The Belgian government has no official data on the number of Salafi organisations in the country, De Tijd newspaper noted. Meanwhile, Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens has reportedly confirmed an increase in the number of groups and initiatives linked to the Salafi movement.
The VSSE has already drawn the government's attention to the fact that the Salafi movement is gaining momentum in the country, with radical Islamists increasing their influence on the Muslim population of Belgium.
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Belgian authorities pay significant attention to countering the spread of Salafism in the country's mosques, since they consider it one of the reasons behind youth' radicalisation.
Theo Francken, then-state secretary of Belgium for migration policy, announced in fall 2017 the decision to revoke residency permit from the Brussels' Grand Mosque’s imam over his propagation of Salafism, but the court reversed the decision. Francken has said that Belgium is facing problems with "radical Islam and Salafism," but not Islam in general.
