EU: Anti-Israel protests

EU: Anti-Israel protests

Pictures and videos from anti-Israel protests.

Switzerland: Dialogue on Islam gathers pace

Switzerland: Dialogue on Islam gathers pace


Switzerland is promoting dialogue with the Muslim world as it comes to terms with the electorate’s decision six months ago to ban the construction of new minarets.

Hamburg: Mosque hosts pro-Iran event

Hamburg: Mosque hosts pro-Iran event

The Imam Ali Mosque in Hamburg hosted a conference last week supportive of the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and with the participation of advocates of revolutionary Islam.

EU: Responses to Gaza flotilla attack

EU: Responses to Gaza flotilla attack

Various anti-Israel protests are already planned across Europe. I'll be updating this thread throughout the day.

EU: Muslims go to mosque less often

EU: Muslims go to mosque less often

The call to prayer reverberates off the walls in the Islamic Cultural Center in Madrid, Spain's largest mosque. The sun sparkles on the white marble. On the roof a minaret sticks out into the blue sky like a needle.

Inside, about twenty men are bowing, thinly spread on the red carpet, praying. Behind a partition in the back of the large room, are several women with a hijab. In the front the imam leads the prayer. There are no young people.

Netherlands: "You're guests here"

Netherlands: "You're guests here"

"You're guests here. We have a Dutch culture here, and we want to maintain it. We don't want various influence that whittle down that culture, and that is not going to happen either."

So said PVV parliament member Hero Brinkman Saturday during a debate between several PVV supporters and (mostly Moroccan-Dutch) youth from the Argan youth center in Amsterdam.

Kosovo: Clashes between Albanians and Serbs

Kosovo: Clashes between Albanians and Serbs

Kosovo police on Sunday used tear gas to separate groups of Albanians and Serbs during protests in the divided northern town of Mitrovica against Serb-sponsored municipal elections.

Finland: Immigrant youth sent abroad by force

Finland: Immigrant youth sent abroad by force


According to a study by the Finnish League for Human Rights (FLHR), some children and youth of immigrant background are sent to other countries against their will by their families for a variety of reasons. The Migration Minister says it shows that officials must do more to intervene.

UK: EDL to target Muslim centers

UK: EDL to target Muslim centers

For the past four months the Guardian has joined English Defence League demonstrations, witnessing its growing popularity, from protests attracting just a few hundred hardcore activists at the end of last year to rallies and marches which are bringing thousands of people on to the street – and into direct conflict with the police and local Muslim communities.

Italy: Imam's consent needed for health-care

Italy: Imam's consent needed for health-care

Muslim women should only go to the doctor with the imam's consent. This idea is promoted by the coordinator for immigrant health in Tuscany, but the practice has been widespread for years.

Amsterdam: Muslim participates in AIDS Memorial Day

Amsterdam: Muslim participates in AIDS Memorial Day

A memorial ceremony for Dutch who had been killed by AIDS was held in the Dominicus Church in Amsterdam on Saturday. The memorial was held on AIDS Memorial Day, for the 27th year. The ceremony was organized by the Dutch HIV Association and the ShivA foundation.

Netherlands: Doctors would like to ban circumcision

Netherlands: Doctors would like to ban circumcision

The circumcision of boys is reportedly almost always unnecessary and medically risky. The Royal Dutch Medical Society (KNMG) has published recommendations advising doctors to discourage parents from having their sons circumcised. Jewish and Islamic organisations have reacted angrily.

Uzbekistan: Sweden harbors terrorists

Uzbekistan: Sweden harbors terrorists

This is not the first time the Uzbeks accuse Sweden of giving free reign to Islamic terrorists, and in particular to Obidkhon Nazarov. Uzbekistan is not the only country making those accusations, either.

Spain/Norway/Switzerland: Veil stories

Spain/Norway/Switzerland: Veil stories

A Spanish city banned the veil, Norway decided not to, and a Swiss Muslim writes about her experience with it.

Sweden: The anti-Catholic cartoon

Sweden: The anti-Catholic cartoon

Tvärdrag, the paper of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (SSU), published a cartoon in their latest edition, portraying the Pope as a pedophile. The Catholic Church in Sweden is not happy, and Johan Ingerö, editor of the liberal magazine Neo, has lodged a complaint about the cartoon to the Chancellor of Justice.

Norway/Sweden/Finland: Attitudes towards immigration

Norway/Sweden/Finland: Attitudes towards immigration

Recent polls in Norway, Sweden and Finland show a varied picture of attitudes towards immigration, with Finns being most opposed, while Sweden and Norway generally think it's a good thing.

France: Police fear having to enforce veil ban

France: Police fear having to enforce veil ban

If the French parliament approves the law to ban the burka, the police will be asked to enforce it, Justice Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, told Le Parisien. Alliot-Marie said they rely on the police, the French Council of the Muslim Faith and the municipalities to educate those women and explain to them that wearing the veil violates the principles of the Republic. Yannick Danio, national delegate for the Unité SGP-Police union, says it's laughable, and like a number of his colleagues, he wonders how the law would be enforced.

