IQNA

Brussels: One of Europe's largest Muslim cities

12:35 - November 19, 2011
News ID: 2224352
25% of the residents of Brussels are of Muslim origin, which makes Brussels one of the European cities with the largest Muslim presence, comparable to Birmingham in the UK.
This is according to a sociological study ('L'Iris et le Croissant' - the Iris and the Crescent) by UCL. The study was conducted by Sociologist Felice Dassetto, who has been researching Muslims, radicalization and interculturalism for more than 30 years.
In total there are 250,000 to 300,000 Muslims in Brussels, about half the Muslim population of Belgium. 10-15% of the Muslims are practicing and active within religious associations.
Islam is also increasingly visible: there are more mosques and minarets, more veiled women and more Muslim organizations.
After football, Islam mobilizes the most people in Brussels, more than the Catholic Church, political parties and unions. There are more than 200,000 Muslim organizations in Brussels, including 77 mosques. Dassetto speaks of a 'religious over-socializing' among young Muslims.
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