Molenbeek mayor Françoise Schepmans challenged PM Malcolm Turnbull to get to know the suburb

MOLENBEEK mayor Françoise Schepmans challenges Malcolm Turnbull to get to know what the besieged suburb is really like.

Molenbeek mayor Francoise Schepmans in the main square in Molenbeek during market day. On March 22nd, 2016 a string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station, killing at least 31 people, according to media reports, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level. Pic Ella Pellegrini

Françoise Schepmans has a message for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull — join her in a walkabout of Molenbeek on market day and get to know what the besieged suburb is really like.

The federal Belgian MP and Molenbeek mayor was out yesterday greeting locals in its vibrant town square to highlight her belief the district’s reputation as the Europe’s jihadist capital was not all justified.

Leaders and politicians from all over the world notably from France, the United States, Israel and Australia have been critical of Belgium including as Mr Turnbull claimed its “failed or neglected integration” policies, ISIS agents hiding among migrants, porous borders and intelligence and security apparatus struggling to keep up with the threats.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has criticised the situation in Europe. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas.

Ms Schepmans agreed her district had problems but every big city whether in the US, Europe or Australia had a Molenbeek, particularly in Europe and notably in Paris’ north and in Marseilles.

“I don’t understand why friends the United States, Canada and these other countries say these things, I have a feeling it’s all about bashing Belgium and bashing Molenbeek,” she told News Corp Australia.

“Your prime minister … not complimentary. He should come here I think and look around. Brussels is the capital of Europe and we have to be together, particularly in Europe, stick together. We have the same values as in Australia, the United States, we want freedom and modernity and egality between women and men and we have to fight together for those values.”

The densely populated district of 100,000 residents crammed into just 5.89 square kilometres has exported more jihadists per capita to Europe than any other region.

The population is overwhelmingly first, second and third generation Moroccan and Turkish and throughout the day one can hear the call to prayer from the 22 official mosques servicing the four out of 10 locals.

People strolling and shopping in the main square in Molenbeek during market day. Picture: Ella Pellegrini.

At least 30 notorious terrorists have hailed from this district, notably in 2001 when a cell of locals were dispatched to execute powerful Afghan military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud and in 2004 to carry out the Madrid train bombings. Molenbeek was also linked to Jewish museum in Brussels shootings, the foiled shooting spree on an Amsterdam-Paris high-speed train, the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, the bombings late last year in the French capital, a foiled plot in the UK and now the bombings in Brussels and the notably captured Paris plotter and Molenbeek local Saleh Abdeslam.