesley D. (24) from the Hoboken suburb of Antwerp, who converted to Islam in 2004.

The court already knew the identity of the person responsible several days after the daring helicopter escape from the Bruges prison. The young woman who rented the helicopter, coerced the pilot and fled with the escaped criminals is a 24 year old woman from Hoboken. Lesley D. is known as a girlfriend of Mohamed Johri, the 23-year old criminal from Antwerp who escaped. Her voice was recognized by acquaintances. The young woman wasn't found yet and has gone into hiding.

The revelations throws new light on the escape. Until now it was supports that it was contrived by the Mechelen criminal Ashraf Sekkaki, the most well-known of the three escapees. The suspcion was that the operation was carried out by people from his entourage. Now it appears to have been a cooperative partnership. Lahoucine El Haddouchi, the hijacker who was left behind during the rescue mission, is an old acquaintance of Sekkaki. The young woman who set up the operation did it for Johri. How the cooperative effort came to be is still a mystery. It is also still unclear what was the role of Abdelhaq Melloul-Khayari (42), the third escapee.

Lesley D. (24) from Hoboken appeared to the helicopter pilot as a 'jovial, easy-going Flemish girl' Thursday. Ludwig Louwagie (51) said that the black-haired girl carried out small talk. Until her accomplice Lahoucine El Haddouchi took out a pistol, put it to the pilot's head and forced him to land inside the prison. During the hijacking the young woman took the pilot's headphones so that he wouldn't be able to inform anyone.

Lesley D. was exposed last weekend when acquaintances recognized her voice on the tape that a helicopter company from Wettern made on July 17th, when she tried to rent a helicopter. The owner thought her call was suspicious and had kept it. After the hijacking he made the connection. Lesley D. had also visited her friend Johri in jail.

Last week detectives served the house in Hoboken where D. lives with her mother. They fond several indications that Lesley D. was indeed involved in the planning of the helicopter escape. She appeared to have studied the plans of the prison well.

According to Het Nieuwsblad, Lesely had a childhood like other children. She played soccer, went to the Chiro youth group, went to school in Hoboken. When she was about 18, she suddenly changed direction. She converted to Islam. She began to wear a headscarf and observe the strict rules of Islam. She made no secret of her choice, which she defended openly in the papers and on TV. In interviews she appeared as a calm young woman, who wanted to keep away from violence and aggression. "Sometimes friends think that I don't side enough with my Muslim brothers, but I don't side for somebody who attacks Jewish youth," she said.

It is still a mystery how she became the girlfriend of the violent young robber Mohamed Johri. The young man is the least important of the three escapees, but had already committed several robberies. Johri, also from Hoboken, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2008 for robbing a toy story and a supermarket. His family describes him as a 'playboy', who liked having a lot of money and lavishly scattered it. The family does not want to speak about the escape. The older brother already announced that Mohamed should give himself up as quickly as possible. The mother and father of Mohamed Johri have broken by the misery that their son had caused.

It's unclear if Lesley had already been in touch with the police. But the daring escape doesn't appear to be the work of experienced criminals. Leaving her voice on an answering marching was a serious beginner's error. Moreover, it appears that the escape route was badly prepared. The escaped criminals had to land faster than planned then hastily car-jack a car. Additionally, the Bruges prosecution already announced that the criminal who was left behind, Lahoucine El Haddouchi, was quickly identified because his had his ID with him.

Lesley's family did not want to make any comment. The Bruges prosecution also did not want to confirm or deny the news about the identification.

Source: Het Niewusblad (Dutch)

She may hate violence - but she clearly has no qualms about breaking the law and spending her time with a violent criminal.

3 Dangerous Criminals Escape from Prison in Belgium

From The Daily Telegraph:

Three prisoners, including one of Belgium's most dangerous criminals, have staged an audacious escape, breaking out in broad daylight aboard a hijacked helicopter.

Two accomplices rented a helicopter, took the pilot hostage, and forced him to land in the courtyard of the jail, located in the northern city of Bruges, a justice ministry spokesperson told Belga news agency.

The escaped convicts and the accomplice were dropped off near a major road and the helicopter was abandoned at Aalter, on the outskirts of Bruges.

The criminals then seized a vehicle from a nearby petrol station, later switching cars and taking a female driver hostage before dropping her off at Melle in Flanders, according to the police.

One of the accomplices stayed behind in the prison yard, possibly because of limited space aboard the helicopter, the spokesman said.

He will be charged with hostage taking. .

The three escapees - bank robber Ashraf Sekkaki, Mohammed Johry and Abdel Had Kahjary Mulloul - are all repeat offenders, prosecutors in Bruges told Belga.

