Muslim representative advices Belgians to leave Belgium

(MENAFN) A Belgian city council member, Saliha Raiss, sparked controversy after telling critics of her Muslim headscarf to “get out” of Belgium during a council session in Brussels’ Molenbeek district. The remarks, captured on video and widely shared online, drew sharp reactions.

Raiss, representing the social-democratic Vooruit party, made the statement in response to criticism and anti-Muslim comments directed at her following a contentious Facebook post by her party. In the video, she said, “If people wearing headscarves bother you so much, if you don’t want to see us anymore, move... Go somewhere else, get out!”

The clip was posted on X by Georges-Louis Bouchez, leader of the Reformist Movement (MR), who condemned Raiss for racism and accused her of enforcing a “new cultural norm” that attacks opponents of religious symbols in public institutions. The video even caught the attention of Elon Musk, who shared it with disbelief.

Belgian media defended Raiss, arguing that her comments were taken out of context. The full video shows her condemning the MR for failing to remove hateful posts and accusing them of tolerating racism. Raiss clarified that her remarks targeted racist and xenophobic individuals, not the Belgian population as a whole.

Raiss stood by her statement in an interview, saying she does not regret it and accused Bouchez of spreading misinformation with an edited video. Vooruit party leader Conner Rousseau supported her, highlighting the frequent racism she faces as a Muslim and dismissing the backlash as misleading.

Raiss is reportedly considering legal action against Bouchez for defamation.

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