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| - Fact Check: Does this Belgian city with terror links have 100% Muslim population?
Some social media users are claiming that Molenbeek has become the first European city with 100 per cent Muslim population
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India Today Fact Check
The Muslim population in Molenbeek is much higher than the national average but is still less than 50 per cent. In Belgium, Muslims constitute 7 per cent of the total population.
Have you heard of Molenbeek? In all probability, you may not have.
This city in Belgium, almost five kilometres west of Brussels Grand Place, is unlike the tourist destination that Belgium is known for. Molenbeek, in fact, is one neighbourhood that has been linked with radical Islamist terrorism time and again.
Molenbeek Home to terrorism?
Molenbeek was said to be the home of one of the convicts of the 2004 Madrid train bombings. On 11 March 2004, 10 explosions took place in four commuter trains in Madrid killing 192 people and injuring around 2,000.
According to various media reports, the weapons used in the Charlie Hebdo attack of 2015 in Paris were acquired in Molenbeek.
Molenbeek was also linked to the 2016 Brussels bombings where three coordinated suicide bombings occurred killing 32 civilians and injuring more than 300 people.
The city has even earned the reputation of being a ‘No-go-zone' by media outlets like GQ.
The claim
However, now some social media users are claiming that Molenbeek has become the first European city with 100 per cent Muslim population. It is also being claimed that by 2021, Belgium will become a new Islamic country in Europe.
One such claim reads, “Molenbeek city of Belgium has become the first European city with hundred per cent Muslim population. All the Christians in Molenbeek have migrated. The political party ‘Islam’ of Belgium has won in the recent municipal elections and is now trying to completely convert Belgium into an Islamic nation. By 2021, Belgium will become a new Islamic country of Europe.”
The archived link of this claim can be seen here.
The truth
It is true that Molenbeek has been time and again linked to radical Islamic terrorism. Also, the Muslim population in Belgium has gone up rapidly. However, the claim that Molenbeek has 100 per cent Muslim population is far from true.
People are reacting sharply to this sensational claim on Facebook and Twitter.
Comments like “All Muslims are Jihadi terrorists!” and “It is high time that Hindus too become alert” are all over the internet.
AFWA probe
The India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) looks into these claims one by one.
Claim 1: Molenbeek has become the first European city with 100 per cent Muslim population
Fact: This is not correct. While Belgium has an estimated seven per cent of Muslim population, it is almost 45 per cent in Molenbeek, according to a 2017 Reuters report.
We couldn’t find credible source reporting about the recent demography of Molenbeek but it is unlikely that Muslim population in Molenbeek could go up from 45 to 100 per cent in merely three years.
Claim 2: The ‘Islam party’ of Belgium has recently won the Municipal elections
Fact: The last Municipal elections in Belgium were held in 2018 wherein the Islam Party could not win a single seat out of 589 seats.
Claim 3: By 2021, Belgium will become a new Islamic country of Europe
Fact: It is true that the Muslim population in Belgium is on a rise.
According to Pew Research, Belgium will have around 11.1 per cent Muslims by the year 2050 if there is no migration from outside.
In the case of medium migration scenario, the Muslim population could jump to 15.1 per cent by 2050. One of the main reasons behind the rising Muslim population is the migration of refugees from countries like Syria.
The Belgian government, however, is now taking steps to stop illegal immigration.
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