The president of the Brussels regional parliament recalled on Friday the need to respect the “neutrality” of this institution, after the broadcast of a video showing an imam reciting a prayer from the platform of the hemicycle during the visit of a group.
The video, which was shared on social networks on Friday, was filmed on January 13 during a visit which was not organized by the Brussels parliament, indicates the institution in a press release.
Its president, Rachid Madrane,
“underlines that it is important that everyone can open the doors of this institution to discover how our democracy works.
But he also wishes to recall that Parliament must absolutely remain neutral
,” the press release continues.
The visit was organized by an association,
“Friends of Brussels”
, at the invitation of MP Hasan Koyuncu (socialist party), and
“people of different philosophical and religious orientations were also present”
, it is specified.
The president of parliament will send a reminder by letter to Mr. Koyuncu and the various group leaders and
“will propose to explicitly integrate into the regulation that respect for neutrality is a categorical imperative”
.
This episode sparked several indignant reactions in the political class.
“There must be accountability.
And quickly
,” declared on X the president of the French-speaking liberal party (MR), Georges-Louis Bouchez, accusing the left of having
“made communitarianism an electoral weapon”
.
“Incredible”
, reacted federal MP Darya Safai (N-VA, Flemish nationalists) by sharing the video on X, worrying about a
“very dangerous development”
.
The parliament of the Brussels-Capital region is made up of 89 deputies, French-speaking and Dutch-speaking.