Sekkaki, 26, has been described as one of Belgium's most dangerous criminals, and was jailed for 10 years for a slew of crimes.

He had escaped from a prison in the northern city of Turnhout in September 2003 and spent five months on the run before being captured by police.

Asylum Centre Staff Strike in Belgium

From Expatica:

Staff of the Federal Asylum Agency Fedasil protested outside the organisation's headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.

The staff are unhappy with the Belgian Government's lack of progress in drawing up a new asylum policy.

Fedasil is responsible for providing accommodation for asylum seekers.

Protester Geert Knockaert told the VRT: "We are demanding clarity from the government. We want to know what our asylum policy is. We support a regularisation for certain groups of people who have been here for a long time and who are not catered for by any of the removal programmes.

We also want policies in place to ensure that the people whose application for asylum has been turned down are returned to their country of origin.

At the moment we see people who keep on filing new applications and the number of asylum seekers being processed does not fall."

Fedasil is pressing for 2,000 extra places to accommodate asylum seekers.

At present 700 asylum seekers are staying in hotels. Hundreds of others are in emergency accommodation.

Fedasil staff are also taking their protest to the ministers concerned as well as government party headquarters.

The Belgian Government has been struggling to draw up a new asylum policy, but with five different coalition partners this has not proved to be easy.

The challenge is to establish criteria that will allow some of the people who have been living here and are integrated into mainstream society to be regularised.

We didn't really need confirmation that the system isn't working, but it is helpful when the staff involved choose to highlight the matter in this way.

However, the government will not make the policy more clear - because if they came out and said they think the border controls should be relaxed, they would be punished at the ballot box.

Like all European governments, they choose instead to talk tough but not back up their rhetoric with action.

Muslim Demonstration in Antwerp

The decision by two schools in the Flemish city of Antwerp to ban pupils from wearing headscarves continues to see ramifications.

Last week, after the decision was announced, an imam influential in the Muslim community of Flanders called on Muslim parents who disagreed with the decision to boycott Flemish schools.

He later backed down from this demand - but many parents are still unhappy, and this culminated in a demonstration on Sunday.

The decision was made for the following reason:

Starting September 1, 2009, all political and religious symbols will be banned in the city high schools (koninklijke atheneum) of Antwerp and Hoboken (Belgium), according to the new school regulations. The administration decided to take this step to protected their students against the increasing group pressure of, for instance, wearing a headscarf.

From Islam in Europe:

On Sunday about 120 Muslims protested in Antwerp against the headscarf ban in the Royal Athenaeums of Antwerp and Hoboken. They carried signs saying: "Everybody free, except us," "Democracy, not discrimination" and "You are the oppressors, not us."

They demanded to rescind the headscarf ban by the two schools.

Parent Mina Cheeba said in a speech that the representatives of the parents in the school council haven't heard of any social pressure to wear a headscarf and that if there are actual complaints, then they would like to take a look at them so they could come to a solution together.

Cheeba says the decision to ban the headscarf was made without asking the parents' advice. The school regulations shouldn't be changed autonomously, but by consultation with the parents.

Several students also expressed their displeasure. One said that they're supposedly under pressure to wear a headscarf, but that's nonsense. They are not feather-brains who accept everything without thinking.

Ayoub Aazzouti said that he's fed up of the men being portrayed as machos who force girls to wear headscarves, because it's not like that. "For us boys and girls are equal. We have a lot of respect for them and they are intelligent enough to decide on their own if they wear a headscarf or not. Stop using us as an excuse."

On Monday about 40 Muslim women showed up to protest in front of the Royal Athenaeum of Hoboken. Some of the slogans included: 'distressed by the lack of understanding', 'why a ban on my character', and 'lies in order to discriminate'.

One of the students spoke: "We have a right to study and to a headscarf. It's not one or the other, we have a right to both."

As the demonstrations continue, four female Muslim pupils have had their family turn to lawyers to see if the ban can be defeated in the courts (at the expense of Belgian taxpayers, presumably).

Meanwhile, Vlaams Belang member Filip Dewinter called for VB members and activists to report women wearing burqas to the police.

Wearing a garment which completely covers the body and obscures the face is technically illegal in Antwerp - but the police tend to do nothing.

That is the real problem - often the authorities are afraid of offending Muslims, because of the inevitable backlash, be it violence or legal Jihad at the taxpayers' expense. My feeling is that if the schools do not back down, they will be forced to do so in one way or another.

Here are some pictures from Sunday's demonstration, which show quite well the demographic transformation of parts of Antwerp:

Belgium's Most Wanted Criminal 'Claimed Asylum in the U.K.'

