(Politico-Europe) Leon de Winter - Belgian intellectuals have argued that Belgium must have done something terrible to its Muslims to deserve the Brussels massacres. There is poverty in Brussels' infamous Molenbeek neighborhood, but that poverty is relative. There is no starvation, no homelessness, no lack of medical infrastructure, no lack of schools, and the unemployment figure is comparable to that in southern European countries or the Arab world. Compared to average living standards in Morocco or Egypt, the average living standard in Molenbeek is comfortably middle-class, and opportunities for success and to study and become a respected member in society are countless. Life in Belgium is exceptionally good and safe for migrants - if they are willing to integrate into their new cultural environment. But as a December 2013 study of Muslim immigrants by Professor Ruud Koopmans of the Berlin Social Science Center found, "65% say that religious rules are more important to them than the laws of the country in which they live," and 54% believe that "the West is out to destroy Islam."
2016-04-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive