The cultural and spiritual ties which have linked Morocco and Belgium, were the main subjects of the dialogue between Mr. Abdellah Boussouf, Secretary General of the CCME, and Mr Vervoort, the President of the Brussels-Capital Region .

Mr Abdellah Boussouf discussed the attachment of the Belgian-Moroccans Belgium to their country of origin are of a cultural and spiritual nature due to the the institution of the "Commandery" of believers that transcends countries and cultures.

"Thanks to its spirit of compromise, Belgium is a model » said  Mr Boussouf, who recalled that the Council organized a symposium on "the legal status of Islam in Europe". The secretary general, expressed the wish to examine closely the Belgian societal model assuring that "if we succeed in meeting the challenges of European Islam in Belgium, we will succeed elsewhere ». 

For his part, Mr. Rudi Vervoort said that "Belgium has an ethic of neutrality in its treatment of the religious question »: that of  active secularity and that the Great Mosque of Brussels must be in step with the expectations of the population ".

He explained that cooperation with Morocco is important: "I think that Moroccan Islam is already in itself a synthesis of what we need in  European history," said the minister. "The universal and spiritual dimension is even more important than the practical aspect of religion."

Mr Vervoort expressed his wish to reform the treatment of religions in Brussels so that "all religions are on an equal footing". He called to intensify cooperation and cultural activities that focus on our similarities, such as "the traveling exhibition", because Islam, it's also our History! 

The Belgian delegation will have meetings with senior Moroccan officials of tourism and culture to identify the first partnership actions  from 5 to 8 February.

Les échanges entre M. Abdellah Boussouf, Secrétaire général du CCME, et le président de la région de Bruxelles-Capitale se sont principalement intéressés aux liens culturels et spirituels qui unissent le Maroc et la Belgique et qui seront « les ferments d'un monde meilleur », comme l’a affirmé M. Vervoort.