The Belgian political leadership sees with great concern a
number of young men volunteering to fight side by side with the rebel groups in
Syria. They are Belgian nationals with an immigrant background. They come from
Muslim families that migrated to Belgium one or two generations ago. Their parents
might be mosque-going people but are not extremists. The younger fellows, many
of them in their early twenties, make contact with radical groups through
informal clubs, sports associations, coffee shops and internet sites. As they
feel relatively disconnected from the Belgian way of life and society they are
fertile ground for the radical seeds to grow.
The authorities are trying to address the problem. But these
informal networks of tiny cells are very difficult to spot and monitor. It is
even difficult to have a realistic estimate of the numbers involved. But it is
certainly a big issue, if one takes into account the political and security attention
the matter is getting these days.
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