Antwerp: Jehova's Witnesses missionizing in Arabic

Jehova's Witnesses are currently distributing their magazine The Watchtower in Arabic on Antwerp buses. The magazine is distributed in several Antwerp neighborhoods: Antwerpen-Linkeroever, Deurne and a number of neighborhoods in the center of the city.

Vlaams Belang were surprised at the move and said Jehova's Witnesses were Arabizing the city.

Vlaams Belang received several phone calls last week from residents who were concerned about the magazine, which is printed in Arabic only. Vlaams Belang thinks that despite the honorable intentions of Jehova's Witnesses, the North Africans living in the city should have no doubt about the Dutch character of the city.

The party is concerned that more and more papers and ads are being distributed house-to-house in languages other than Dutch, including municipal papers, and that the Dutch character of the city is suffering as a result.

Vlaams Belang would like to tax such printed matter, in order to dissuade people from spreading non-Dutch material.

Source: Vlaams Belang (Dutch)

See also: Denmark: Mission work for Muslims, Stories of Life: Speaking Dutch, Antwerp: 65% of students come from non-Dutch speaking homes, Teaching Arabic in schools

No comments: