MUSIC
00:00:17:00
A wave of fear is sweeping over Europe. Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Verviers in Belgium, Belgian youngsters threatening to mount attacks from Syria. Terror, all in the name of Islam.
00:00:30:20
Fingers are pointed at the Muslim community, yet their voice is rarely heard.
00:00:45:01
I want to know how they cope with all that’s happening around them, what they feel about extremism and how they deal with it.
00:00:51:14
YOUNG MEN:
-Hi, how are you?
- Hello, good day.
00:00:55:10
MOAD:
The world-famous bridge of Volvoorde.
00:00:58:17
One day we had Norwegian TV here.
00:01:01:09
They asked: Where can I find jihadists? The terrorists?
00:01:05:03
They thought all the jihadists were here.
00:01:08:17
Although Moad works closely with Vilvoorde city council, he’s also part of the group of youngsters here.
00:01:14:08
Who are your friends?
- Everyone knows each other.
00:01:17:11
Hello. I already shook your hand.
00:01:21:18
Here’s our little Carrasco.
Look, this is his little brother.
00:01:26:03
Really?
-Sure.
Are you also going to Monaco?
- Can’t you tell?
00:01:35:02
Are you all from Vilvoorde?
Born and raised. And we always will be. Isn’t that right, Moad?
- Absolutely.
Do you understand what has happened here?
Everyone realizes what’s going on, we all know what’s happening.
00:01:51:18
It actually started in 2011,
When government issued a law against burkas.
It left youngsters wondering.
How many women wore a burka at the time? 10, 20?
Breaking a nut with a sledgehammer.
-It felt like injustice?
Yes, it’s unliveable here.
You can’t liver here as a Muslim.
That’s how youngsters perceived it.
That’s how it started.
00:02:14:09
And there was the war in Syria.
Horrible images of Assad who massacres his own people.
These two events gave charismatic people
the chance to convince others of their ideas.
00:02:26:09
REPORTER:
Looking back, there are people you know,
friends of yours,
who have left to go there?
MOAD:
Yes, in one street eight people left.
Everyone in Vilvoorde knows someone who left.
00:02:43:07
They were just people like us, here.
Football players. We went to school together. Isn’t that right?
-Yes, it’s true.
YOUNG MAN WITH GLASSES:
Six people with a very good job, they also left.
00:03:03:21
Abdu.
Everybody is gone.
There used to be more people.
On a sunny Sunday, it was much more crowded.
Vilvoorde is empty now.
For us, young people, it is.
-An entire generation is missing.
I grew up with them, in the same classroom.
Let’s say three quarters are gone.
00:03:24:21
REPORTER:
Wow, that’s a lot.
MAN:
We live it, we see it, we hear friends have died. It’s sad for us too.
00:03:33:24
Moad is concerned about the dangers awaiting these young people… and is working to do something about it.
00:03:40:04
MOAD:
The city council, the mosques, parents, everyone made mistakes.
Everyone. It’s a shared responsibility.
There was nowhere for young people to take their problems,
their questions on religion or school.
-Is there a place now?
-They’re working on it.
That’s why the mayor needs money to create things for young people.
00:04:02:03
A youth centre is not just a club, they provide counselling too.
-Do you see a role for yourself in it?
-Everyone has a role in it.
You can only solve this by working together, listening to each other and then propose solutions.
It’s a shared responsibility, everyone has to contribute.
00:04:24:10
28 young Belgians have left the family home in Vilvoorde.
Not only do they leave a palpable void among their friends, their parents have to cope with an even greater one themselves.
Two years ago, Saliha’s [spelling?] son also decided to leave for Syria.
00:04.49:00
Sabri had just turned 18.
00:04:52:02
Ali ibn Abid Talib.
-Your son…
-Ali ibn Abid Talib.
That was when he was in Syria?
-Yes.
00:05:00:18
MOTHER:
That’s when he said it was the last time.
He said: You act all angry and disappointed. It’s finished.
I’m serious. Greetings.
Greet the family for me.
I replied: May God protect you and assist you.
00:05:17:12
REPORTER:
And nothing came after that?
MOTHER:
My husband sent this message:
Hello it’s dad. How are you?
He never replied.
There are over two thousand messages.
I sent him a message every day.
Three times a day.
He said: I love you.
Here I said to him:
Never forget me, Sabri, my son, no matter what happens.
00:05:47:22
I will never abandon you. Never.
No matter what happens, you are part of me.
Forgive me, my son, for all the wrong I may have done to you.
For all I should have done and didn’t do for you.
If I don’t see you again, I hope to see you in paradise.
00:06:10:03
When he still had Facebook, he wrote to me.
