A Belgian Islamophobe

From Brussels Journal, news of a competition for the worst Belgian ever, in the left-wing monthly Deng:

Marc Dutroux, the convicted Belgian pervert who abducted children and locked them up in dungeons where he raped and murdered them, is second with 20%. The third “worst Belgian ever” (11.4%) is the country’s former king, Leopold II, who in the late 19th and early 20th century decimated the population of his personal Congo colony, killing an estimated 10 million people.

And first place? Step forward Filip Dewinter, a member of the Flemish regional parliament and one of the leaders of the Flemish-secessionist Vlaams Belang, the largest party in Belgium. His crime? He’s a self-confessed Islamophobe.

When asked whether he espoused xenophobia [in an interview with New York magazine Jewish Week], Dewinter replied:

“Xenophobia” is not the word I would use. If it absolutely must be a “phobia” let it be “islamophobia”. Yes, we’re afraid of Islam. The islamisation of Europe is a frightening thing. Even distinguished Jewish scholars as Bat Ye’or and Bernard Lewis warned for this. If this historical process continues, the Jews will be the first victims. Europe will become as dangerous for them as Egypt or Algeria.

Deng has a portrait of Dewinter on the cover of its December issue:

“Owing to our disgusting cover Deng will be sold at half the usual price this month,” Deng editor Dany Ilegems says. The editor says he is proud of Deng’s readers for having chosen Dewinter: “Dutroux has raped and murdered children, but according to the court, unlike Dewinter, he is an ‘isolated’ pervert.”