A story which demonstrates just how dangerous Britain and the rest of the EU's shambolic border controls are:

Abdul SALAM (aka Rouf Uddin, Mohammed Ahad Khan), 29, is wanted by the Belgian Police in connection with the murder of young mother Malika Sousse, 28, in Brussels last November. He is known to have fled to the UK.

SALAM, who originates from Sylhet in Bangladesh, had been seen with the victim previously, and she had complained to the local police that he had been harassing her with hundreds of text messages in the weeks before the murder.

SALAM entered the UK at the Port of Dover on December 30th claiming asylum and using the alias Mohammed Ahad Khan. He is also known to have used the alias Rouf Uddin whilst in Belgium. He travelled to Bow in East London and then visited other relatives in Plaistow, Stepney and Southwark but has since disappeared. He is also known to have contacts in the Manchester area.

The BBC has further details courtesy of the Belgian authorities:

Belgian police are hunting Uddin over the death of a woman who was found with her throat slashed in November 2002.

They believe Uddin, who was jailed for 30 years in his absence, may have started a new life in a Bangladeshi community.

He has family ties in Bow and Plaistow, east London, and may have travelled in France, Italy, the United States and Bangladesh.

It does make you wonder - how many other wanted killers, criminals and future killers slip onto the back of a lorry parked in Calais every week? Every month?

Belgian Government Wants an Amnesty for Illegals

Snouck Hurgronje reports:

Anchor children are politicians excuse to legalize law breakers

The Belgian Minister of Migration Annemie Turtelboom wants a amnesty for illegal foreigners
residing in Belgium. The amnesty is specifically for illegals with children enrolled in Belgian schools. These families are said to be "anchored in Belgian society".

The amnesty is said to concern 4,000 to 8,000 people.

This is unfortunate news, not only for the people of Belgium but for the surrounding countries too.

Not only do amnesties often lead to greater numbers of illegals arriving afterwards, in expectation of another amnesty, they often have effects in neighbouring countries.

For example, immigrants in the Netherlands could go to Belgium, regularise their status through the amnesty, then return as citizens of Belgium - and thus of the European Union, meaning their Belgian passport entitles them to citizenship in all but name in any EU country.

When the Netherlands started getting quite tough with bogus asylum seekers, many Somalis living there used their temporary residence permits to come to Britain and settle - many local councils in Birmingham were overwhelmed by the numbers, particularly of children being enrolled in school.

The most effective remedy is to take a leaf out of Italy's book and keep them out in the first place.

Islam & the European Elections

For some European countries, Islam and the issues which Muslims generally care about have become fairly important for some of the major political parties.

I'm talking about the Left and the mainstream, not the supposedly Islam-obsessed Right. Pandering to the prejudices of Muslims is becoming necessary for political parties in many European cities and regions which have a rapidly changing zeitgeist.

The fielding of Muslim candidates is also growing.

Perhaps the most disturbing example of a party which has a blatantly Islamic agenda is 'Liste Antisioniste', the anti-Zionists.

Here is one of their campaign posters:

The premise of this party is allegedly that the end of Zionism will mean world peace. Its founder is the viciously anti-semitic comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala.

This is what it promises:

"FOR A FREE EUROPE!" Free from Censorship, speculators and NATO.

So in other words, free to promote Islamic propaganda, free to desert our cultural and historic allies to Islamic violence, free to align ourselves with the Muslim world.

From the Netherlands, we have an example of a mainstream party which is trying to woo the Muslim vote through any means necessary.

CDA politician Rena Netjes was recently interviewed by Al-yaqeen.com. This website is run by Dutch Muslims, including a hate preacher based in the Hague, and as far as I can gather it attempts to foster 'understanding'; i.e. Islam is pleasant and terrorism is often quite understandable. It also seems to promote the idea that Islam is compatible with the rights of women.

So what did the erstwhile Miss Netjes, a woman married to an Egyptian Muslim, have to say for herself?

"I want to go on the record for the Muslims, because I find it very bad what is happening [presumably the rise of Wilders and the 'demonising' of Islam] and this must stop. I will put my neck out for you.

I think it is honestly nicer than in the Netherlands in those [Muslim] countries . What I appreciate is that Muslims are very serious about their faith and how many have respect for God."

She has also said in the past that she would never have met a man as 'respectable' as her husband in the Netherlands. This quote caused most controversy:

Q: Finally: We've heard many promises. Why should Muslims trust that you will keep them?

