Mimount Bousakla, a Belgian senator of Moroccan origin, was put under police protection upon death threats for suggesting that Belgium's umbrella Muslim organization stand in solidarity against Theo van Gogh's killers.
her book, Couscous with Belgian Fries, about the tensions between Moroccan and Belgian cultural values; being a senator
In 2004, Belgian senator Mimount Bousakla received a bevy of death threats and was forced into hiding. Of Moroccan origin, the senator began receiving the threats shortly after critical comments she made against “an umbrella group for Muslims in Belgium” for not speaking out forcefully against the murder of Theo van Gogh. However, she had been known for some time as a critic of Islamic conservatism writ large.
“Because of the murder of Theo van Gogh, the [group] should have protested and called on the Muslims to criticize the attack. Instead it did nothing.” - Mimount’s critical comment
Mimount was soon placed in police protection. In an investigation, police found and arrested the issuer of one of the highest-profile threats against her, who threatened “ritual slaughter.”