Mom, it’s heart-warming to see you think of me every day.
I said: Come back. We are your family.
What are you doing there?
They will kill you, the Syrian rebels and the other jihadists.
00:06:27:24
You’re in danger, I said.
I told him clearly that the jihadists’ goal is to conquer Syria.
REPORTER:
What did he reply to that?
MOTHER:
If you want to stay in touch, I will set one rule,
Stop saying: Come back. It’s pointless.
There.
-That is clear.
That’s what they all tell their parents.
MUSIC
00:07:09:19
MOTHER:
One day he came home with a friend from Vilvoorde, who was dressed in Pashtun dress.
I used to call him the Pashtun.
He wore a long djellaba [jalaba], he also had a beard.
He had a sleeveless jacket, Nikes, Taqiyah on his head, and the beard.
I said: What’s up with you? What’s with the sudden change?
00:07:31:01
This is Vilvoorde, you attract attention. It’s not exactly the right time.
So my son started hanging out with that kid.
00:07:42:13
Then he said:
Mom, I’m going to the mosque.
I started having problems with it when he went to the mosque five times a day.
He stopped going to work.
It was also a problem because I saw less and less of him.
He had made new friends. He had abandoned his old friends.
He cut himself loose from the world he was in and entered into a new world.
00:08:09:23
I said: Sabri, you can’t put religion before or instead of everything.
In July I told him we’d go to Morocco together to observe Ramadan.
My objective was to remove him from this influence he had here,
So he could take a step back and think about it.
00:08:30:14
But that was without considering Facebook, and his friends from Vilvoorde who meanwhile had left to go to Syria.
When we were back in Brussels, he was watching me constantly.
Constantly.
I said: Sabri, why are you staring at me like that?
He said: Mom, I look at you because I love you.
It felt to me like he was making a back-up of my image.
00:08:58:19
The next day when I got up, he wasn’t in his bed.
It wasn’t the first time that happened.
But that time I knew I wouldn’t see him again.
Two days later he sent me a message via Facebook to let me know that he was in Syria.
00:09:18:08
He wrote: I am in Syria.
But I read: I am dead.
When I heard he was dead, the first thing I felt was relief.
It’s like catching your second breath.
The pain is still there.
It stays there. But now I can say:
I am no longer worried.
I won’t have to be anxious or troubled anymore.
Now I’ll suffer, it will hurt. But that’s it.
00:09:52:05
And it’s a suffering which… it’s horrible. It’s as if you’re in a war,
And you see how your children, your child is being massacred,
but you can’t do anything, you’re on the other side of the window.
00:10:15:11
Saliha wanted to share her experience with others and warn parents of the dangers of radicalisation. But at first nobody listened.
00:10:24:03
MOTHER:
It’s unbelievable.
We have written letters to the Minister of Internal Affairs, to the Prime Minister.
We never got an answer.
00:10:37:20
Never. But after Charlie Hebdo suddenly everyone was shocked.
Then they said: Now we need to do something with civilians, with the people, with the parents, the cousins, the brothers and sisters, with the street workers.
At that moment, suddenly prevention started to take shape.
00:11:02:19
Up until now, more than 400 Belgian youngsters have left for Syria: from Vilvoorde, Brussels, Verviers, Kortrijk and Genk. However, the largest group comes from Antwerp, 70 in all. And many others are still considering the idea of leaving. Identity and religion all play their part in their no longer feeling at home here.
00:11:26:04
Proper guidance and understanding is now all important and they find it here, at the psycho-social centre Al Miezaan.
00:11:34:11
MAN WITH BEARD:
Take any newspaper, it has negative news on Muslims.
That results in these people feeling afraid to be the person they actually want to be.
-Yes.
-And that can ultimately lead to social isolation, people who live on their own.
00:11:53:15
Good morning. Salaam alaikum.
-Alaikum salaam. How are you?
The Belgian is late, not the Moroccan.
We’ll have to make note of that.
-We’re even now.
00:12:04:16
MAN WITH WHITE SHIRT:
He’s our psychologist.
He is also a lecturer at Thomas Moore Hogeschool.
I assist him with counselling, when people have spiritual issues.
They can come to us.
00:12:16:18
REPORTER:
I understand you have a long waiting list?
MAN:
Yes, it’s tremendous.
REPORTER:
You often hear that people who leave, for example to Syria,
That they’re turning their backs on our world because they want to live in a pure Islamic environment.
MAN:
The reality is often completely the contrary.
That’s the problem. It’s the prospect they give people, a way to convince them to go.
But often people who get there are used or abused.
What we have to teach people is that is perfectly possible for them to be a Muslim here.
00:12:50:08
And that they can find values here that are also fantastic.
