...International Muslims Organisation...

Belgium...

The IMO in Belgium has been established since 1986, with the inauguration of the Jamia Islamia in Brussels. This institute has now become the leading Islamic centre of Belgium and is at the heart of all religious, social cultural and political activities of the local Muslims. It is from this institute that many other mosques have emanated, especially in Antwerp and other main cities in Belgium. The Jamia Islamia organises large scale events celebrating Muslim festivals.  Additionally, it takes a leading role in discussing the needs and requirements of the Muslim community with the Belgian government. 

The IMO is operational mainly in the cities of Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.  Within these cities, it has established several Islamic Centres and mosques where they run education programmes.  The IMO has also facilitated the training of a number of scholars at the UK.  These scholars have since returned to Belgium in order to deliver the global message of the IMO. 

The IMO has almost three thousand followers in Belgium including several hundred Mureeds of the Naqshbandi Hijazi Sufi Order.  The followers emanate from both the North African and South East Asian Muslim communities in Beligum. 

At the time when the IMO was established here, the migrating community had only recently arrived.  Their aim was then to simply survive here in order to financially better themselves and their families at the country of origin rather than settling in Belgium in the long term.  Those that did intend to settle in Belgium were minded to maintaining an insular life within their ethnic communities in Belgium and avoid engaging with the rest of Belgian society.  At the same time, they were disinterested in their faith as a universal value system and committed to upholding the divisive restrictions of their cultures.  Hazrat Shaykh Faizul Aqtab Siddiqi encouraged the community to really settle in Belgium and recognise themselves as part of Belgian society.  At the same time, he revived their interest in discovering the truth as to their religion and establishing its practice in their lives.

The way forward ...

People:
Belgium sits at the very heart of Europe. Multi-lingual, multi-national, multi-ethnic and multi-faceted, this country embodies all that is European. Choosing Belgium to house the European Union was a step that took many points into consideration and the aforementioned are merely just a few of them.
 
The people of Belgium face a future that is in itself a dichotomy. This is a matter between nationalism of being French or Dutch. Their search and yearning for a solution took them into the European Union but failed to provide them with what they searched towards. 

IMO will enable Belgium to lead the European example and create an ‘International European Identity’.

IMO will facilitate a discussion that culminates in the demonstration of the ‘Model European Citizen’. 

Government:
The government grapples with the challenges that are laid before the door of this nation. They are torn between national interests, playing host to the European Union and the greater international interests.

IMO can work with the government to enable them to step through this transition process between the balance of all its interests.

IMO will work with the government to make Belgium the ‘Heart of Muslim Europe’.