Koen Metsu: “Immediately terminate the concession for Brussels Grand Mosque”

Federal MP Koen Metsu is urging the government to immediately end the concession granted to the Grand Mosque of Brussels. The organization managing the mosque, the non-profit AGMB (Association for the Management of the Grand Mosque of Brussels), is struggling with unpaid debts and governance issues.

This isn’t the first time the idea of ending the concession has been raised. The previous Minister of Justice also pushed for action.

€133,000 in unpaid debts

Parliamentary questions reveal that the AGMB has racked up more than €133,000 in unpaid rent owed to the Belgian Buildings Agency. “Unacceptable,” Metsu says. “An organization that neglects its obligations to this extent has no business managing a public concession.”

An extremist at the helm

What’s even more concerning is who currently leads the AGMB. “The organization is headed by Mehmet Üstün, former chairman of the Muslim Executive of Belgium, which was dissolved by court order,” Metsu points out. “State Security has previously linked him to the spread of extremist ideologies. The fact that he’s now in charge of the country’s largest mosque is simply beyond belief.”

Concerns about the organization’s internal management continue to grow. Representatives of the Federal Public Service Justice, who are statutory members of the mosque’s general assembly, have been barred from attending meetings. “This clearly points to serious structural issues in how the organization is run.”

Metsu calls for decisive action

“Terminate this concession agreement as quickly as possible, and make sure this important mosque is finally managed in a responsible and professional way,” Metsu concludes.