People think in terms of: Islam or this. I think both can be perfectly harmonized.
That message is important now.
00:13:05:03
We’re allowed to film a consultation to see how Sofian and Sulayman go about their work. The young man who’s come to talk to them prefers to remain anonymous.
00:13:15:22
PRAYS IN ARABIC
00:13:21:16
Sofian starts the session with a traditional Islamic prayer.
00:12:26:03
SOFIAN:
Brother, welcome to Al Miezaan. I will quickly introduce myself.
I am Sofian, a psycho-social counsellor.
I don’t need to introduce him. Sulayman will be present during today’s intake session.
00:13:41:11
This young man is only seventeen. Some six months ago he converted to Islam but has trouble dealing with his new identity.
00:13:49:20
MAN:
You change, you see things differently.
You can’t talk to anyone about it, because they’re not interested.
It’s like leading a double life.
I’m outside, at school, with brothers. I talk to them about Islam.
Then I get home and it stops.
As if you’re someone else.
00:14:08:18
It’s hard to explain, sometimes I think to myself:
Are you a Muslim, or are you not a Muslim, because you… You’re living in a system of two worlds.
SOFIAN:
I ask myself: How should I see that? Are those two separate worlds?
MAN:
You’re involved with Islam.
You feel good. You do something good.
Then you come home and watch TV. I see naked people on TV, but I don’t want anything to do with that.
I hear music, I don’t want that either.
To be honest, they look at you as if you were an idiot.
SOFIAN:
An idiot?
00:14:46:18
MAN:
As if you’re practicing a religion of morons, that’s what they think.
SOFIAN:
In what way do you feel that you are hindered at home to practice your religion for the full 100%?
MAN & SOFIAN:
In the morning I have to put water in my room for my prayer.
-You have to do it all very quietly.
-Yes my mother is asleep.
MAN:
That’s not an issue. But the fact that you can’t say what you think or feel.
SOFIAN:
I hear you saying:
I don not get any recognition.
MAN:
I don’t feel connected with society.
-Not at all?
00:15:21:20
Not at all. I’m thinking if I’d work three years, I could move away.
SOFIAN:
You talk about moving. Which country do you have in mind?
MAN:
Preferably Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is the core of Islam.
I think there is no better place to complete your religion.
00:15:40:20
SOFIAN:
What would you personally miss most, in case you’d leave?
MAN:
My mother. My mother raised me well these seventeen years.
So…
It’s not because she’s now struggling to adjust, that I should be short-sighted and think she didn’t do anything for me.
00:16:06:08
In the end they talk for an hour. And the session bears fruit, they find common ground and manage to steer him onto the right path.
00:16:16:13
SOFIAN:
I asked all the important questions. I’m looking at you.
SULAYMAN:
The things you mentioned, for example that you feel hindered.
But at home, are you hindered from praying or not?
MAN:
No, I go to my room to pray.
-In your room.
00:16:31:09
SULAYMAN:
So nobody is stopping you here?
-No.
So the water you take to your room in the morning, when you do that, at that moment you are being a good son.
It is normal that people who don’t have the same idea as you,
Don’t want to be woken up. For you, it’s a normal thing to do.
You should try to sometimes put yourself in other people’s position.
Even if you disagree with them.
You try to understand people’s point of view.
If you don’t, and you focus solely on your own point of view,
You will end up not understanding people’s reactions.
00:17:11:00
When you come home, you’re still the same person.
You’re not a bad Muslim because you don’t talk about Islam at home.
You’re not a good Muslim if you behave badly at home.
Being a Muslim is not only about talking about Islam.
When you get home, you can’t talk about it anymore.
00:17:30:03
But can you be a good son at that moment?
Can you be good to your mother?
When you converted,
And you make fresh orange juice for your parents in the morning,
And you help around the house, and do all sorts of stuff.
00:17:46:13
That is much stronger than just talking.
That’s why Mohammed, God’s peace be with Him, said:
Best one is he who behaves best.
He didn’t say: He who talks about Islam.
You have to try for the positive message you understood to show in your attitude.
00:18:05:22
Then you're not in two worlds, but just doing the right thing.
It's perfectly possible to be a good Muslim and live here.
00: 18:12:22
When you go to the park, play football, you are practising Islam.
So I think that can very much... ...it can be very useful to look at it that way.
00:18:24:02
SOFIAN:
Any more questions?
- I want to thank him.
00: 18:26:21
SULAYMAN:
It's not always easy to open up like that.
You did that, acting like a man.
00: 18:34:11
REPORTER:
Have you had the feeling that by talking to people, you were able to stop them?
-Yes.
- You convince them?
