Brussels: Europe and the Arabs

The Council of Muslim Scholars in Belgium held its regular meeting yesterday, Saturday, May 17, 2016, in the presence of the Council's President and a number of active members. According to a statement issued by the Council, a copy of which we received, the meeting began with a welcoming speech by the Association's President, followed by a recitation of verses from the Holy Quran and an introductory tour among the members. Organizational roles were also distributed.
The proposed agenda was approved unanimously. During the meeting, programs for 2025 were discussed, including:
* Scientific Program: Establishing an organized mechanism for issuing fatwas and forming a specialized committee.
* Cultural Program: Activities to enhance our understanding of Belgian culture (visits to cultural centers, dialogue between Islamic movements and other religions), cooperation with government and social authorities, and positive integration plans.
* Travel and Visit Program: Internal visits to universities, think tanks, media centers, and youth centers, in addition to an external trip to the United Kingdom and Switzerland, with meetings with Muslim communities, visits to Islamic universities such as Dar al-Ulum in Bury and Dewsbury, and participation in seminars at Islamic centers in Geneva and London.
* Umrah Program: Organizing a special Umrah for scholars, accompanied by a scientific program, visits to universities and think tanks, and meetings with the imams of the Two Holy Mosques.
* Participation in the European Fatwa Conference (June): Appointing Council representatives and preparing the papers to be submitted to it.
A significant outcome of the meeting was the unanimous decision to formally begin cooperation with Belgian government authorities, following the announcement of the Council's establishment in the Belgian Official Gazette. This is an important step toward implementing the Council's objectives within a legal and recognized framework.
Finally, under the "Miscellaneous" item, some additional proposals were discussed, and the date of the next meeting will be determined in consultation at a later date.
The meeting concluded with a summary of the decisions and recommendations made, in an atmosphere of cooperation and shared responsibility. In the second half of last March, Sheikh Noureddine Al-Tawil, Secretary General of the Council of Muslim Scholars in Belgium, announced the establishment of the new council in the presence of a number of scholars of different nationalities who participated in the founding of the council, including from Senegal, Morocco, Iraq, Pakistan and others, as well as Belgian Muslims. According to statements made by Sheikh Noureddine to the Europa and Arabs website, the announcement of the establishment was made in several languages, including Arabic, French, Dutch and Pakistani. During his speech to the attendees, Noureddine Al-Tawil, of Moroccan origin, thanked those who participated with him in the founding of the council for their courage and explained that the matter indeed requires courage to take this step that aims to work for the future of children and coming generations, and this is the role of the current generation of scholars.