Antwerp: Court rules company can fire woman for wearing headscarf

Antwerp: Court rules company can fire woman for wearing headscarf

According to the Antwerp (Belgium) labor court, the wearing of religious clothing or symbols at work is not part of the protected 'faith' criteria in the anti-discrimination law. G4S, a company offering security and reception services, can impose the unwritten company neutrality principle on a Muslim woman who wanted to wear a headscarf. The verdict was reported in the De Juristenkrant legal journal.

Italy: Terrorist imam granted political asylum

Italy: Terrorist imam granted political asylum


His defense lawyer is shocked.


The Italian government has granted political asylum to a former imam of Milan's central mosque who was recently jailed on terrorism charges, unnamed sources in the interior ministry have told Adnkronos. Radical preacher Abu Imad was arrested in April after Italy's top appeals court upheld a previous sentence and jailed him for 44 months.

Berlin: Court rules against Muslim prayer in school

Berlin: Court rules against Muslim prayer in school

Last year a Berlin court ruled that the 16-year-old Muslim could pray in a private room at his school. Now a higher Berlin court has overturned that judgement, saying the prayers could disturb school peace.

UK: Muslim group objects to Zionism in schools

UK: Muslim group objects to Zionism in schools

They don't object to Judaism, per se, but rather to one of its basic principles (Zionism might not be 'part of the Jewish faith', but the Land of Israel is). What's the difference between saying you have nothing against Jews, just their deeply held beliefs, and saying you have no trouble with Muslims, but rather with the religion they practice?


A Muslim campaign group has written to the new Education Secretary Michael Gove to object to state-aided Jewish schools promoting Zionism.

Netherlands: Wilders' Mohammed cartoon censored

Netherlands: Wilders' Mohammed cartoon censored

Update: forgot to put a headline..

An election stunt by Dutch daily De Telegraaf has gone awry as Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders is accusing the paper of censorship.

Denmark: Hezbollah recruits Israeli spy

Denmark: Hezbollah recruits Israeli spy

State prosecutors on Thursday presented a Haifa court with an indictment against detained Arab-Israeli activist Ameer Makhoul, accusing him of spying for Lebanese militants Hezbollah.

Netherlands: Muslim org launches "Really Dutch" campaign

Netherlands: Muslim org launches "Really Dutch" campaign

The Muslim women's organisation Al Nisa (Arabic for "the women") launch their "Really Dutch" campaign on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman says they are using humorous posters to combat prejudices about Muslim women. And at the same time giving the social debate about Islam a face.

London: "We will never give up ... until you are subdued to the law of Sharia"

London: "We will never give up ... until you are subdued to the law of Sharia"

Sharia4Belgium/Muslim Rise were not allowed to protest in Brussels as planned, but their friends in the UK and Ireland showed us what we missed by protesting in front of the Belgian embassies in those countries.

Russia: Six killed in terror attack (UPDATE: Death toll now seven)

Russia: Six killed in terror attack

Update: Death toll now seven.

An unidentified explosive device has detonated in the city of Stavropol in the south of Russia, killing six and injuring about 40 more people.

The blast rocked the center of the city, not far from the Culture and Sport Palace, where a concert was due to take place.

(Rian)

France: Terror cell on trial

France: Terror cell on trial

The group was arrested in 2007.


Nine suspected Islamists went on trial in Paris on Wednesday charged with plotting armed attacks in France.


Five of the men are accused of training would-be paramilitaries in firearms and hand-to-hand combat near Besancon, eastern France. Four others with ties to the group are charged with helping organise the training.

Netherlands: Main problem is crime, not Islamization, says PVV

Netherlands: Main problem is crime, not Islamization, says PVV

PVV head Geert Wilders called for minimum sentences during a debate in Enschede Monday. After committing three violent crimes, people should get a life sentence, Wilders said. He said he thinks it could have an enormous preventative effect.

Pakistan: Danish journalist kicked out

Pakistan: Danish journalist kicked out

Danish journalist Puk Damsgård Andersen has been declared persona non grata by Pakistan. Despite Danish pressure, no solution has been found, and the journalist has left Pakistan for Denmark.

Netherlands: 50% support forced integration

Netherlands: 50% support forced integration

The debate about integration and immigration is first and foremost a subtle play on words. Many Dutch people are critical of immigrants, but at the same time it seems they don't want to be associated with the ideas of Geert Wilders.

Amsterdam: Sharia court now in session

Amsterdam: Sharia court session now open

The De Balie center in Amsterdam is organizing a Sharia court session for the public as part of their 'Justice for All' series. The court is supposed to give people insight into the workings of Sharia law.

Marrakech: Europe in Islam

Marrakech: Europe in Islam


8,000 foreigners, for the most part Europeans, have moved to Marrakech over the past few years. Their very presence and purchasing power are changing the face of the age-old Moroccan city.

Helsinki: Children removed from home due to cultural conflicts

Helsinki: Children removed from home due to cultural conflicts


Children's welfare officials in Helsinki say the number of immigrant children who have been taken into protective care has risen slightly. The most common causes are serious arguments with parents over cultural differences.


