BRUSSELS: Belgian teenager Ahmed is still reeling from the hostile reception he received from a teacher the first day he attended a new sports school last September. The aspiring footballer’s experience is an example of what rights groups say is a rise in both verbal and physical abuse directed at Belgian Muslims since suicide bombings killed 32 people and wounded hundreds more in Brussels. “Islamophobic acts have increased in quantity and seriousness,” said Hajib El Hajjaji, of the Collective against Islamophobia in Belgium (CCIB). “Our Prime Minister (Charles Michel) should, like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, send positive messages of recognition, reject hate and refuse conflating” Muslims with terrorism, Hajjaji said. He said the Spanish city of Barcelona’s plan to fight Islamophobia was a good example.

Source: Manila Times March 21, 2017 04:41 UTC