Brussels: Europe and the Arabs 

On Saturday, June 27, 2026, the Council of Muslim Scholars in Belgium is organizing a European symposium in Brussels on the role of the Imamate and its future in Europe. The symposium, titled “Thinking about the Imamate in the European Context: Between Social Responsibilities and Contemporary Challenges,” brings together academics, imams, European policymakers and representatives of Islamic communities from all over Europe. The symposium includes several round tables. During the sessions, the challenges surrounding the training, institutional recognition, legitimacy and religious independence of imams in the European context will be discussed. In addition, a special roundtable will be dedicated to the halal sector in Europe, focusing on certification, traceability, consumer confidence and regulation.
Council President Sheikh Nour al-Din al-Taweel said in a statement he distributed, a copy of which we received, about the symposium program:
First, the morning program and sightseeing
The day begins with a morning program (10:00 am - 1:00 pm), followed by a guided sightseeing tour through Europe's capital. Participants will have the opportunity to discover Brussels' famous landmarks, including the Grand Place, the Atomium, the European Quarter and visit the historic Grand Mosque of Brussels.
The organization also offers a joint visit to the Molenbeek Grand Mosque for afternoon prayer for Muslims and an experience of visiting the mosque for non-Muslims
Afternoon seminar
The actual seminar takes place in the afternoon (3:00pm - 7:30pm) and includes several round tables. During the sessions, the challenges surrounding the training, institutional recognition, legitimacy and religious independence of imams in the European context will be discussed.
Halal quality control
In addition, a special roundtable was dedicated to the halal sector in Europe, focusing on certification, traceability, consumer confidence and regulation.
The day ends ceremoniously with a gala dinner (from 7:30 p.m.), where participants can network and exchange experiences in an informal atmosphere.
In March of last year, Sheikh Nour al-Din 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 establishing the council, including those from Senegal, Morocco, Iraq, Pakistan, and others, as well as Belgian Muslims. The establishment was announced in several languages, including Arabic, French, Dutch, and Pakistani. During his speech to the audience, Nour al-Din al-Tawil, of Moroccan origin, thanked those who participated with him in establishing the council for their courage and explained that the matter was Indeed, it requires courage to take this step, which aims to work for the future of children and future generations, and this is the role of the current generation of scholars. 
In a statement to the “Europe and Arabs” website, Sheikh Nour al-Din said, “We have announced the establishment of the Council of Muslim Scholars in Belgium and we are making our efforts so that it is more expansive and represents the components of the Islamic community. He referred to what was stated in the statement that was delivered and included the announcement of the establishment, which stated that the first step will be to establish an institute to train imams for the rising generations who understand the reality, adding that there will be communication with official and governmental bodies as well as with the Belgian Islamic Council, which represents the Muslim community in Belgium We will work to ensure that the new Council of Scholars has a role in the Belgian Islamic Council
Sheikh Al-Taweel added that the Council of Muslim Scholars will have a fatwa department, and this matter will be handled by Dr. Suleiman Vander Al, who is Belgian by race and upbringing and has the necessary experience and combines legal sciences with reality jurisprudence. We will also organize various other activities, but what we are doing now is to move step by step in order to build a strong foundation in the service of Islam, Muslims and all people.
He also indicated that there will be communication with international Islamic organizations for joint cooperation, including the International Islamic Jurisprudence Academy, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the Muslim World League, and others. “We want to protect our children from extremism and provide them with answers to many questions that no one can answer, and soon we will publish studies and research in this regard.”
Regarding financing the work that will be carried out by the new council, Sheikh Nour El-Din said, “Our work is now voluntary and gradually we will search for funding through the competent authorities and others. We want there to be complete transparency with everyone, whether official governmental or security bodies as well as with all Islamic communities. We seek to establish a headquarters and global activities, God willing, after communicating with the official governmental bodies and also the body that represents Muslims to obtain recognition. After that, we will begin our work because we have scholars who master the languages of this country and were born in it and want to offer something to this country.”
The Council of Muslim Scholars in Belgium said in a statement: “This council, which we hope will be a beacon of knowledge and guidance, will work to serve the Muslim community in Belgium and meet its spiritual and intellectual needs.” One of the Council's priorities is to present an ambitious project to establish the first institute for training and qualifying imams, in order to fill the great shortage of qualified imams who understand the reality of Belgian society and deal with its challenges with enlightened thought. This project will be presented to the **Belgian Islamic Council* and the *Belgian Government*, and a committee of Belgian Muslim academics will be formed to follow up on this important file.
The council will also include a Fatwa Department, which will study the challenges facing Muslims in Belgium and provide legal answers that facilitate and facilitate understanding of the provisions of Islam, taking into account the circumstances and peculiarities of Belgian society.
The statement concluded, "We are confident that this council will be an important step towards strengthening Islamic identity in Belgium, and building bridges of understanding and cooperation with all components of Belgian society. We ask God Almighty to grant us all success in serving our religion and society, and to make this work sincere for the sake of God."