I've had conversations with people who are abusive at first, saying I'll go to hell and they won't forget I'm a traitor.
00: 18:49:24
SULAYMAN:
I keep talking respectfully.
Three weeks ago, someone who was tired of society and wanted to leave, he didn't see any use in being here, felt like everyone was just as bad.
00: 19:01:09
I started talking to him in this manner, asking what he meant.
After the third conversation, he decided to continue studying here.
Just three conversations.
It means that people do listen, but they need to be handled right, in a normal manner.
00: 19:17:17
SOFIAN:
I think it's mainly the current repressive policy against radicalising youngsters, whatever that means, because just like he said, these days it's easy to put the 'radical' stamp on someone wearing a long robe and a beard.
00: 19:35:04
I believe what makes us different, is that we look at the individuality of that person.
That is definitely not the case in several city services.
They mainly look at - and it's logical –
security in our society, I fully agree with that.
00: 19:51:24
That's not an individual approach.
It's stirring in a pot full of people who look a bit alike, thinking you can give them one label.
00:20:01:18
Sulayman has to leave urgently since it’s Friday, the day he preaches at the mosque in Berchem.
GREETINGS
00:20:13:16
20 years ago he too was a young convert, in search of his true identity. Now, he’s a respected Imam, an example for many young Muslims.
00:20:25:12
The mosque is filled to overflowing… those unable to attend can follow online and hundreds of believers do, watching the live broadcast.
SULAYMAN:
ARABIC
00:20:47:09
The online archive also has thousands of visitors.
00:20:51:20
Sulayman is one of the few Imams in Belgium who preaches both in Arabic and Dutch, the mother tongue of the youngsters he wishes to reach.
00:20:59:23
SULAYMAN:
With Allah's will, I want to tell a story.
The story of a young Muslim or a young Flemish person
or a young person who originally wasn't a Muslim,
who now enters Islam.
00: 21:15:22
And very often, we see that when someone becomes a Muslim,
most people limit themselves to saying 'Allah Akbar',
or saying 'Subhan Allah' or 'Mash'Allah'.
00: 21:29:24
We applaud them and welcome them because they became a Muslim.
And then we leave that boy or that girl to their own device.
We don't teach them how to understand Islam.
We leave them to the internet,
we leave them to social media.
We leave them to reading books,
but we're not sure they'll understand them correctly.
00: 21:54:15
And after a while it's possible that the person who became a Muslim here five months ago,
suddenly doesn't show up anymore,
has made other friends,
went a different direction or whatever.
00: 22:06:14
They come to me and I help them,
but how many can I receive?
Two, three, five, ten, twelve?
It's a communal responsibility.
Stay in touch with them in the best possible way.
00:22:19:05
PRAYING
00:22:24:08
After prayers, it’s apparent just how respected the Imam is... one of his followers catches our attention.
00: 22:43:04
IMAD:
A healthy mind in a healthy body.
Looking back at our best example, our messenger, peace be with him,
we see that he also struggled.
He even raced his wife, Aisha, to see who was fastest.
00: 23:05:15
Sometimes his wife won, or he let her win.
Sometimes he won.
If Islam expects us to be good people,
it's important that we first create positive energy before we can give positive energy.
PRAYING (“Allahu Akbar…”)
00:23:37:02
Imad is 28, sociable and at the same time deeply religious. He would seem to be the personification of the harmony between two worlds.
00:23:47:05
And yet it wasn’t simply a matter of course for him to find the right path in Western society for his religious beliefs.
00: 23:56:02
IMAD:
There's a phase that many young people go through,
they want to know more about Islam
and find books in Dutch, because they don't speak Arabic.
At least not classic Arabic.
00:24:08:20
So you have to use books in Dutch and most of them,
at least back then, used to be based on Salafi views.
I'm not saying that's bad, but it only gives you one vision, the one that is mainly used in Saudi Arabia.
00: 24:26:12
Before you know it, you're a sheep following one vision,
without knowing what other visions have to say.
REPORTER:
Were you a sheep?
00: 24:37:02
At first, yes.
REPORTER:
With the rather radical vision on Islam that you were taught, did you also feel anger?
00: 24:46:18
IMAD:
Once you get deeper into a certain vision...
...you notice indeed that you are becoming tougher, yes.
Also towards your family and your environment.
00:25:03:07
You don't want anything to do with what is different.
You see what's different as a threat and it fills you with aversion.
You really reject it, aggressively sometimes.
They make sure you become extreme in clinging on to one opinion, one vision.
00: 25:22:20
That is wrong.
You're no longer tolerant.
There's no tolerance, no sympathy for other visions.
GUITAR
00:25:42:09
Imad has put his finger on the problem. From his own experience, he knows just where things go wrong for many youngsters. But he also knows that there is an answer.
