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Religious Symbols Allowed in Higher Education in Wallonie-Bruxelles (Belgium)

With the continuous efforts and commitments of grassroots young Muslim activists in Belgium, a historical decision has been taken: from September 2021 onwards, religious symbols in higher education are authorised by the educational authority of Wallonia-Brussels. This historical development could not have come without young women advocating for their rights, and without a reminder of the fundamental values that we stand for in Europe.

FEMYSO congratulates the #HijabisFightBack activists, CCIB (Collective against Islamophobia in Belgium), la 5e vague and le Collectif les 100 diplômées: grassroots NGOs and movements who worked tirelessly to make education accessible for all. FEMYSO also congratulates the authorities who made a wise decision to ensure students their full freedom in what they want to wear at higher education. This is regardless of the inherently discriminatory and disproportionately Islamophobic decision of the Belgian Constitutional Court allowing schools to misuse the “neutrality of education” principle to wear off students wearing religious symbols. See our statement on this from July 2020 here, and the social campaign we did with a powerful video here.

Mr Abelrahman Rizk, President of FEMYSO noted: “As education is a key factor for young people’s flourishing, personal development and access to the job market, any barriers of systemic discrimination and institutional racism must be effectively identified and removed. When we talk about freedom of education equality, this must not have any exceptions.”

At FEMYSO, we will continue to empower young people across Europe to contribute to positive change and know their rights, while being proud of their identity.

Journalistic reference (French): https://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detail_les-signes-convictionnels-autorises-dans-l-enseignement-superieur-des-la-prochaine-rentree-academique?id=10675006

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Notes

  1. FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network organisation for 33 Muslim youth and student organisations across 20 European countries, and is the leading voice for European Muslim youth, developing and empowering them, and working to build a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.
  1. For more information or requests please email media@femyso.org