Excerpt:
There has been an outcry in Belgium over a proposal to convert little-used churches into mosques. A senior official in Antwerp argues too many of the city's churches stand empty most of the time and he has put forward suggestions to convert them into mosques to benefit the city's large Muslim population.
Philip Heylen, who is deputy-mayor, says he wants to "break the taboo" over the future of the city's churches, many of which have dwindling and ageing congregations. He shrugs:
"It's a looming issue yet it seems impossible to have a debate about this, churches were built as places of worship and they should not be used as shopping malls. We've approached various religious groups and had a positive response from members of the Muslim community, which is open to the idea of converting them." The proposal would allow Antwerp's Muslims to have a proper place of worship, instead of gathering in garages or private houses, as is often the case now, Mr Heylen says that it would also provide an alternative to building new mosques, which remains a sensitive issue.