00:25:58:02
IMAD:
I've always been someone who is devoted to society.
In 2009 I had the opportunity to go to Gaza.
So I made that trip.
With what I saw there, I made a promise to myself.
Saving people's lives.
00: 26:16:22
I will continue to live my dream...
...until hopefully one day there's no more injustice.
I believe in that.
GREETING
MUSIC
00: 26:33:00
Do you have boxes?
00: 26:38:06
IMAD:
We're bringing this food to a food bank, Al Ikram.
00: 26:43:03
Salaam alaikum.
- Alaikum salaam.
Hello my friend, how are you?
I'll be there in less than five minutes.
00:26:52:03
IMAD:
Al Ikram is an association founded by Nordin Cherkaoui.
Not subsidised, just with donations from people who when they go shopping,
buy extra and bring it here.
00:27:07:18
This here is Nordin.
He really is the man from Borgerhout.
NORDIN:
You go to Palestine, to Gaza.
We go to Syrian refugees in Jordan.
But here at our door, we get Palestinians and Syrians too.
You see? You there, my volunteers there, and me here.
That's how we're all united.
This is our jihad.
00:27:31:22
Instead of kalashnikovs, food parcels, sanitary products.
That's our kalashnikov, our jihad.
Good luck, with God's help [Inshallah].
Take care of yourself.
- Goodbye, thanks.
00:27:49:12
Saliha also wants to play her part in the fight against extremism and transform her sorrow into positive action.
00:27:59:02
SALIHA:
I want this horrible experience to help me grow.
So it will serve everyone.
With my message and my testimony, I know I can spare other mothers this suffering.
But you need official recognition for that.
I can see myself, for example as a coordinator of a team against radicalisation.
00:28:35:22
I meet Fatima Lamarti in Vilvoorde. As alderman for social affairs she’s close to the people… and yet, she had no inkling that so many youngsters would leave.
00: 28:48:08
FATIMA:
It really startled us, it was unbelievable.
Often I know these families and these children very well.
And then, when you hear they left...
And that parents had no idea, the radicalisation went rather quick.
And they were not the riff-raff, they're guys from good families,
but still, they managed to convince them.
00: 29:15:10
So then you think: How should we handle this?
00:29:21:20
The city council lost no time in opting for a coordinated approach to the growing problem, getting the Imam, teachers and parents involved.
00:29:31:02
Fatima is their confidential advisor.
00: 29:34:00
Everything OK?
- Yes, and you?
For a good trip.
- Ah yes.
00:29:41:02
Today, she and Saliha are going to meet a mother from Antwerp … her son has also left for Syria… the women want to share their experiences, and quite exceptionally, we’re allowed to join them.
00: 29:52:22
WOMAN:
My son looked through the mail to check publicity folders
and suddenly he finds this piece of scrap paper.
He gives it to me and I just throw it on the table.
I glance at it and all I see is the word Syria.
He called me a few days after that.
00:30:13:06
My son left two days after his birthday, his eighteenth birthday.
He said: Mom, I'm in a hurry now.
He couldn't even look at me.
He was a good boy, really he was. He did well at school.
Very helpful too.
Every day I wake up, thinking: Is he still alive?
00:00:39:24
Fatima was told several times that her son was dead… this later turned out not to be true.
00: 30:45:01
Newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, wrote it, with a photo and all.
A photo in which is not recognizable.
My husband said: Fatima, that's not him.
I said: But his name is on it.
It's a nightmare, one you can't wake up from.
One day he said to me: I'm never coming back.
00:31:09:08
OTHER WOMAN:
Are you in touch with mothers of other boys who left?
- Not many. Yes, one or two.
- They're rather stand-offish.
- Yes, very closed.
- Are there no discussion groups in Antwerp?
00: 31:22:14
No. The Antwerp city council told me: We try to get the parents together, but it is difficult.
SALIHA:
We usually have a parent reunion on Fridays.
If you can make it, you're welcome. You can meet other families.
There are still people leaving.
- Yes, that's horrible. Horrible.
Sometimes I want to tell those kids:
Look at how we live.
00:31:50:16
I think we're living in hell, now.
Don't do it to your parents.
I also had that feeling of guilt.
FATIMA:
You needn't feel guilty. It's an easy thing to say, but...
- As a mom, you get that feeling automatically.
SALIHA:
The feeling of guilt will always be there.
But the thing is, the other children lost a brother.
Because he's gone, even if he's alive.
But they have also lost their parents.
Because we'll never be who we used to be.
And the new parent we have become, we must do what we can to be the best possible parent.
00: 32:32:05
That's not easy.
