Belgium rejects working visa applications for four Turkish imams as Erdogan condemns EU
BELGIAN authorities have rejected visa applications for four Turkish imams who wanted to work long-term in the country.
Belgian officials have rejected visa applications from four Turkish imams
The decision by Belgian immigration minister Theo Francken was supported by the Belgian Council.
Mr Francken has already declined the applications of 12 imams this year, saying they wanted to preach sermons in mosques unrecognised by the state, according to German newspaper Deutsche Welle.
Ten of the imams objected to the decision, claiming their religious freedom was being violated.
Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens
Immigration officer Theo Francken has already declined the applications of 12 imams this year
However the council said the imams could not be evaluated under Belgian law because they did not live in Belgium.
There are 65 mosques affiliated with the Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), according to reports.
Meanwhile 30 are said to be close to the Turkish National Vision movement, which is being monitored by the German Federal Office for suspected radical Islamist activities.
Only 82 of around 300 mosques are recognised by Belgium, which covers some part of the salaries for imams, according to 2015 figures.
It comes after Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens ordered security intelligence to monitor mosques linked to Diyanet.
EU-Turkey relations are at all time low after Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched an attack on the European Union during a speech in the northwestern province of Sakarya
Immigration minister Theo Francken
Turkey's Foreign Minister: Holy wars will begin in Europe
He said that the EU’s ruling over wearing religious symbols, such as a headscarf for Muslim women, represented “a clash between crescent and cross” and condemned “EU values, principles and justice”.
Mr Erdogan also said that Mr Rutte had lost the friendship of Ankara after a diplomatic row between the Nato allies over a ban on Turkish ministers speaking in the Netherlands.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has entered a war of words with the EU
He said: "Shame on the EU. Down with your European principles, values and justice... They started a clash between the cross and the crescent, there is no other explanation.”