A: People just need to google my name and they could see everything that I've done in the past. I also appear on TV programs in the Middle East. From both sides I try to cultivate understanding. It is also easier for me to stand up for Muslims than somebody with a Muslim background. For such a person, people could think that he has another agenda. Additional, I also understand the ideas of the ethnic Dutch, therefore I can also 'deal' with them. I understand both opinions well and I have both worlds united in me.

Oh, I think I understand you perfectly, Miss Netjes - you are what we call a Qusiling.

But this re-alignment isn't just a phenomenon in the European Parliament elections. It is happening the local elections, too.

Italy will see its first ever veiled female Muslim candidate who is running for the communal council in Perugia:

Maymouna Abdel Qader, an Italian of Palestinian descent, is a political science graduate of the University of Perugia.

She is running for Perugia's communal council for the Sinistra e Liberta coalition, which is made up of mainly socialist, anti-war and secular parties.

"Though being the first veiled Muslim woman that has ever run for elections in Italy, until now I have received a positive response from the people, who have also appreciated my choice, and look at me as a novelty of the local political scene," said Abdel Qader in an interview with Adnkronos.

Abdel Qader - who is the daughter of the imam of Perugia Mohammed Abdel Qader and is also one of the founders of the Young Italian Muslims association - said she is personally campaigning and distributing fliers to promote her candidacy.

"These days I am personally distributing fliers for my candidacy in order to ask the citizens of Perugia for their vote. Many have wished me well, after they see that I am Italian and not a foreigner," she told AKI.

Abdel Qader also said her objective is to represent Italy's second generation of Muslim immigrants in Italy, that are now what she calls "The new Italians".

Among the things she wants to promote if elected, is that Perugia's public pool can be reserved solely for women, at least once a week.

"It is a battle that it not just limited to Muslim women. The pool will be open to all women, and I count with the support of many women about this."

In Brussels, many local council candidates are Muslim, primarily of North African and Turkish descent.

The following information is translated by Islam in Europe:

The posters in these areas belong mostly to the Francophone Reformist Movement (RM), Humanist Democratic Party (cdH), and Socialist party (PS).

In 2007 Muslims were estimated to be 7.5% of the French Community and 11.8% in Brussels, and on the increase. This electorate is potentially more important, since youth make up 32%, compared with 23% elsewhere.

Muslims are voting Left - in recent elections the Socialists got 43% and the CdH 18.7%, which between 2004 and 2007 got an infusion fo votes from MR. Today the Socialists get most of the Muslim votes, despite having an atheist ideology, while traditional ethical values play a fundmanetal role in voting for CdH, whch was founded on religious identity.

Just a third of the Muslim electorate of 2007 attended a mosque regularly. Two thirds said they were not practicing.

Samira says that Muslims vote for the Left for socio-demographic causes. Muslims belong to the disadvantaged group: workers, employed and unemployed, and women, who make up just 6.6% of the Muslim electorate, tend to vote Left.

Dutch language blog In Flanders Field looked at the Socialist Party and published a list of the apparently Muslim candidates. 26 of the 72 PS candidates (36%) are Muslim.

Meanwhile, the Francophone Humanist Democratic Party tried to hide (1, 2 NL) the Muslim headscarf of one of their canddiates - Mahinur Ozdemir, number 21 on the list.

The party denies that it asked to hide the headscarf and says that the poster was prepared by outside sources. Ozdemir (bottom left above, and below with hijab) first said that she's deeply shocked and insulted, but later spoke to the publishers and agreed that it is not the party's fault.

However, Belgian broadcaster RTBF says that this is not the first time and that the CdH also tried to hide Ozdemir's headscarf in the municipal elections of 2006.

Interesting that they should attempt not only to Islamify the party list, but then hide the fact they have done so from less observant voters.

Perhaps they fear another change in the zeitgeist?

Hat tip: Atlas Shrugs, Islam in Europe & Geenstijl.

Amnesty's Human Rights Report 2009

Amnesty International has released its individual country reports which reveal the 'state of the world's human rights'. The reports for several Western countries are ridiculously critical, particularly concerning the area of migration, admission and treatment of refugees and the right of a sovereign nation to decide whom may settle and whom may not.

I thought I would use this opportunity to highlight the outrageous approach this organisation has to border control, a nation's primary line of defence against those who wish to harm it in any way, either physically or by absorbing resources they are simply not entitled to.

A few examples are used to condemn Western countries, when the simple fact is if other countries had better human rights records, we would not be obliged to take any refugees at all. If Germany, Denmark and Holland et al are so brutal and terrible, why do the immigrants keep coming, by any means?

The reports highlight examples, but they make no suggestions as to rectifying the situation. For example, if the Belgian government wishes to deport someone and they won't come quietly, what is wrong with restraining them?

