The Brussels' suburbs of Molenbeek and Schaarbeek made headlines this week, after they were directly tied to both the Paris and Brussels attacks.

Critics say a culture of extremism flourished in Molenbeek amid a lack of integration of the city's Muslim community.

Mechelen, a small city 30 minutes away by car from the Belgian capital, also has a sizeable Muslim population.

However its mayor, Bart Somers, says his mixed approach of outreach and policing is yielding positive results.

Video Journalist: Howard Johnson