In an article from the 27th April, 2015, Le Vif / L'Express reporter Marie-Cecile Royen questions why Verviers, Belgium is a terrorist hotbed.
Verviers is considered a magnet to ethnic diversity and extreme idealism, an often lethal mix. From the Kurdish PKK, Turkish Grey Wolves Algerian FIS (Islamic Front of Salvation) and GIA (Armed Islamic Group) Moroccan GICM (Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group) Salafists, who make ideological reference to the Islamic State, and to the Muslim Brotherhood (with the largest mosque in Wallonia), the list goes on.
To strengthen the dangers of such extremism, Royen makes reference to a 2008, Le Vif / L'Express report by the American conservative foundation Nefa (Le Vif / L'Express of 25 April 2008). The article discussed the strong presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Verviers due to the proximity of a strong Muslim Brother in Aachen, Germany. Verviers was not a random choice since the Syrian branch of the Brotherhood was established in Aachen in 1982, following the horrific Hama revolt by Hafez al-Assad's regime which left 20,000 dead.
Today, the Muslim Brotherhood of Verviers, Belgium which controls the Assahaba mosque, the largest in Wallonia, passes for moderate. And while the Muslim Brotherhood, Belgium, does not openly call for violence, it constantly expresses dissatisfaction and victimization and its obsession with Israel remains far from neutral. To top it off, the Brotherhood network has collected monies by means of the banned Al Aqsa Foundation for illegal usage.
The Al Aqsa Foundation has been designated a terror organisation by most of the Western World and even by the United Arab Emirates. So in order to circumvent this international outing, the Al Aqsa Foundation changed its name to Aksahum. In 2008, the Brotherhood collected precisely 600,000 Euros from Aksahum and according to German assessments; this money went directly to another designated terror group, Hamas.
Belgium Foreign Minister at the time, Louis Michel (MR), decided not to blacklist this organisation, and so, it continued to collect ... Currently, financial links between the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar were found and cover several hundred thousand Euros.
So when the question why Verviers arises, it is safe to say that:
Verviers is considered a magnet to ethnic diversity and extreme idealism, an often lethal mix. From the Kurdish PKK, Turkish Grey Wolves Algerian FIS (Islamic Front of Salvation) and GIA (Armed Islamic Group) Moroccan GICM (Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group) Salafists, who make ideological reference to the Islamic State, and to the Muslim Brotherhood (with the largest mosque in Wallonia), the list goes on.
To strengthen the dangers of such extremism, Royen makes reference to a 2008, Le Vif / L'Express report by the American conservative foundation Nefa (Le Vif / L'Express of 25 April 2008). The article discussed the strong presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Verviers due to the proximity of a strong Muslim Brother in Aachen, Germany. Verviers was not a random choice since the Syrian branch of the Brotherhood was established in Aachen in 1982, following the horrific Hama revolt by Hafez al-Assad's regime which left 20,000 dead.
Today, the Muslim Brotherhood of Verviers, Belgium which controls the Assahaba mosque, the largest in Wallonia, passes for moderate. And while the Muslim Brotherhood, Belgium, does not openly call for violence, it constantly expresses dissatisfaction and victimization and its obsession with Israel remains far from neutral. To top it off, the Brotherhood network has collected monies by means of the banned Al Aqsa Foundation for illegal usage.
The Al Aqsa Foundation has been designated a terror organisation by most of the Western World and even by the United Arab Emirates. So in order to circumvent this international outing, the Al Aqsa Foundation changed its name to Aksahum. In 2008, the Brotherhood collected precisely 600,000 Euros from Aksahum and according to German assessments; this money went directly to another designated terror group, Hamas.
Belgium Foreign Minister at the time, Louis Michel (MR), decided not to blacklist this organisation, and so, it continued to collect ... Currently, financial links between the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar were found and cover several hundred thousand Euros.
So when the question why Verviers arises, it is safe to say that:
- With over one hundred different nationalities, any organisation or extremist group (Askahum) can blend in.
- Proximity to the German and Dutch borders keeps terror-related activities flowing in and out of European countries (Muslim Brotherhood cross-border operations)
- Openness and laxity on the part of the government is inviting to those who have something to hide (collection of terror money)