Who will run the Grand Mosque in Brussels

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir met with his Belgian counterpart Didier Rinderz at the Egmont Palace to discuss a number of bilateral issues, including the future of the Grand Mosque in the Belgian capital.

 The Belgian Rtbf channel reported in this context a report, translated by TheRiyadhPost , confirming that the meeting between Al-Jubeir and his Belgian counterpart lasted for an hour, the two sides later announced to the press that all concerns about the future administration of the Grand Mosque in Brussels were agreed upon.

   “It can be said that Belgian authorities can run this great mosque and perhaps entrust it to a local authority, which may be an Islamic organization," Rinderz said. "It is up to the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice to work on this issue.”

 “Saudi Arabia stands against extremism and intolerance,”Al-Jubeir. “We discussed Saudi Arabia's policy towards Islamic institutions and Islamic centers, and our policy is to do so in full agreement with the Belgian government to ensure that everything is done in full transparency and in a manner that promotes tolerance and integration rather than fanaticism," Al-Jubeir added. "We reject extremism and intolerance in Saudi Arabia, and we call for doing the same at the international level."

 However, the funding sources for the mosque is one of the challenges facing the agreement, as Didier Rinderz said that "funding must be transparent.” “It is necessary to agree ahead with Belgium before funding the mosque."