Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

Local and regional elections began this morning in Belgium, and the lists of many parties include figures of Arab and Islamic origins who all dream of achieving positive results to participate in political work and continue the political work process that was started by political figures of Arab and Islamic origins decades ago, the most prominent of whom were Fawzia Talhaoui, Naima Langri, and others. They had a strong and honorable presence in Belgian political work, and some of them reached leadership positions in the party or in ministerial work, including Hajja Habib, of Algerian origin, Zakia Khattabi, of Moroccan origin, and others.

If a number of candidates of Arab origin reach the regional or local parliaments, it will be a step on the road to achieving continuity for political generations of Arab and Islamic origins, and the next steps will be to work to reach the federal parliament or a ministerial position in the government.

Many parties were keen to include names belonging to Arab and Islamic origins on the electoral lists, and the largest number of Moroccans and Turks due to the large number of the two communities in the country. There are also candidates of different origins Including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Senegal, Congo and others. Egyptian-born Nasr Suleiman is running for the elections after becoming the only Arab figure on the GBP party list, which means "all that is good for the city", a liberal socialist party in the city of Khoik. Nasr said in statements to the news website and electronic newspaper "Europe and the Arabs", "This is not the first time I have been nominated. I was nominated by the party in 2017. It was a positive experience and I got a good number of votes in a municipality where only a few Arab families live." Nasr enjoys great popularity in the area where he lives through his public work in civil society. Nasr is optimistic and says that the chance is greater to get 3 more seats for the party in addition to the two seats in the municipal council. Arab names appeared clearly on the lists of socialist parties, including a party called "Forward" "Forout". Egyptian-born Sahar Adly is running for the elections on the Socialist Party list "Forout", which means "Forward" .She was welcomed by a large number of party members due to her respected and beloved leadership personality, who speaks the language fluently and has many activities in social work, especially among the Egyptian community and others. In statements to the news website and electronic newspaper "Europe and the Arabs", Sahar says that she does not only rely on the votes of Egyptians who know her well, but also the sons of other communities as well as the Belgians who have succeeded over the past years in building strong relationships with neighbors, friends, colleagues at work and others in the city of Mechelen. There is also the Christian Democratic Party in the Belgian province of Antwerp, and the list included Arab, African and Islamic figures of various nationalities, including from Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Congo and others. A number of them occupied advanced positions on the electoral lists, whether at the municipal level or the province of Antwerp, including, for example, the Moroccan-born Touria Ahratn, who came in second place. She is of Moroccan origin and is well-known among the Arab communities and among the Belgians thanks to the experience she has in party work and the activity she carries out in social work and helping others. She is the head of the Hope Association in Hoboken, which is affiliated with For the city of Antwerp
Also on the list is the Tunisian Halima Bouzian, who also has a good network of relations with immigrants of different origins and also with Belgians thanks to her media activity and volunteer work to help others in Antwerp, and she is expected to have a great future in party work

Also the young Moroccan Ali Al-Moussawi, who is of Moroccan origin and has experience in party work and is popular among Arab communities. There is also Hassana Al-Razouqi, who is running for elections wearing the hijab, and the list announced by the party included her picture in the hijab

In addition to that, there is the young Yasser Al-Tawil, who is 19 years old, and his picture with a beard appeared on the list. He is the son of the well-known Islamic preacher in Belgium, Nourredine Al-Tawil

Yasser said in statements to the website and newspaper "Europe and the Arabs" that he took this step in order to be a model for young people so that we can encourage them to have a role in the society in which they live and have a role in defining rights and interests, not only for young people of foreign origins, but also for young Belgians. He added that he was born in Belgium and raised in this society and wants to have a role in it because he belongs to To him. Regarding his choice to join this party, he said that he found many things in the party’s program that he liked and that were compatible with the ideas in which he believed.