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FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4948
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BRUSSELS 001087 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI SMIG ECON KISL KPAO BE
 
SUBJECT: BARRIERS TO INTEGRATION: BELGIAN MUSLIMS FACE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES 
 
 
REF: 04 BRUSSELS 2008 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: More than half of Belgium's immigrants from 
Morocco and Turkey (nearly all of whom are Muslim) live below 
the Belgian poverty line, defined as 777 euros (approximately 
$1,000) or less, per household, per month.  This finding is 
from "Poverty in the Migrant Population," the first part of 
an academic research project released in October 2006.  The 
final project, with joint research by two leading Belgian 
universities, is scheduled for publication in October 2007. 
The following is based on discussions with study authors, 
plus a variety of other sources.  END SUMMARY 
 
REPORT FOCUSES ON LEGAL IMMIGRANTS, OVER GENERATIONS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
¶2.  (U) "Poverty in the Migrant Population" compares the 
economic conditions of native-born Belgians with those of 
different immigrant groups living in Belgium.  The aim of the 
academic study, a first of its kind in Belgium, is to examine 
the links between immigration and poverty.  The project is 
financed by the King Baudouin Foundation, an independent 
organization funded with proceeds from the Belgian National 
Lottery and other sources.  Jointly researched by two leading 
Belgian universities, the Dutch-speaking University of 
Antwerp and the French-speaking University of Liege, the 
project examines various indicators of social well-being, 
including employment, education, housing, and health.  The 
study focused on Moroccans and Turks because these groups are 
the largest Muslim groups in Belgium and have been in Belgium 
for three or four generations.  Clandestine and illegal 
immigrants are excluded from the analysis.  The first part of 
the report, released in October 2006, provides figures about 
the economic conditions of immigrant communities in Belgium; 
complete results will be released in October 2007. 
 
WHO IS A BELGIAN? 
----------------- 
¶3.  (U) For purposes of this report, a "Belgian" is defined 
as a Belgian citizen born of Belgian parents.  A "naturalized 
Belgian" refers to someone who acquired Belgian citizenship 
after birth, often through marriage or legal immigration. 
People belonging to this latter group may refer to themselves 
as "Belgian of (country of birth)-origin."  First-generation 
immigrants were born outside of Belgium.  Second-generation 
immigrants are the offspring born in Belgium of 
first-generation immigrants.  Dual nationality complicates 
the statistics. 
 
BRIEF HISTORY: MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS INVITED AS GUEST WORKERS 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
¶4.  (U) Following World War II, the government of Belgium 
(GOB) invited foreign laborers on a temporary basis through a 
series of bilateral agreements, first with neighboring 
European countries, and then with more distant countries. 
The first accord was with Italy in 1946.  The initial wave of 
immigrants came to work primarily in the mining sector in the 
French-speaking region of Wallonia in southern Belgium. 
Agreements with Spain (1956) and Greece (1957) followed.  In 
1964, Belgium signed bilateral accords with Morocco and 
Turkey, opening the way for an expanding immigrant influx for 
the next  indtemporary workers had decided to stay in Belgium permanently 
and sought o have thacted legislation i 1974 to 
facilitate immigration linked to "fa-ily reunification." 
Today this program constitutes the main source of legal 
immigration to Blgium. 
y easier.  A 1984 law granted full Belgian 
citizenship to children as long as at least one parent was 
Belgian.  A 1991 law granted Belgian citizenship to children 
in the third generation of immigrants.  In 2000 Belgium 
implemented new legislation that streamlined and eased 
acquisition of Belgian citizenship.  All those born in 
 
