The hysteria over Sharia4Belgium

The spokesman of the radical Islamic movement Sharia4Belgium, Fouad Belkacem, was arrested in Antwerp on Monday on suspicion of inciting violence. A court ruled on Wednesday that he must serve a previous six-month prison sentence even though minor offences usually result in suspended sentences in Belgium. Justice Minister Annemie Turtelboom also wants to withdraw Bekacem's Belgian citizenship. Fear is a poor advisor, warns the liberal daily De Standaard: "This overreaction to a relatively minor threat raises the question of whether our constitutional state is in danger. … However so far Belkacem's angry tirades have not been life-threatening for our constitutional state. We don't need new laws to combat his intolerance and his disruptive behaviour. It's enough to apply the ones that already exist. For some time now the country has failed to execute the punishments of an important group of convicts. They are de facto going unpunished. That's the real scandal."

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