Dressed as Muslims, Belgian students celebrate a tradition wearing «explosive belts»

Celebrating the 100th day of the school year, students at the Catholic school of Melle, in Belgium, decided to dress up as Muslims, reports Belgian TV channel RTBF.

The celebration, however, was dubbed «controversial», because of the behavior of some teachers. In a video, made public online, students were imitating Muslims, performing prayer. But some of them were «wearing explosive belts», referring to terrorism.

The video, which went viral on social media, was highly criticized. Some internet users denounced the way in which Muslims were depicted in the video, citing stereotype and racism. «This is clearly Islamophobia. We mix everything and then we laugh», said a Muslim internet user who reacted to the school’s event.  

The school’s principle commented on the «controversial» ceremony, explaining that students «did not mean to hurt Muslims». He told Dutch newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws that people «must have seen this in the atmosphere of the 100-day celebration».