BRUSSELS 00001087  002 OF 004 
 
¶7.  (U) As of January 1, 2005, native-born and naturalized 
Belgians numbered 9,574,990 -- or 91 percent of the Belgian 
population.  The total number of foreigners legally residing 
in Belgium numbered 870,862.  Of the foreigners, 591,404 come 
from within the EU and 279,458 from non-EU countries.  Italy, 
with 179,015, is the largest source-country overall for 
immigrants.  Of those from non-EU countries, 81,279 are 
Moroccan and 39,885 are Turkish, the two largest groups. 
(NOTE:  Estimates of persons of Moroccan descent range from 
300,000 up to 700,000 when legal and illegal immigrants, 
naturalized Belgians, and third generation immigrants are 
included.  In addition, the number of refugees from Muslim 
countries resident in Belgium was estimated at 7,000 in 2004. 
 END NOTE.) 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Belgium's Muslim population is diverse, comprising 
Northern and sub-Saharan Africans, Middle Easterners, 
European converts, and others.  While it is illegal to 
collect official data on race and religion in Belgium, 
informed estimates do exist, including some from officials in 
the Belgian Muslim community.  The most reliable figures put 
the Muslim population at about half a million, or nearly five 
percent of Belgium's total of 10.6 million people.   The 
greatest concentration of Muslims is in Belgium's capital, 
Brussels, with significant numbers also living in the 
industrial areas of Wallonia.  Nearly one in five residents 
of Brussels is of Muslim origin.  Brussels is home to nearly 
40 percent of Belgium's Muslims, concentrated primarily in 
the neighborhoods (communes) of Schaerbeek, Molenbeek, and 
Brussels-City.  Thirty-five percent of Moroccans and Turks in 
Brussels are under 18, and 25 percent of Brussels' total 
under-20 population is of Moroccan descent.  Higher birth 
rates, continuing immigration, and religious conversion 
ensure that Belgium's Muslim population will continue to grow 
during the coming decades.  Half of Belgium's Moroccan 
community lives in Brussels, with other communities in 
Antwerp, Liege, and the former coal-mining areas of Hainaut, 
Charleroi, and Limburg.  Half of the Turkish community lives 
in Flanders, with the largest concentration in Ghent. 
 
ISLAM IN BELGIUM, AND THE MUSLIM EXECUTIVE 
------------------------------------------ 
¶9.  (U) There are an estimated 380 mosques in Belgium.  After 
Catholicism, Islam is the second-most practiced religion in 
Belgium, and the fastest growing.  The GOB officially 
recognizes six religions, including, since 1974, Islam. 
Official recognition has numerous advantages including the 
payment of religious leaders' salaries and construction and 
maintenance of religious buildings.  850 primary and 
secondary schools have Islamic religious education courses, 
which reach about 30,000 students, funded by the Belgian 
state. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) While not overtly fractious, the Muslim community 
in Belgium remains diverse enough to defy simplistic 
characterization.  Because of a perceived lack of 
organization and focus within the community, the Belgian 
government created the Muslim Executive Council (MEC) in 1998 
with which to establish an official liaison relationship such 
as it had with other religious groups. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) In theory, the MEC represents the entire Muslim 
community of Belgium and serves as an official mediator 
between the GOB and Belgian Muslims.  Coskun Beyazgul, 
Belgian-born of Turkish immigrants, was elected in October 
2005 as the President of the 68-member assembly, governed by 
a 17-member executive.  Like assembly members, his term is 
for five years.  The 17 members of the current executive 
include eight Turks, six Moroccans, two Pakistanis, and one 
Albanian.  The MEC decided that the composition of the 
executive should include approximately equal numbers from 
both French and Flemish language communities. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Not all Muslims agree on the organization's role 
as the official representative of the Belgian Muslim 
community with the Belgian government.  Some Moroccan leaders 
boycotted the organization's October 2005 elections in 
protest over equitable representation and concerns about the 
suitability of some of the elected leaders. Further, the GOB 
 
BRUSSELS 00001087  003 OF 004 
 
 
"screened out" a handful of potential candidates for the 2005 
MEC elections for security reasons, and various officials 
have been investigated over the years.  Finally, some mosques 
prefer a more independent status, distancing themselves from 
the benefits and scrutiny that accompany official GOB 
recognition. 
 
HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, COMPOUNDED BY DISCRIMINATION 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶13.  (U) Labor participation (or employment) rates of the 
population aged 15-64 years old in Belgium demonstrate 
striking differences.  The study examined employment rates 
for men and women in five categories: 
 
  --Belgians 
Men: 69 percent 
Women: 54 percent 
Total: 61 percent 
 
--Naturalized Belgians 
Men: 61 percent 
Women: 42 percent 
Total: 51 percent 
 
--EU-15 
Men: 67 percent 
Women: 45 percent 
Total: 56 percent 
 
--EU beyond the EU-15 core members 
Men: 50 percent 
Women: 28 percent 
Total: 38 percent 
 
--Moroccans/Turks 
Men: 41 percent 
Women: 11 percent 
Total: 26 percent 
 
¶14.  (SBU) With just one in four Moroccans and Turks of 
working age employed in Belgium, this group has a 
disproportionately higher rate of unemployment than any other 
category.  The study opines that the very low employment 
among women may be explained by family structure, limited 
education levels, and a lack of fluency in French or Dutch, 
the two primary languages spoken in 
Belgium. 
 
