{"id":19301,"date":"2025-11-14T21:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T20:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=19301"},"modified":"2025-11-15T16:40:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T15:40:07","slug":"molenbeeks-fight-with-its-negative-reputation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/19301\/molenbeeks-fight-with-its-negative-reputation\/","title":{"rendered":"Molenbeek\u2019s fight with its negative reputation"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, a municipality in Brussels, has long struggled with a negative image. But local projects, from cycling initiatives to cultural centres showcase it\u2019s creativity and community spirit. Many rely on public subsidies like \u2018Politique de la Ville\u2019, which support activities and staff, but with funding set to end in December 2025, the future of these initiatives is uncertain.<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
By Feline van Hoekel en Sammy Jo Muller<\/em><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Molenbeek\u2019s negative image<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Molenbeek\u2019s negative image spread internationally in 2015, after the Paris terrorist attacks, when it was revealed that some of the attackers came from the muncipiality. \u201cCertain events in the neighbourhood are quickly picked up and reproduced by the media. The news about the terrorists suddenly put Molenbeek on the international map, reinforcing perceptions of what might be \u2018wrong\u2019 with the community, such as a lack of integration,\u201d explains Gijs Clusters, sociologist at Erasmus University. \u201cIt contributed to the idea of Molenbeek as a breeding ground for Islamist terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

He explains that after certain incidents, media attention tends to intensify around the neighbourhood. Earlier this year, the Dutch outlet Ongehoord Nederland published a video reportage<\/a> in which a right-wing politician walked through Molenbeek claiming he felt unsafe, pointing out Arabic texts on buildings and women wearing hijabs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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