Why should the Belgian government, elected by the Belgian people, not be able to decide who it hosts within its own borders, on its own territory?

Why should Germany harbour the Third World's military deserters? Why should the Netherlands not detain people who enter illegally and make it deliberately difficult to ascertain their identity?

The following examples show everything that is wrong with the thought processes of the average Westerner; however, if you go to Amnesty's site, the reports on China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are worth a look.

Germany

In an accelerated asylum procedure at Frankfurt Airport on 14 May, immigration authorities forcibly returned Eritrean nationals Yonas Haile Mehari and Petros Aforki Mulugeta after their asylum claims were rejected as manifestly unfounded. Both men were arrested upon arrival in Eritrea. On 20 July they were transferred to Adi Abeto prison. On 30 July, Petros Aforki Mulugeta was transferred to Wia prison. Yonas Haile Mehari, classified as a military deserter by the authorities, was transferred to his military unit where he was at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

Amnesty International criticized the government’s discriminatory approach on the admission of Iraqi refugees. The Minister of Interior had provoked controversy in April when he announced that only Iraqi Christians would be admitted. After a public debate the policy was modified to apply to religious minorities in general and other vulnerable Iraqi refugees.

All public institutions, including those that provide social services, are required by law to report the identity of any irregular migrant to the authorities. This provision restricts migrants’ access to health care and access to judicial remedies in case of violation of their labour rights, and children’s access to education.

To conclude:

Germany again referred to diplomatic assurances as appropriate means in deportation cases where individuals may be at risk of serious human rights abuses, in violation of its obligations under international law. Irregular migrants continued to be deprived of their economic, social and cultural rights.

France

The UN Human Rights Committee expressed concern at reports of overcrowding and inadequate hygiene, food and medical care for irregular migrants and asylum-seekers – including unaccompanied minors – held in detention. It called on France to review its detention policy and improve living conditions in detention centres, especially those in the Overseas Departments and Territories.

In April, the government agency that determines the status of refugees (OFPRA) reported that the rate of recognition of asylum claims reached almost 30 per cent in 2007, one of the highest rates in recent years.

On 3 July, a bill was presented by several members of parliament to amend the right of appeal before the National Court on Asylum for asylum-seekers whose claims were being examined under the accelerated procedure. Under the new proposal asylum-seekers who were appealing against an accelerated decision could not be forcibly returned to their country of origin while their appeal was still in progress. The bill was not supported by the government.

There was also concern over a death in police custody:

On 9 May Abdelhakim Ajimi died during arrest in Grasse. Police officers arrested and restrained Abdelhakim Ajimi after an altercation in a bank where he was trying to withdraw money. A judicial investigation into the incident was opened and was still in progress at the end of the year. According to the autopsy report, Abdelhakim Ajimi died as a result of asphyxiation caused by the restraint techniques used against him. Several witnesses to the event reported an excessive use of force by the police. The officers involved remained on active duty at the end of the year.

To conclude:

Individuals having their asylum claim examined under the accelerated procedure remained at risk of forcible deportation while waiting for a decision. Despite the risk of serious human rights violations, France forcibly returned one man to Algeria and attempted to return another. New legislation authorizing indefinitely renewable “preventive detention” and a decree authorizing police to collect broad personal information on individuals believed to be a possible threat to public order, undermined the principle of the presumption of innocence.

Finland

The strict application of the “Dublin II” EU regulations saw asylum-seekers returned to the EU member state in which they first arrived for determination of their asylum claim, even when those states were less likely to provide some form of protection than Finland. The total number of “Dublin returns” from Finland increased from 320 in 2007 to at least 430 in 2008.

At least 22 asylum-seeking children were detained, including seven who were unaccompanied.

To conclude:

Asylum-seekers were sent back to EU countries where they were less likely to be offered some form of protection than if their claim had been considered in Finland.

Belgium

On 26 April, Ebenizer Sontsa, a rejected asylum-seeker from Cameroon, was forcibly restrained by several law enforcement officials during an attempted deportation from Brussels Airport. Following protests by other passengers at his treatment, the deportation was abandoned and he was returned to the immigration detention centre of Merksplas where he made a complaint of ill-treatment. A new deportation was scheduled for 9 May, but on 1 May Ebenizer Sontsa committed suicide. In December, the Public Prosecutor closed the investigation into Ebenizer Sontsa’s death.

On 24 January the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the conditions of detention of two rejected Palestinian asylum-seekers who were held in the transit zone of Brussels Airport in February 2003 for 11 days amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment. The Court also ruled that the repeated detention of the two men, in spite of judicial decisions ordering their release, constituted a violation of their right to liberty. The CERD expressed concern at the detention of asylum-seekers and the conditions of their detention.

