Belgium-Muslim s-Crime /WRD Brussels Imam denounce killing of Belgian youth – Irna
Belgium-Muslim s-Crime /WRD Brussels Imam denounce killing of Belgian youth – Irna
Brussels, April 21, IRNA
The Imam (prayer leader) at Brussels Islamic Centre Friday condemned as a ‘heinous crime’ the killing of a Belgian youth by killers believed to be of North African descent.
Addressing the large gathering of worshipers, the Imam in his Friday sermon said robbery and murder were grave sins in Islam and noted that it was the religious duty of Muslims to contribute to maintain peace and security in the country in which they live.
17-year-old Joe Van Holsbeeck was stabbed to death in the Brussels Central Railway Station last week, for refusing to hand in an mp3 player.
The killing at one of Brussels busiest train station and at day time has shocked the Belgian society.
The Imam urged Muslim families to pay careful attention to the upbringing of their children in accordance with the true teachings of Islam.
“The people who know who the killers are, should not remain silent and reveal their identity,” Nordine Taouil of the Antwerp Mosque was quoted saying by the local media.
Brussels police have released video images of the killers.
The Saudi-funded Islamic Centre of Brussels is the biggest mosque in Belgium and the only Muslim worship house to be recognized officially by the state.
An estimated 400,000 Muslims, a majority of them from North African states like Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, live in Belgium.