Posted on 06/16/2006 10:49:33 AM PDT by Ebenezer
Paul Belien predicted in May of this year that he would be under a legal assault from the extreme left Belgian ruling party. Now Belien is indeed being prosecuted by the Belgian government, for the “crime” of homeschooling his children.
His wife, Alexandra Colen writing in Brussels Journal said her husband was detained and interrogated by Brussels police on Wednesday. He was told that his offence was homeschooling his five children, four of whom are now in university.
Colen said her husband was told that, as a homeschooler, Belien has “not adequately educated his children,” which constitutes the criminal offence of “neglect of parental duties.” The order to arrest Paul Belien came from the Ministry of Education, who instructed police to take down his statement for evidence.
Belien is a lawyer and has written for a number of influential journals before founding Brussels Journal. Alexandra Colen, a Member of Parliament who holds advanced degrees in philosophy and linguistics, gave up an academic career to be a full time mother and homeschooler.
The family is among a rapidly growing number of Belgian families who have removed their children from the government-run schools, where drugs and violence are rampant and, Colen says, children are indoctrinated in socialism.
Homeschooling parents in Belgium are closely monitored by government officials and are required to sign a declaration in which they agree to school their children “respecting the respect for the fundamental human rights and the cultural values of the child itself and of others.”
In the carefully manipulated language that rules the European establishment, “fundamental human rights” could mean anything at all and the government document declines to define it saying it is up to the inspecting officials to decide. The Belien family has refused to sign the declaration.
Under the Belgian rules, two negative reports from the inspectors result in the children being forced into an official government recognized school. The criteria used by these inspectors are not revealed to parents.
Belgium is an enthusiastic signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which stipulates the rights of children include the right to refuse religious education or to be raised according to their parents’ values. Under Article 13, parents could be subject to prosecution for any attempt to prevent their children from interacting with material they deem unacceptable.
US homeschooling advocates have warned that this Convention is being interpreted to mean that parents have no rights to guide the education and upbringing of their children.
Michael Farris, the chairman of the American Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), pointed out that in 1995 “the United Kingdom was deemed out of compliance” with the Convention “because it allowed parents to remove their children from public school sex-education classes without consulting the child.”
The Belien family’s problems stem from the effectiveness of their opposition to the socialist and statist ambitions of the Belgian establishment. Colen is a Member of Parliament for the Flemish secessionist party, Vlaams Belang, and as such, represents an increasingly persecuted Christian and socially conservative viewpoint.
A month ago, LifeSiteNews.com reported that the Brussels Journal was being threatened by the leftist Belgian government for voicing opinions on immigration, homosexuality and abortion that do not toe the politically correct line.
In May Belien, editor of Brussels Journal wrote, “Belgian journalists, lawyers and politicians (including Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt), say that I am responsible for creating the atmosphere of hatred” that led to a shooting by a young mentally unstable man. A press release was issued by a leftist law firm demanding that Belien be prosecuted.
Brussels Journal’s dared to point out that the wave of violent crime in Belgium and the rest of Europe has mostly been the result of an influx of young Muslim immigrants from North African who have been welcomed in huge numbers into Europe and who many Christian and conservative writers have pointed out hold in contempt traditional European Christian cultural values.
ping
Let Europe sink.
If were only Europe......
Belgium is a fascist state. The whole of European civilization is self-destructing, and I'm not feeling inclined to do anything to help them.
I can't believe this! This is exactly why we need a strong US President who will stand up to the UN. If we aren't carefull this kind of BS will be coming to schools near you.
"The family is among a rapidly growing number of Belgian families who have removed their children from the government-run schools, where drugs and violence are rampant and, Colen says, children are indoctrinated in socialism." Does this sound familiar??
This is complete BS "the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which stipulates the rights of children include the right to refuse religious education or to be raised according to their parents’ values. Under Article 13, parents could be subject to prosecution for any attempt to prevent their children from interacting with material they deem unacceptable." So basicly parents have no right to raise there children how they see fit?? Children can refuse?? Children don't know what's best for them that's why there are parents to teach them.
Watch out or Hillary may try and adopt this as the new education standard in the US . No Child Left without Socialism.
Fake, but accurate, DU response:
"If only the US would follow the lead of the Belgium government and force the radical right wing homeschoolers to bring their kids to public school. How else are they suppose to learn tolerance of gays, get proper sexual education, learn how everything would be better if the government just ran every aspect of their lives. "
"Oh what a world it would be if we just followed our friends in Europe."
Europe is becoming a totalitarian state...a hedonistic one...but totalitarian nonetheless...
Something to look forward to in the United States should the Democrats (aka leftist socialist revolutionaries) become the majority party in the Congress.
For anyone who hasn't checked out Belgian Journal I encourage them to do so.
Oops, meant Brussels Journal'
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/
This family should just up and move to Idaho.
This, from the Idaho State Dept. of Education:
IDAHO DOES NOT REGULATE OR MONITOR HOME SCHOOL EDUCATION
Home school education is directed solely by the parent/guardian:
No registration or sign up procedure is required.
Parents research and select the curriculum they wish to use.
A “packaged” curriculum is NOT provided by the State. (See organizations below to help with this process.)
All costs associated with home school are the responsibility of the parent/guardian (textbooks, supplies, etc.).
State funding is not currently available to provide assistance for home school.
By law, parents/guardians are required to provide “comparable instruction” in “subjects commonly and usually taught in public schools” “during a period in each year equal to that in which the public schools are in session.”
Thank GOD we're not in Belgium, but things might change in the near future. Although here in the states we've got a good thing going for us, as there are a lot of homeschooling families and as we saw in the last election, we still have some leverage, especially in the red states.
My kids are being homeschooled, with my 5 year old testing at 2nd grade level in reading, so why would I want to dumb down her education and expose her to all that crap that goes on in schools now? I learned about sex from classmates when I was in 2nd grade, That's also when they introduced me to smoking. I wish homeschooling was an option back then.
Michigan is the same way. 15 years ago, people were scared of that knock on the door from a socialist worker and a cop. No more. Last month, about 150 homeschoolers were in the state capital to meet with our legislators
Unfortunately, this is not surprising coming out of Europe. As homeschooling increases in popularity, hopefully U.S. homeschoolers will also continue to organize to make sure these things don't happen here.
ping
Wonder if they could be prosecuted for any attempt to prevent their children from interacting with illicit drugs, man-boy-love advocates, fatty foods or those evil cigarettes.
A month ago, LifeSiteNews.com reported that the Brussels Journal was being threatened by the leftist Belgian government for voicing opinions on immigration, homosexuality and abortion that do not toe the politically correct line.
Interesting how Western Europe is exalted as the epitome of the Utopian Dream for progressive liberals. So much for multi-cultural tolerance, eh?
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