Schelle Mosque Vandalized with Swastikas and Hate Messages
A mosque in the Belgian municipality of Schelle, in Antwerp province, was defaced with swastikas, anti-Islamic hate messages, and dog feces on Friday morning, September 4. The vandalism at the mosque of vzw Tawfieq on Steenwinkelstraat was discovered by board members who reported it to police as a suspected hate crime.
The Incident
Vandals painted a swastika on the front door and wrote “Fuck Islam” in large letters on one of the windows. Dog feces were spread in front of the entrance of the prayer house. According to VRT NWS, board members of the mosque discovered the vandalism on Friday morning.
“We were enormously shocked when we discovered the message, the swastikas and dog feces at our center,” the board said in a statement. “The hate messages and swastikas were applied with paint on the door and windows. The dog feces were spread in front of the entrance.”
The board photographed the damage and cleaned the building before the Friday prayer (Jumu’ah) took place that afternoon. The mosque filed a formal complaint with the local police zone Rupel against unknown persons.
Mehdi Gabbany of Muslim Rights Watch Belgium (MRWB) provided further details to HLN, describing how perpetrators “smeared inscriptions with paint, both on the front door and on various windows.” He noted that the suspects appear to have deliberately targeted the mosque on a Friday, the most significant day of the week for Muslim congregational prayer.
Response from Muslim Rights Watch Belgium
Mohamed Amin Chaib, chairman of Muslim Rights Watch Belgium, condemned the act in strong terms. “This is not an isolated case of vandalism or an act of ‘troublemaking,’ but a disgusting and explicit expression of Islamophobia,” Chaib said, as reported by Belga news agency via MSN.
The organization announced it would file its own complaint and called on policymakers to improve security around mosques. MRWB and the mosque board have also contacted the mayor of Schelle about the incident.
Gabbany expressed concern about the vulnerability of the prayer house. “The mosque is after all a kind of public place where anyone can enter,” he told HLN. “There is no security at the door and there is no camera surveillance. So there is a certain vulnerability.”
Police Investigation
The local police zone Rupel, which covers Boom, Hemiksem, Niel, Rumst, and Schelle, confirmed the facts and stated they take the matter seriously. An investigation has been launched, though no suspects have been identified yet.
The incident adds to a concerning pattern of hate crimes targeting mosques across Belgium and neighboring countries. Similar acts of vandalism have occurred at mosques in Leuven, Genk, and other Belgian municipalities in recent years. In the Netherlands, mosques in Utrecht, Heerlen, Brunssum, and Bergen op Zoom have also been targeted, with European research indicating that mosques face a significant risk of hate incidents.
Broader Context
The mosque of vzw Tawfieq is housed in a former café building in Schelle, a municipality of approximately 8,800 residents. The building serves as a mosque, Quran school, and youth center, and has been active in the community since at least 2021. When the mosque was first established, a local petition opposing its presence circulated online, reflecting some community tensions.
The vandalism has drawn polarized reactions in local social media discussions. While many expressed sympathy and outrage, some comments reflected hostility toward the Muslim community, underscoring the broader societal divisions that hate crime incidents can expose.
What’s Next
As the police investigation continues, MRWB has called on authorities to strengthen protections for places of worship. The organization’s chairman emphasized that the incident should be treated with the seriousness it deserves, not dismissed as mere troublemaking.
The case highlights ongoing challenges facing religious minorities in Belgium and raises questions about the adequacy of security measures at mosques and other places of worship across the country. Observers will be watching whether this incident prompts concrete policy responses from local and national authorities.