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Belgium Becomes Recruiting Hub for Islamic State Fighters

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Belgian authorities say the country has become a hub for jihadists going to Syria to fight alongside Islamic State (IS) militants, according to The Wall Street Journal.

MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) – Belgian authorities say the country has become a hub for jihadists going to Syria to fight alongside Islamic State (IS) militants, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Dozens of members of the so-called Sharia4Belgium group have left for Syria since the first jihadist from the group, Nabil Kasmi, did so in 2012. On Monday, Kasmi and 45 other Sharia4Belgium members will go on trial as Europe strives to address the issue of becoming a recruitment zone for jihadists.

The trial is seen as part of Belgium's strategy to stop the flow of people leaving to join extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. Other European nations are implementing tougher legislation as well in order to reverse the flows.

European leaders point out that those returning from jihad in Syria and Iraq pose a threat to national security. However, according to the newspaper, civil rights groups and Muslim organizations believe that instead of more aggressive policing methods, governments should focus on stopping radicalization from occurring in the first place.

The United Kingdom has granted law-enforcement officials the right to strip terrorist suspects of their passports and citizenship without judicial oversight. France is considering a similar law. The UN Security Council last week voted to make fighting for IS or al-Qaeda illegal.

Some 2,500 European Union citizens are reported to have gone to fight in Syria, with about 300 from Belgium. Many of them are Sharia4Belgium members or have links to the group.

Sharia4Belgium is a radical Belgian organization founded in Antwerp. The group denounces democracy and supports the idea of turning Belgium into an Islamist state.

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