More Homeschool Persecution

For all those American parents who see homeschooling as “just another educational option,” be warned that it is much, much more. It is a commitment that, in years past, carried the threat of imprisonment in the United States and still carries that threat in other countries. I provide this news article from Brussels, Belgium (June 2006) as a case in point:

BRUSSELS, June 15, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – 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 questioned 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 had “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.

To read the full article, click here.