Sweden

Ahmed Agiza and Mohammed El Zari were awarded around 3,160,000 Swedish kronor (€307,000) in compensation for the grave violations they suffered during and as a result of their unlawful deportation from Sweden to Egypt in December 2001. Both men were tortured while held incommunicado in Egypt. They had been denied access to a full and fair asylum determination process in Sweden, and were deported on the strength of worthless “diplomatic assurances” given by the Egyptian authorities.

Mohammed El Zari was released from prison in Egypt in October 2003, without ever having been charged. Ahmed Agiza remained in prison in Egypt, following an unfair trial before a military court. The Swedish government did not make a final decision on the appeals brought by both men against the rejection of their applications for residence permits in Sweden.

In June the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) called on Sweden to investigate in depth the reasons for the deportation of Mohammed El Zari and Ahmed Agiza and, if appropriate, prosecute those responsible.

In June the CAT expressed concern that the detention of asylum-seekers before deportation was common, and regretted that Swedish law provides “no absolute limit on the length of time that an asylum-seeker can be detained”.

Most new applications from Iraqi asylum-seekers were rejected after the Migration Board and the Migration Court of Appeal decided that there was no internal armed conflict in Iraq. Previously, the majority of asylum-seekers from Iraq had received some form of protection.

In February, the authorities in Sweden and Iraq reached an agreement on the forcible return to Iraq of rejected asylum-seekers. Prior to this, only Iraqi nationals who agreed to be returned were accepted by the Iraqi authorities.

The Swedish authorities continued to reject applications from Eritrean asylum-seekers. This exposed them to the risk of being returned to Eritrea, despite the UNHCR’s recommendation that all states should halt forcible returns to Eritrea. At least one Eritrean national was forcibly returned from Sweden to Eritrea, in April.

Denmark

In November, new legislation imposed further restrictions on the “tolerated residency” status given to foreign nationals against whom an expulsion order has been made but cannot be carried out. This includes people whose return to their country of origin has been ruled to be unsafe by the Refugee Appeals Board. In November there were believed to be 18 people with a “tolerated residency” status, including the Tunisian national referred to as S.C. The new legislation required these people to live in designated centres for asylum-seekers and to report daily to the police, in all but exceptional cases. The legislation increased to one year the maximum period of imprisonment which can be imposed for failure to comply with these requirements.

At least 11 Iraqis were forcibly returned to Iraq, contrary to the recommendations of the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

Some asylum-seekers who had been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment did not receive adequate medical treatment in Denmark.

United Kingdom

In March, 60 rejected asylum-seekers were forcibly returned to Erbil in northern Iraq; in October, it was reported that a further 50 Iraqis had been returned to northern Iraq.

In March, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) gave its decision on an important test-case concerning humanitarian protection for asylum-seekers who have fled armed conflicts. The AIT ruled that, although there was an internal armed conflict in Iraq, the appellants in the case would not, just by virtue of being civilians, face a “serious and individual threat” if returned, and therefore were not entitled to protection under EU legislation known as the Qualification Directive. This decision would, if followed, result in even more Iraqi asylum-seekers being denied protection in the UK. By the end of the year an appeal against this decision was pending.

Australia

In August, the government finalized the abolition of Temporary Protection Visas for asylum-seekers.

In January, the government closed its offshore detention facility on the island nation of Nauru. In May, the UN Committee against Torture expressed concern that the detention facility on Christmas Island was still in use. Despite this, Australia began use of a new high security facility on the Island in December.

In July, the government announced that asylum-seekers would be temporarily detained for identity, health and security checks, but only those who posed a risk to society would remain in detention. At the end of the year, this commitment had not been implemented.

New Zealand

In July, the government tabled an Immigration Bill which had provisions for passenger screening at the point of departure to New Zealand. The Bill would allow withholding of reasons for denial of entry, and would deny the applicant access to judicial review.

Concern was expressed that the passenger screening process outlined in the Bill could expose asylum-seekers to harm if they were denied permission to board an aircraft when they were facing persecution, including possibly torture or death, in their own countries. The Bill also contained provisions that raised concerns about the possibility of prolonged and arbitrary detention.

Netherlands

The State Secretary of Justice announced in September that asylum-seekers from central and southern Iraq would no longer be automatically entitled to protection in the Netherlands. Residence permits previously issued to Iraqis from central and southern Iraq would be withdrawn and each case would be made subject to individual review, to determine whether the individual was a refugee or otherwise in need of international protection.

