Antwerp - Belgium: Europe and the Arabs
In a wonderful festive atmosphere, thousands of members of the Islamic communities participated with the Belgians in a Ramadan iftar table yesterday, Sunday, in the city of Antwerp, which turned into a festive carnival with the participation of bands playing music on foot, including Belgian bands, Moroccan ones, and others.
  It was noted that there was a large presence of Moroccans, which is the largest community in number among the other Arab communities, whether in Antwerp or in Belgium as a whole. It was also noted that there was a distinguished participation of the members of the Egyptian community, who came from neighboring regions and were keen to attend and expressed their happiness in participating. Nasser Suleiman said that the experience was successful in the presence of an Egyptian community with the communities. On the other hand, we hope to repeat this experience on other occasions. Hisham Ibrahim said that the experience was excellent and with the participation of different nationalities, and he hoped that such gatherings would be repeated on different occasions, and they do not have to be religious. There are other national and other occasions in an atmosphere of friendliness and peace, far from conflicts. As for the doctor, Omar, who resides in He moved to Belgium five years ago after living in the Netherlands for 25 years. He considered this gathering very important for exchanging opinions and experiences, and he hoped that it would be repeated, whether in its large form or in its small form, through the Egyptian community, whether on Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, and also during school holidays.
Nearly 6,000 people sat at a two-kilometre-long table in the Boerugerhout neighborhood in the city of Antwerp, northern Belgium, and succeeded in breaking the record: “A place where inclusion and communication are essential elements,” as described by local media, including the newspaper Gazette Van Antwerp, under the title “Together at One Table.” Its length is 2 kilometers. Turnhoutsbahn Street was transformed into a huge open-air restaurant. Thus, the area broke the Belgian record. The organization came from three organizations, most notably the neighborhood authorities. The neighborhood mayor, who is of Arab and Islamic origins, Marian Al-Asri (from the Green Party, said: ): “It's an important moment for the district and for myself as well.” “I want the Burger Haute neighborhood to become a place where connection and inclusion are key. This type of event runs counter to right-wing movements and polarization. We want to bring people together to create connections between different communities and see what works. This is important, especially in times when the world is experiencing horrific conflicts.
“Our region has a rich history of events that bring people together.
“We are from Bangladesh, but we have been living in Burgerhout for several years,” Mamoon Holper said as he served food to his friends at the table. “We love being able to share our cuisine and customs with others. That's why we prepared pakora, a typical Bengali dish.
Across the street, Duo for a Job, an organization that helps people with migrant backgrounds find work, prepared some dishes.
Among the participants at the table are Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter (Green Party) and her colleague in the party, former leader Maryam Almasi.
  “I'm grateful to be able to sit at the longest table at Borgerhout,” DeSouter said. “Nearly 180 nationalities live in Antwerp. You quickly pass each other on the street. You can spend some time at the table getting to know each other.
“The fact that color or background strikes a chord with some people is all the more reason to be here. Eating with locals from all over the world is a statement: hope triumphs over hate. If this is Antwerp, then today I am a proud citizen of Antwerp.”
Not far away is the Akhendaf family. “We brought pedas, soup, tiramisu and meat,” Sadiq says. “Everything is homemade. I think it is a positive initiative. But we've actually been holding these meetings at Burgerhout for decades. We used to invite our neighbors to have breakfast together. And then it got bigger every year.