A rise in Anti-Muslim rhetoric surrounding the cancellation of an inclusive Queer Iftar in the town of Antwerp, Belgium

An Iftar (fast-breaking meal eaten by Muslims during the month of Ramadan immediately after sunset) with members of the LGBTQ+ community was due to be held at the Roma concert hall in the city of Antwerp on 31 March 2023. However, following security concerns, the event was cancelled, resulting in a number of newspapers reporting on the decision with negative language and anti-Muslim sentiments.  

In the Francophone region of Belgium, news platform 7sur7 published an article characterised with a numerous anti-Muslim sentiments and harmful narratives. The article itself promoted the idea and stereotype that Muslims are indeed not tolerant but rather backwards as seen in the cancellation of the organised Queer Iftar. The text claims that the organisation of the event itself sparked negative responses in certain Muslim circles resulting in angry and hostile reactions especially on social media. It then concludes by highlighting that the organizers on their own initiative in reaction to this, decided to cancel the event rather than due to the request of the police. With this, the article promotes the idea that it is indeed the Muslim community that is the cause of threat and the lack of tolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community that resulted in the event being eventually forcibly cancelled. Focusing on the fact that the police were not involved is almost used to portray that they have no leverage over the radical Muslim community and cannot defend, in this case, Muslim LGBTQ+ representatives. Furthermore, this article has been picked up and reported elsewhere, further spreading this rhetoric.  

In the Flemish region of Belgium, news portal doorbraak.be published a similarly accusatory article which served to spread anti-Muslim stereotypes and narratives. In the article, claims were made without any evidence or facts to back them up. This included claims that Muslims were the ones behind the threats preventing the organisation of the event from taking place. These included threats aimed at the LGBTQ+ and Muslim community, denying claims that they were made by white and male individuals. The article goes on to state that the evidence reveals that the idea of an inclusive society has indeed failed mainly due to ‘foreign’ individuals – thereby, scapegoating the issue to the Muslim community. The entire text contains generalisations that the religion of Islam is in itself dogmatically against the LGBTQ+ community further claiming that religiously and ethnically mixed families are a biological anomaly. Moreover, the article says that these ethnically foreign teens are the main perpetrators of aggression – with no evidence or truth behind such statements but rather on the basis of prejudice and opinion. An article like this, only serves to promote anti-Muslim narratives and aims to create negative outlooks on the Muslim community based on opinion, discrimination and intolerance whilst simultaneously creating a divide in society and driving a wedge between various ethnic and religious communities in the country.  

It is problematic to assume that religions such as Islam are not tolerant towards individuals from the LGBTQ+ community, as one can find examples of movements and sexual and gender identity diversity within the Muslim community. An example of this includes the organisation Hidayah – a queer Muslim charity – striving to support and promote justice for LGBTQI+ Muslims. Another is maruf which strives to ‘connect, support, and strengthen queer Muslims and their allies’. Furthermore, the Queer Muslim Project is South Asia’s largest virtual network of ‘Queer, Muslim and allied individuals’. By making assumptions and falling on prejudice regarding certain religious groups, this can only serve to maintain hateful sentiments in a society which doesn’t provide the space for religious diversity.