At least five people were forcibly returned to northern Iraq, at least five to central Iraq and at least one to southern Iraq. Rejected asylum-seekers from Iraq were told that they were expected to return to Iraq, that they had no right to remain in the Netherlands and that they were not entitled to any support from the state, beyond the most basic emergency health care. Many, therefore, were faced with a choice between returning “voluntarily” to Iraq, despite real risks of human rights violations there, or being made forcibly destitute in the Netherlands.

According to government figures, around 4,500 irregular migrants and asylum-seekers were subject to administrative detention in the first half of 2008. They were held in detention centres under a regime designed for remand prisoners. Some were detained for excessive periods, in some cases more than a year. Alternatives to detention were used infrequently, even for people belonging to vulnerable groups, such as unaccompanied minors and victims of trafficking or torture.

Not all allegations of ill-treatment in immigration detention were followed by prompt, impartial and thorough investigations.

Although the regimes for immigration detention were under review, few concrete proposals for improvement were made. The supervision and complaints mechanisms were under review, but few measures for improvement were announced, apart from the creation of a mechanism to investigate complaints of ill-treatment by officers of the Transport and Support Service, which is responsible for the transport of detained individuals.

In January the government announced reforms to the policy governing the detention of asylum-seeking families with children, including the introduction of a maximum detention period for families of two weeks prior to expulsion, and the improvement of detention conditions. However, the government indicated it would continue to detain unaccompanied minors in juvenile justice institutions.

Al-Qaeda Cell Smashed in Egypt

On Saturday Egyptian police arrested seven people believed to be part of an al-Qaeda cell operating in Egypt. Weapons and explosives were found in the group's possession.

It is thought that the cell in question was responsible for the Cairo bazaar bombing which killed a seventeen year old French girl in February, and wounded 24 other tourists at the Khan al-Khalili bazaar.

The cell is called the Islamic Army of Palestine, and it is suspected that two Egyptian men living abroad are the leaders. What is most interesting is the make up of the group of suspects arrested:

Egypt said on Saturday that police have arrested seven members of an alleged Al-Qaeda-affiliated cell over a Cairo bazaar bombing three months ago that killed a teenaged French tourist.

The interior ministry said those arrested over the February attack were a French woman of Albanian origin, a British man of Egyptian descent, two Palestinians, a Belgian man of Tunisian descent and two Egyptians.

The Belgian suspect told police during interrogation that he had been instructed to accompany Al-Qaeda operatives from Belgium to France to launch an attack there, it said.

The ministry said some cell members had travelled to the Gaza Strip through cross-border smuggling tunnels to receive military training there.

Some suspects said they had also been instructed to attack tourist resorts and fuel pipelines in the Sinai peninsula, the statement said.

Hat tip: Islam in Europe.

Belgium to Accept Guantanamo Inmates

Belgian foreign minister Karel De Gucht will today tell Hillary Clinton Belgium is willing to accept 'a limited number' of detainees from Guantanmo Bay.

He will meet the U.S. Secretary of State on a visit to Washington today.

The Obama administration refers to the prison at a U.S. naval base in Cuba as a 'misguided experiment'.

Not so misguided that even Obama doesn't have some misgivings about simply opening the gates and letting all the prisoners leave - as well as trying to palm inmates off on smaller countries, Obama has toyed with the idea of moving inmates considered genuinely dangerous to Federal 'Supermax' prisons.

It is estimated that of the prisoners released so far, around one in seven may have returned to terrorism and become 'militant fighters' - some will be killing coalition troops in Afghanistan.

The Joys of Diversity & Cultural Enrichment (X)

Which Western country is getting the most out of its immigration policy? Today's contenders are Britain, Switzerland and Belgium.

1) Britain

A policeman was jailed last month for fraudulently claiming more than £77,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Aquil Egbewo, 34, was hired by Leicestershire Police under a diversity scheme in 2001. His wife, Zaeba Akhtar, continued claiming a variety of benefits on behalf of herself, Egbewo and their child - he knew about this and signed the forms.

They got away with it for six years until October 2007, when the fraud was discovered and Egbewo suspended after analysis of his handwriting proved he had signed the forms and was aware of the false claims all along.

Egbewo received eight months in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of dishonesty. His wife failed to attend court - a warrant was issued for her arrest, but it is believed she has fled to her native Pakistan.

Legal action will be taken to recover the money.

2) Switzerland

About fifteen students of the Ecole de commerce André-Chavanne in Geneva were wearing their gym kits and running on their school's field track. Nothing unusual about that.

However, the Grand-Saconnex Mosque is very close by. The students were running during the Muslims' hour of prayer, and were spotted as worshippers left the mosque.

This led to cries of "You dirty Whites! Have you no shame?" The girls were insulted, derided, ogled and even photographed by mobile phone.

