The Jewish community in Antwerp, Belgium, has withdrawn from an interfaith acquaintance initiative after a background review of the journalist leading the project allegedly uncovered past social media posts containing antisemitic statements and expressions of support for terrorist groups.
According to a report by Israel Hayom, journalist Ghadija Akouk approached the community several weeks ago with a proposal to include five Jewish children in a joint program with children from other religious communities in the city.
The community initially considered participating, viewing the initiative as an opportunity to encourage dialogue and understanding between different groups. Before making a final decision, however, representatives conducted a review of Akouk’s social media activity.
The review reportedly uncovered a 2014 Facebook post in which Akouk wrote: “I will join Hamas and fight for the small piece of land left in Palestine... all I will want to see is death." The review also found that she had interacted positively with a post from an Islamist source featuring the caption, “Death to the dogs, Palestine will be liberated," by liking a comment that stated, “The Jews are cursed in any case."
In addition, the investigation reportedly found that Akouk had previously shared an image of the son of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, accompanied by praise for an attached religious text.
After community representatives raised the findings with her, Akouk responded that the posts were from around 12 years ago, written when she was younger, and that her views had since changed.
Despite her explanation, the Antwerp Jewish community decided not to take part in the initiative, saying the statements uncovered were too serious and that it would not cooperate with Akouk.