Because you need to try that every day.
On the other hand, the children who are still there,
those kids never asked for any of this.
00: 32:52:19
WOMAN:
That’s true.
That's true.
SALIHA:
I had no idea how to tell my daughter.
Your brother left to die in a war.
He left us, but it was his choice to go there because he wanted to help people.
When he left, he said: I'm going to help the widows and orphans.
00: 33:16:18
WOMAN:
Yes, that's what he told me too.
SALIHA:
I'd love to find mothers like you, who speak perfect Dutch.
They asked me to go for a talk in a Dutch-speaking school.
FATIMA:
Do you see yourself joining what Saliha does?
Are you thinking: OK, talks in schools.
Can you see yourself doing that?
WOMAN:
Yes, I can see that. I can see myself doing it.
I want to offer my help.
-That is great.
00:33:52:17
From now on, Saliha and Fatima will be working together…
It’s an unusual day for the pupils at this primary school in Hoboken. Following the attack on Charlie Hebdo, the head teacher became uneasy about the reactions from a number of his pupils. He decided he needed help and invited Imam Van Ael to the school.
00: 34:20:07
SULAYMAN:
What do you think, am I Turkish or Moroccan?
Well... calm down.
Actually, I'm originally Belgian, I became a Muslim 18 years ago.
When I see Moroccan children... They say: Ah, you became Moroccan.
And Turkish kids say: Ah, you became Turkish.
I just became a Muslim.
00: 34:48:03
Mohammed - may God's peace be with Him - was on his way when three people jumped in front of him.
They said: We're the worst people on earth.
What do you think Mohammed did?
He said:
If you are bad people, like you say, then I will make sure you become good people.
So if people start screaming, or they hit others, or even kill someone, are they behaving like Mohammed did?
No, they don't behave like Mohammed.
00: 35:21:00
When people look at Muslims, sometimes they see Muslims who make mistakes.
Muslims who hit other people.
Or Muslims who kill people.
And they think that is Islam.
Do you understand?
But if we, as Muslims, try to be like Mohammed, people will get to know Islam in a different way.
Some of the people who say: I do this because Islam wants it...
...they're not telling the truth.
And that's why people see Islam the wrong way.
That's it for now. Come see me if you have any questions.
00: 36:02:14
SULAYMAN:
You shouldn't be afraid to point the finger at yourself.
And we shouldn't be afraid to say: There are certain ideas that we need to react to.
If we don't, people will do so themselves.
00: 36:17:00
BOY:
IS, is that good?
SULAYMAN:
If you want to find out, stay here.
Exciting...
00: 36:23:17
SULAYMAN:
I think we've reached a point where we need to give clear, unambiguous answers and not beat around the bush.
Simply say it how it is and how it should be.
There is a shortage of people who are actively involved.
No doubt about it.
I hope people start seeing that so they can provide everyone with correct guidance.
00: 36:50:15
SULAYMAN:
If you want to be good, you should...
CHILD:
Forgive.
SULAYMAN:
Yes. But that's not what I'm looking for.
BOY
- Live like Mohammed.
SULAYMAN:
I'm not looking for that either.
You should treat others the way you'd like them to treat you.
That was the main message.
00:37:07:19
I just got an important question:
Are the people from ISIS good?
Someone asked me that.
Mohammed doesn't want people to suffer.
If we see that people are being locked up, or beaten, or they are being burnt, we see all these things.
It's not normal to applaud that.
If you applaud that, you're actually applauding bad things.
00: 37:30:16
BOY:
If you die a martyr, you can take thirty people with you to paradise.
SULAYMAN:
I've not heard of that.
I want to have a separate talk with two of you. You.
And the one who is outside, because you have many questions.
00: 37:45:07
BOY:
Is dawlat part of IS?
SULAYMAN
- You can join us too.
If you have this info, in these words, the three of you can join me.
Tell me.
CHILD:
- What is IS?
SULAYMAN:
That is a group of people who, in the name of Islam, kill innocent people, they also torture people, they abuse people and abuse Islam.
They use the Koran, they use the Sunna, and the words of prophet Mohammed in their own way, how they understand them, not the way a regular Muslim would.
They do a lot of evil things that way.
00: 38:24:04
That was it. God willing.
I've made new friends. See you!
Three pupils have just asked me the question:
Is ISIS good or bad?
00: 38:39:02
Sulayman takes the three boys aside for a moment. And what he hears keeps him awake that night.
MUSIC
00:38:52:50
Sulayman doesn’t only visit other schools, he also has his own Muslim school, where on Wednesdays and Sundays children are taught about Islam. But yesterday’s school visit is still on his mind.
00: 39:04:24
SULAYMAN:
I was really emotional yesterday.