From Le Matin:

On Friday April 3rd, in the early afternoon, the students, about 15 years old, were exercising on the course. A dozen people leaving prayer, found themselves facing them. To return to where they parked they took a shortcut, a newly opened rod which leads to the sports field.Instead of avoiding passing the track, the men, young and less young, walked right through. They disrupted the race, going through the plastic cones arranged for the exercise. They insulted the students, roughly put them down, took a picture, and blamed them for their shamelessness before leaving.

Shocked, the young gym teacher who trained them notified the school. On April 6th the principal, Roland Jeannet, alerted his superiors and sent a letter to the mosque administration asking them to speak in the next meeting of the mosque and to encourage their believers to more respect.

A meeting was set up between the police, the school and the Imam. The latter said he was upset and did not want the Swiss to believe that these men represented all Muslims. He dedicated a sermon to denouncing the men who had behaved so badly.

The Islamic Cultural Foundation said that the men should set an example in this context, because Muslims were often blamed for such actions (because they commit them, generally, but I think that's Arabic for 'sorry', or at least as good as it gets).

The ICF said there had been no previously problems between the mosque and the school. However:

One of the teachers says that they're sometimes a little uncomfortable when parking in the area, where hundreds of men come to prayer. A female student at the school says that the girls who run get insistent looks at their chests.

3) Belgium

In April, a 41 year old Moroccan man was shot dead in the Brussels suburb of Scharbeek after attacking two police officers with a knife.

A police patrol stopped by the man, thinking he needed help. Two agents stepped out, at which the man threatened them. They tried to calm him down, but did not succeed. The man took out a knife and injured an agent in the arm, after which he threatened the other agent, who took out his weapon and fired two shots.

The man was hit in the chest and arm and died at the scene.

The next day, a VTM camera crew were filming 'general images' at the scene. An immigrant youth on a scooter thought they were there to film traffic violation, so he started to threaten the journalists.

A large group of immigrant youths gathered and the first youth repeatedly punched the cameraman in the face before stealing the diskette.

A few weeks previously, a Turkish man was shot dead by the police after attacking two officers with a knife in the Belgian city of Ghent.

For more information on Islam and immigration and Belgium, see this Fox News report from Brussels:


With thanks to Esther from Islam in Europe who originally translated all material in sections 2 and 3.

The Joys of Diversity & Cultural Enrichment (III)

Back to the traditional format. This time, we have Belgium and the United Kingdom competing for the title of 'most beneficial immigration policy'.

1) United Kingdom

A bus driver in Croydon ploughed into a newsagents shop as two knife-wielding youths tried to rob him - as the vehicle was in motion.

From the Croydon Guardian:

'About 27 people are believed to have been on board the 250 bus travelling down Parchmore Road towards Thornton Heath last night at 10pm.

Two youths, described as black males aged about 18, threatened the bus driver with a knife and also threw a fruit drink over his cab.

It is believed that they were trying to get his cash box.

This caused him to crash the double decker vehicle through the window of Yogi News, which is on the corner of Parchmore Road and Beulah Road.

Miraculously, no one was hurt in the incident.'

Miraculous indeed. What's more miraculous to me is that some local officials were more concerned about the inclusion of the word 'black' in the article than the incident itself.


2) Belgium

Hat tip: Gates of Vienna.

A man in western Flanders was pulled out of his car and set on fire by men who appeared to be North Africans, it was reported on Tuesday.

From Tuesday’s La Dernière Heure, full credit to GoV's Baron Bodissey for the translation:

Man assaulted and set on fire in Tielt
He was pulled from his car, and after stealing his wallet, three men doused him with gasoline and set him on fire

TIELT — A 39-year-old man from Tielt (West Flanders) was admitted to University Hospital (UZ) in Ghent with serious injuries after a bizarre attack that occurred at dawn Tuesday on the Ieperstraat in Tielt. The man was attacked and set on fire, the Bruges prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

The Tielt resident’s occupation involved driving people to and from the airport. While on his way to pick up a client at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, his way was blocked on the Ieperstraat in Tielt by a car with three people in it. They emerged from their vehicle and dragged the man out of his car. After stealing his wallet, the three men doused him with gasoline and set him on fire.

They then fled.

A witness was able to call for help. Before the man lost consciousness, he was able to indicate that the three attackers were French-speakers of North African appearance. He also said they were driving a gray BMW.

The man was taken to UZ Ghent and is in critical condition. His life is still in danger. It is unknown whether the attackers knew their victim. The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Judicial Police.

Sounds like things are more tickety boo in Belgium than they are here! Wake me up when common sense prevails, please.