The ISLAM Party (it’s an acronym; see the video below for an explanation) was formed recently in Belgium, and its candidates are standing in municipal elections. In the following report from Belgian TV, a presenter talks to a leader of the party about a fellow party member whose treatment of the fairer sex has caused controversy in the media.

Many thanks to Sassy for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

0:00 Hello Mr. Tahiri, thank you for accepting our invitation

0:04 on RT France. The acronym of your party stands for the words

0:08 integrity, solidarity, freedom, authenticity and morality.

0:12 Is it immoral to look a female reporter in the eye?

0:16 This is the position of our leader who is completely free

0:20 to behave as he wishes in compliance with the Law of

0:24 the Constitution that allows it.

0:28 Do you have an opinion on exactly what occurred?

0:32 Why did he refuse visual contact with the woman?

0:36 It’s not that woman in particular, but in fact if we could

0:40 talk about the many women in Belgium who, as you know,

0:44 wear the veil or who dress in a specific way,

0:48 religious or not, they are forbidden

0:52 to pursue careers, to work in public service,

0:56 and when asked to remove that piece of cloth they

1:00 wear on their head, they are totally humiliated.

1:04 The cloth that is referred to as the hijab.

1:08 And so here the lady simply felt humiliated because

1:12 a man refused to look at her. So I’m trying to

1:16 understand why so many people and women

1:20 are being humiliated, whether in Belgium, in Europe,

1:24 and particularly in France. So, why all

1:28 the spectacle and media coverage for

1:32 refusing to look at a woman or

1:36 someone else? That’s it.

1:40 It’s my opinion.

1:44 Your Islam Party advocates Sharia and clear

1:48 separation between men and women. Correct?

1:52 Yes, it’s for the separation of the female.

1:56 It was simply a project for the 2019 Regionals.

2:00 So many women complained about

2:04 peak times. There are many men who

2:08 are poorly educated, perverts, and thieves

2:12 who take advantage of saturated public transports.

2:16 So, we thought of reserving a place in public

2:20 transport for women, children, and people

2:24 who are sensitive and weak, as well as the elderly

2:28 and the disabled. And if the person wants

2:32 to mix with other people, we don’t object.

2:36 It’s for the well-being of all

2:40 who use public transit.

2:44 Your party nominated several candidates

2:48 for the upcoming October municipal elections.

2:52 Your Sharia program, how to reconcile it

2:56 with the Belgian Constitution?

3:00 Quite simply, we published our 2014 Citizens’ Manifesto which

3:04 is 100% compliant with the Belgian Constitution and the laws of its people.

3:08 And for us, it’s our Sharia because words are like bags,

3:12 they take the shape of what we put in. You know well that

3:16 yesterday, Saudi Arabian women could not drive as per Sharia,

3:20 and today, they can. The same for gambling and casinos,

3:24 all forbidden. Scholars said it was

3:28 Haram and today they play poker.

3:32 And the same for concerts, etc.

3:36 You see, everyone puts what he wants in Sharia,

3:40 and we are also entitled to because there’s no

3:44 proper hierarchy in Islam, no clergy, thus anyone

3:48 can interpret it in accordance with the Constitution and