The article, Blaming Policy, Not Islam, For Belgium’s Radicalized Youth by Steven Erlanger was  published by the New York Times in April of 2016. Much of news today consists of blaming “radicalized Islam” for the terrorist attacks around the world. However, this article gives a refreshing view, stating that it is the social and urban policies that are affecting a radicalized population of youth, and not Islam. Erlanger attributes the “radicalization” to  lack of diversity in the ghettos where immigrant populations are resettled in, in Belgium. The immigrant Muslim population has replaced the Jewish population in these ghettos, and it is effecting the diversity, education, and exposure to different cultures that Muslim immigrant youth need in order to thrive. Mr. Goldstein, the chief of staff for the minister-president of the Brussels Capital Region ends the article with the quote, “our society gives these youth a bad idea of who and what they are”. Instead of blaming Islamic ideology for “radicalized youth”, poor urban structures and planning need to be changed to create an equal opportunity to the Islamic youth of Belgium.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/world/europe/belgium-brussels-islam-radicalization.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0