¶15.  (SBU) In addition to low skill levels and insufficient 
mastery of host-country languages, non-Belgians (especially 
Muslims) often encounter discrimination in the job market. 
In May 2005, a French-language Belgian economic weekly, 
Trends Tendances, surveyed more than 500 administrators and 
human resources directors from a range of Belgian companies. 
Some of the key findings include: 
 
--Nearly 80 percent agreed that immigrants experience 
Discrimination in the workplace. 
 
--58 percent favored banning the wearing of a veil in the 
workplace. 
 
--Although 70 percent of the surveyed businesses said they 
employ immigrants, foreign laborers tend to be hired for 
basic menial tasks. 
 
--All other factors being equal, nearly half of employers 
said they prefer to hire a person of European origin. 
 
--Companies were asked to list factors that contribute to 
discrimination in the work place.  Nearly 50 percent of 
companies identified "being of Muslim origin" as the number 
one reason for discrimination in the hiring process.  Other 
reasons include:  foreign origin, lack of university 
education, age, sex, and being a union member.  Although some 
level-the-playing-field measures have been considered (such 
as the "anonymous C.V."--a curriculum vitae without photo or 
name), discrimination in the workplace remains a problem.  In 
an ongoing effort to address the situation, the Belgian House 
of Representatives discussed anti-discrimination measures in 
early 2007. 
 
LOWER LEVELS OF EDUCATION AMONG IMMIGRANT POPULATION 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
¶16.  (U) The survey found that the risk of poverty increases 
for those with lower levels of education and training.  In 
comparison with Belgians, those of Moroccan or Turkish origin 
are more than twice as likely to have completed only a 
 
BRUSSELS 00001087  004 OF 004 
 
 
primary school education: just 30 percent of Moroccans and 63 
percent of Turks have attended classes beyond age 12. 
Further, Moroccans and Turks are four times as likely not to 
have studied at the university level.  Twenty-eight percent 
of Moroccans and Turks have not attended university, compared 
to six percent of Belgians who have not.  A recent study in 
Flanders found that 71 percent of Flemish girls begin higher 
education after high school, compared to less than 20 percent 
of girls from Turkish or Moroccan backgrounds.  Even fewer 
boys from immigrant communities undertook a university 
education.  The survey found that poor reading levels were 
equally found in both first and second generation students 
and second generation students.  Thus, immigrants whose 
entire academic studies have taken place in Belgium do not 
necessarily have higher levels of educational achievement, 
such as better reading levels or graduation rates. 
 
HOUSING 
------- 
¶17.  (U) According to the study, the r 
Belgium is two times @nts, compars for receiving medical care or (ospitalization. 
 
 
ON THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY 
------------------------ 
¶19.  (SBU) The quanttative portion of the study concludes 
that alQ non-Belgians, but especially Moroccan and TQrkish 
immigrants, are increasingly on the margins of economic 
viability in Belgium.  The stuy has important implications 
for the demograpics of Belgian society and, by extension, 
itspolitical voice.  The second part of the stuQy, set for 
release in October 2007, will examine how socioeconomic 
conditions convey down successive generations of immigrants. 
 
POLITICALLY FOREIGNERS, INCLUDING MUSLIMS, PARTICIPATING MORE 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------- 
¶20.  (U) Perhaps to improve their circumstances, the extended 
Muslim community in Belgium is exhibiting better organization 
and cooperation.  This has empowered the community, enabling 
Belgian Muslims to make inroads into Belgium's political 
landscape.  In the 1994 municipal elections in Brussels, of 
the 653 council members in the 19 communes that comprise the 
capital region, just 13 council members of non-EU origin were 
elected.  By 2000, this number had increased to 89 council 
members of non-EU origin; 72 were Moroccan.  Immigrants 
scored further gains in the October 2006 local elections.  In 
the 19 Brussels communes, the increase was striking: 145 of 
653 places went to representatives of foreign origin, 
including Moroccan, Turkish, and Congolese, among others. 
All but two of the nineteen Brussels communes now have at 
least one elected official of foreign origin.  In the fifteen 
biggest Flemish cities, the number of foreign origin elected 
officials more than doubled from 16 to 40. 
IMBRIE