Berkley Center

From the outside, Belgium seems to be a country in a perpetual state of tension. The differences between the north and the south are constantly highlighted in the media and predictions of a future split between the two halves of the country run rampant. But while the media has a valid point—there are perceptible tensions between the north and the south of Belgium—these differences are rooted in a long history that seems to value long-term stability and cohesion over violent conflict. The Belgians are very cognizant and aware of this, and they attribute many of the problems that have arisen today as a direct result of the long history that predates their country.

Religion has long been one of the country’s defining features, playing a large role in the split that has occurred between the southern and northern halves. The religious differences that originally contributed in part to the split found in the country continue to manifest themselves to this day in everything from everyday life to political and administrative issues. The south and the north of Belgium have been diametric opposites since before Belgium’s independence in 1830. Wallonia, the southern half of the country, is French, while the Flanders region in the north consists of the Dutch-speaking Flemish population. Tensions and distrust between the two emanating from linguistic differences dominate the news today, but this divide between the two dates back to historically religious conflicts. While Belgium gained its independence in 1830, a de facto unity existed within the country long before then. Imposed Roman Catholicism used to unite the country before its independence, overwhelming and disarming linguistic tensions.

However, as Belgium became steadily more economically developed and secularized after its independence, differences began to emerge between the two regions. Throughout the nineteenth century, there were two large cleavages between the north and the south. The first took place when Roman Catholicism ceased to be imposed in the country, and a split occurred between the primarily Protestant north and the Catholic south. Then, as the country began industrializing, a second cleavage took place. The north, a traditionally agrarian society, stagnated economically, and as a result remained religious well into the Industrial Revolution. The French-speaking southern part of Belgium was very viable economically, and by the mid-nineteenth century it became dominated by the less religious and more progressive liberals. Many Belgians consider this religious split between the two regions the historical origin of the tensions found in the country today. When the importance of religion faded during the twentieth century, the only difference left separating the two halves was linguistic. Since there are no longer pronounced economic or religious tensions to divide the two, linguistic differences are the most conspicuous sources of disagreement.

Nonetheless, although they are no longer very pronounced, certain religious differences still remain within Belgium. Brussels, as a bilingual and multicultural milieu, is not the most accurate microcosm of Belgium as a whole. Rural life differs significantly from life inside the cosmopolitan city, and one of the most distinct areas in which this difference is perceptible is in the treatment of religion. While only 10 percent of Brussels identifies itself as religious, almost 55 percent of Flemish inhabitants say that they are religious. Flanders has the highest rate of church attendance in the country: 9 percent.

However, the people in Flanders seem to be more tied to their religion by history than the people in southern Wallonia. Residents of Flanders seem to be more inclined to continue upholding their traditional religious values; while children and adolescents around the Brussels and Wallonia areas are abandoning religion and declaring themselves atheist, the bonds that tie the current generations to their religion appear to be stronger in Flanders. Teenagers in the region are more inclined to say that they will one day baptize their children, and they are not as quick to dismiss the potential role that religion will play in their future. This, in part, arises due to the importance that religion has played throughout the history of this agrarian region. While Wallonia progressed faster during the Industrial Revolution, traditional values remained strong in Flanders. Perhaps this historical significance afforded to religion in the region is one of the origins of its continued piety. This divergence of opinions about the importance of religion also manifests itself in the governmental policies of the regions.

A noticeable difference between religion’s role inside Brussels and outside Brussels is tied to diversity: Brussels has a large Muslim population, but the Belgian countryside is almost uniformly Catholic. While the decrease in diversity in rural Belgium has important social connotations, there are also administrative implications tied to this fact. Religions outside of Islam and Catholicism are barely represented in Belgium; the state has to recognize religious denominations as well as secular organizations (i.e. Buddhism is considered a secular organization rather than a religious denomination) in order for them to legally function. Furthermore, only with the legal recognition of the state can these entities profit from important economic benefits.

The laws necessitating state recognition raise questions about the degree of separation of church and state in Belgium. Although constitutionally required, the secularity of the state seems to be breached by these laws. Furthermore, the importance afforded to religion by the two halves of the country is reflected in this governmental outlook. In contrast to Wallonia, Flanders democratically elects church councils for the recognized religious denominations. In order to reap political and economic benefits, these religious councils are subject to the same administrative rules as government organizations. This intense coordination between the government and religious institutions in Flanders prompts questions about whether these laws overstep the boundaries established by the Constitution. Perhaps the importance afforded to religion in the Flanders region is part of the reason for this increased control in this arena.

The historical split between Flanders and Wallonia creates a wide variety of differences in the approach to religion within the small country of Belgium. Everything from politics to everyday life is slightly divergent. While the majority of the conflict today is mired in linguistic differences, most Belgians are quick to agree that the historical religious differences are at the root of many of the dichotomies still present between the two regions. However, as the importance of religion has decreased over the course of the twentieth century in Belgium, the citizens’ attention was drawn to other sources of conflict. As economic and religious differences have slowly faded over time, linguistic differences came to the forefront of the debate. It remains to be seen whether linguistic differences, too, will recede in importance, or whether the two regions of Belgium will always be subject to a slight tension and hostility.