They were such sweethearts, you wonder why children need to know certain things.
After you, go ahead.
These children are 10 to 12 year olds...
REPORTER:
What did they know? They realize what's going on?
SULAYMAN:
They know perfectly well what's going on.
They also see what comes on the TV news.
REPORTER:
So it's important to start working at that age.
-Absolutely, no doubt.
00: 39:32:19
SULAYMAN:
I'm certain the problem isn't with Islam, it's with how some people interpret Islam.
So it's important to give these children correct and constructive guidance from the start.
Radicalisation is already a step too far.
That's already a healing process.
I believe that if you get to them from the beginning, which is what I try to do here, you don't need it afterwards.
00:40: 00:21
TEACHER:
The child kicks the mommy.
Is that nice or not nice?
Inaya?
It's not nice. So we put a minus sign next to it.
00: 40:12:01
REPORTER:
This is your school?
SULAYMAN:
Yes, we have four rooms here.
This is where we teach the children, in Dutch.
We don't teach Arabic, that is a deliberate choice.
Since we are raised here, it's important to use the context and the language of where we live.
00: 40:34:02
TEACHER:
Thinking about something, is that positive or negative?
GRIL:
Positive.
GREETING
SULAYMAN:
How are you all doing?
- Good.
00: 40:46:22
REPORTER:
When they leave this nice world, they see different things.
They're confronted with images on TV, internet, war,...
It's a different world from this one.
- I hope this can be like an antivirus.
00:41:05:16
SULAYMAN:
Anything new?
WOMAN:
- I'm looking at new registrations.
We're starting from April, May.
- Yes.
There's a long waiting list.
- How many kids do you have now?
At this moment, I believe it's about 70 children.
SULAYMAN:
We hope we'll be able to expand in the future.
So we can have more children here.
00:41:24:24
REPORTER:
How many children would you like to or be able to teach? If you had everything you need?
I think between 350 and 500.
- Wow.
That's a lot.
- That's my goal.
Really?
- Yes, it is.
00: 41:42:02
SULAYMAN:
Of all the projects I work on, such as the psycho-social centre and other projects, this one is the most satisfying to me.
-Is it?
- Yes, it is.
The great thing is: parents who send their children here, all have this idea that we need to work towards a positive future.
00:42:02:19
TEACHER:
What do we not eat when we go to people's places?
MUSIC
00:42:11:17
We’re in Lebanon, heading for the Syrian border.
00: 42:16:18
SINGING
Be patient, Syria
Be patient, land in the north
Be patient, Syria
because victory is near
be patient, land in the north
because victory is near
00:42:35:18
Imad is taking a group of Flemish youngsters on an immersion trip. They’re visiting one of the many refugee camps with an NGO.
00: 42:44:08
REPORTER:
Why are you bringing them here?
IMAD:
- Everyone is frustrated about Syria.
Everyone is frustrated and wants to do something.
You can convert your frustration into charity, humanitarian work.
REPORTER:
Turning bitterness into positive action.
- Definitely.
What are we doing today?
-First, we're going to visit a woman, she's a mother of four.
00:43:07:16
IMAD:
During the war, she was on her way to the bakery, and she was carrying the little one in her arms.
She was hit by a bullet.
00: 43:17:22
SINGING
be patient, my child
be patient, my father and brother
be patient
because salvation is near.
00:43:35:24
Hello. How are you doing?
YOUNG WOMAN:
I'm Rawan Saleh,
I'm Palestinian.
I've lived here in Lebanon for a few years.
YOUNG WOMAN 2:
I'm Samira, I'm from Mechelen.
I'm from Antwerp and I'm 18 years old.
I came to help refugees in the refugee camps.
00: 43:53:07
YOUNG MAN:
I'm Yassine, I study psychology in Antwerp.
YOUNG WOMAN 3:
I'm Noura, I study public administration.
YOUNG MAN 2:
I'm Ahmed Chouyouhi, I'm 23 and I'm from Mechelen.
00:44:07:07
We go in search of Khulud. She’s been in this camp for nearly two years.
00: 44:14:21
IMAD:
This woman probably hasn't had a hug or given a hug in two years.
KHULUD:
Welcome. [Ahlan wa sahlan]
00: 44:31:05
I got a bullet in my neck.
The bullet went in and straight out again.
I was holding my son's hand. I fell on top of him.
He yelled: Get up, mommy. Get up.
But I was unconscious.
I couldn't get up, I was paralysed.
00:44:52:03
Now I'm here.
Without any treatment or doctors.
Nobody took care of me.
Until you came to me.
May God reward you.
The people from Islamic Relief looked into my situation and they started to help me.
