Excerpt:
In some cases, it's an entire history of social change – and a sign of things to come.
That fact became clear last week, when the newly-created "Islam Party" won seats in the local governments of two towns just outside of Brussels.
Redouane Ahrouch, the founder of the Islam Party, and Lhoucine Ait Jeddig took seats in the City Councils of Andelicht and Molenbeek-St. Jan, respectively, earning their places thanks to votes from those towns' significant Muslim populations.
These gains in local elections by these two Islamists are troubling, demonstrating an evolution of Islamist political savvy. The Islam Party holds many of the same ideals as earlier Muslim political groups in the Lowlands, but while building on the successes of those groups, they've repackaged their message while benefitting from concentrated voting blocs in those towns.