A recent opinion piece published in Flemish media under the false identity of a gay Muslim man named Mohammed El Idrissi was revealed to be a political test orchestrated by a staff member of Ben Weyts. The fake submission, titled “Gay and Muslim: Yes, I am the worst nightmare of the far right,” claimed to represent a resident of Borgerhout in Antwerp who frequented a mosque in revealing clothing while criticizing the political attribution of homophobia.
The Origins of the Test and Media Publication
The controversy began when a collaborator of Ben Weyts submitted the fictitious opinion piece to at least five different Flemish editorial offices. The author behind the pseudonym “Mohammed El Idrissi” claimed to have a partner of five years and argued that Muslims are too quickly blamed for homophobic violence. According to statements given to the publication Knack, the staff member acted entirely on their own initiative to test how open media outlets were to publishing conservative viewpoints.
While several outlets rejected the submission, the news platform DeWereldMorgen published the text online. It remained on their site for roughly twelve hours before being removed following the revelations published by Knack. Another newsroom had previously considered the text but ultimately dropped it after the supposed author refused a phone interview by claiming he was currently staying abroad.
Ben Weyts condemns staff member for stupid stunt
Following the exposure of the stunt, Ben Weyts moved quickly to distance his office from the controversy. In an official statement communicated to Het Laatste Nieuws, Weyts condemned the action bluntly. “It was simply stupid,” the minister stated, emphasizing that the collaborator acted entirely outside official government duties.
Although Weyts confirmed the stunt was a personal initiative completely detached from any governmental backing, he maintained that the personal nature of the stunt provided no excuse for the deceptive behavior.
Did You Know? The fraudulent opinion piece specifically targeted prominent political figures in Belgium, calling out Vlaams Belang president Tom Van Grieken and N-VA deputy Theo Francken by name.
Staff member in Ben Weyts cabinet wrote fake opinion piece
Who was the author of the published opinion piece?
The text was published under the false name “Mohammed El Idrissi,” who falsely claimed to be a gay Muslim man living in Borgerhout, Antwerp. In reality, the piece was written by a staff member working in the cabinet of Ben Weyts as an unauthorized test of media receptiveness.
How long did the fake article remain online?
The text was hosted on the DeWereldMorgen website for approximately twelve hours before editors removed it. The removal happened after Knack revealed the true origins and authorship of the submission.
What did Ben Weyts say about his staff member’s actions?
Minister Ben Weyts issued a statement published by Het Laatste Nieuws describing the stunt as “simply stupid.” He confirmed that the staff member acted entirely on their own initiative without any connection to government functions, adding that this personal involvement did not excuse the behavior.
How should editorial teams handle anonymous or pseudonymous opinion submissions to prevent similar journalistic hoaxes in the future?
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