00: 45:11:21
NOURA:
What would you like to be when you grow up?
GIRL:
Doctor.
- A doctor? Why?
So I can cure people.
- May God grant you your wish. God willing. Amen?
- Amen.
00: 45:28:20
KHULUD:
My children need me. Especially my daughter.
She plays with her friends.
She wants me to braid her hair, like her friend's. Or to help her get dressed.
But I can't do that for her.
00:45:45:09
All at once, one of the girls in our group rushes outside unable to contain her tears.
00: 45:51:00
YOUNG WOMAN 1:
It's horrible.
I can't imagine my mother being paralysed like that, I would...
It hurts me, because I just think it's unfair...
...that we only hear about human rights in Europe and America.
It's like it doesn't exist here.
00: 46:12:00
IMAD:
We are currently paying for her medical treatment.
We'll take a look at how she's progressing.
So it would be necessary to operate her in Europa?
DOCTOR:
Yes.
IMAD:
What we're trying ultimately, is to have her taken to Belgium.
But as long as that's not possible, we try to help her here.
00: 46:41:16
Give it a try.
KIDS SINGING AND TALKING
00:47:00:21
IMAD:
The best way to bring change here, as an individual, to do something meaningful for them, is through humanitarian work.
Because if you leave and you go there to fight...
Who will take care of them?
Who will build the tents?
Who brings them food?
Who brings them medication?
Who?
REPORTER:
Is this also a jihad?
- Of course it is.
00: 47:26:15
IMAD:
It's even one of the biggest jihads there is.
WORKER:
This is jihad to me.
REPORTER:
You do understand that the word frightens us?
WORKER:
I know, it has a negative connotation. Jihad is now linked to fighting, cutting people's heads off.
But jihad means: to free yourself from evil, strive for good things, purify yourself, purify your inner being.
That is jihad, but it is being abused by people from IS.
00: 48:02:13
REPORTER:
Can you stop that?
- You can't stop it with violence.
Because it's an ideology. You can't bombard an ideology.
An ideology has to be fought intellectually.
00:48:21:17
Back in Belgium again, I visit Sulayman in Antwerp. If there’s one person who knows how to fight extremism ideologically, then it must be him.
00: 48:31:07
SULAYMAN:
I've been working here for about five years now.
REPORTER:
Do you ever feel like it's a hopeless case? That you're fighting a losing battle?
SULAYMAN:
There's still a lot that can change.
We've reached a point where some people become more extremist,
but also where people between the two extremes are getting closer to each other,
I believe they find each other.
REPORTER:
I was shocked by the huge gap between them and us, which has now emerged.
-Yes.
- The fear for one another.
00:49:05:16
SULAYMAN:
I think it's a shame, because the moderate Muslims and non-Muslims are now creating that gap because of extremist ideas that are not theirs.
So people are growing apart for a reason that doesn't actually exist.
REPORTER:
Yes... If you hear that 450 guys have left...
SULAYMAN:
Yes, 450 have left, and that is 450 too many.
But more than 500,000 have stayed.
00: 49:39:24
But still it's a lot.
- Sure, it is a lot.
Every person that leaves, is one person too many.
But when you look at it, there are still many young people who do believe in a future here.
And maybe they will be regarded as potential leavers, while they are absolutely not even considering it.
00:50:04:09
REPORTER:
It's a brave thing to do, confronting radical talk.
Don't they hold it against you?
- Of course they do.
They hold it against me, many people are angry with me.
But it don't see why I can't be allowed to address things that go wrong in my community.
REPORTER:
Are you not afraid they'll shut you up?
SULAYMAN:
The only way they can shut me up is to cover my mouth with tape.
00: 50:30:06
REPORTER:
I can see Flemish people think:
If only there were more like him.
SULAYMAN:
Sure. But I think there are many people like me. I'm definitely not the only one.
I know many people think the same way, but they don't have the capability or possibility or time to put it into words.
So in a way, I try to be the tongue of people who think the same way.
00:51:00:21
REPORTER:
You have a bridging position.
You're a convert.
- Yes, I'm a convert.
Can I ask why?
00:51:07:14
SULAYMAN:
Like many people, I was looking for the meaning of life.
Why am I here, on earth. I needed to give sense to my life.
And I came to the conclusion that for me, there is a balance in Islam.
Regardless whether it's economic or social,
whether it's spiritual or the way you deal with people.
And for me, those were the guidelines that are part of a happy life.
00: 51:39:02
And it's precisely because of that balance that I decided to make that choice.
But I understand that in the current framework,
for many people, this may sound rather strange.
I'm talking about the Islam I found, the Islam I studied.
And that's what I discovered.
MUSIC