It should be noted that the number of Finnish children taken into custody by child welfare workers has increased as well. The number of immigrant children in protective custody is rising simply because there are more immigrants in Finland.


This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com


Arguments typically erupt in families where the parents have come from conservative non-Western cultures. Helsinki city social workers say that parents often feel that their child's adoption of Finnish norms is a rejection of their own values.


In some cases, the arguments are so severe that authorities feel it's in the children's best interests to be temporarily removed from that domestic environment. Last year the number of children from foreign families that were taken into protective custody rose from 174 to 199.


(more)

Source: YLE (English)

Denmark: European children fighting for PKK, claims former ROJ TV chief

Denmark: European children fighting for PKK, claims former ROJ TV chief

Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende continues to publish more information about ROJ TV and the PKK. Their most recent report reveals that the PKK is using children-soldiers. Pictures tkaen by former ROJ-TV director, Manouchehr Zonoozi, show youth, the youngest of which is supposedly 14-16, and Zonoozi claims he saw children in the camps as young as 8-9.

(more pictures here)

Scotland: Find wives in Britain, says Islamic scholar

Scotland: Find wives in Britain, says Islamic scholar


Muslim men have been told to marry women born in Scotland rather than import wives from Pakistan and India.


Shaykh Amer Jamil, a Glasgow-born Islamic scholar, warned that Asian women who have grown up in Scotland are being left on the shelf in favour of wives from outside the country.

The Muslims are coming!

The Muslims are coming!

Is it Islamophobic to say that Europe would be overrun by Muslims?

This article was written by Aijaz Zaka Syed, a journalist from Dubai. Less than 20% of the people living in Dubai have citizenship, and the foreign workers, who make up the overwhelming majority, can forget about settling down. So why doesn't Aijaz Zaka Syed think that Europe should treat its foreign workers the same way? What's wrong with Dubai becoming Asian?

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No matter what Europeans think of Muslims and other recent arrivals, the continent badly needs new blood and ideas


Step out of Brussels South and you step back in time — into a different world that looks exotic in this part of the world but not out of place. This is the main train station that connects Belgium’s capital with Paris, London — thanks to Eurorail — and the rest of Europe.

Netherlands: Can blonds be Muslim?

Netherlands: Can blonds be Muslim?

Via Dutch newspaper Trouw, this is one question in a visual Dutch 'electoral compass', meant to help people figure out with which party they most agree.

Netherlands: Get out the Moroccan vote

Netherlands: Get out the Moroccan vote

About thirty young Moroccans will go out in the upcoming weeks to try and convince Moroccan-Dutch to vote in the parliamentary elections. This is part of a campaign of the SMN (Dutch Moroccan Alliance) to increase turnout among this group. the campaign will start in the Hague on Saturday.

Netherlands: 'No welfare for first ten years'

Netherlands: 'No welfare for first ten years'

Immigrants may not apply for welfare for the first ten years they're in the Netherlands, says the VVD.

The PVV also wants to exclude immigrants from welfare payments for the first ten years. Both parties said the costs the social security system incurs from immigrants are 'unacceptable'. "The VVD wants as many immigrants as possible to work, that is the best way to integrate," said VVD parliament member De Krom.

Switzerland: 57% want to ban burka

Switzerland: 57% want to ban burka

A majority of Swiss citizens are in favour of banning the wearing of the burqa, a poll released Sunday found.


According to Swiss television, 57.6 per cent of those interviewed for the survey favoured outlawing the Islamic garb for women which covers the entire body.

Berlin: New mosque opens

Berlin: New mosque opens

A new mosque that is one of the largest in Germany was officially opened in Berlin's Kreuzberg quarter, which has a strong Turkish presence.





The mosque, which can hold around 1, 000 people, is part of a complex that media reports said cost around 10 million euros (12.5 million dollars) to build and was entirely financed by private Lebanese and Palestinian donors.


The mosque is topped by a glass dome and four small minarets, and is part of a six-storey, 5,000-square-metre building that includes commercial and social centres and a library.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: Times Live (English)

Sweden: Gov't to investigate forced marriage

Sweden: Gov't to investigate forced marriage


The Swedish government has announced the launch of an inquiry aimed at tightening legislation banning forced and child marriages, which it identified as a continuing problem.


"Many times these types of marriages are entered into abroad and often affect girls and boys, young women and young men, who often live in a reality of honour-related violence and oppression," integration and equality minister Nyamko Sabuni and justice minster Beatrice Ask said in a joint statement on Thursday.


The ministers said the investigation, which will be led by the former chancellor of justice, Göran Lambertz, will seek to gather more information on forced marriages and marriages involving minors, with the aim of "suggesting measures to bring about a strong protection against such marriages."


"We know that for some young people the summer holidays are a cause of concern. We know that every summer a number of young people are forced to travel to their parent's home countries for marriages against their will," the statement read.


(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: The Local (English)

See also: Sweden: 5% of youth feel they can't freely choose marriage partner

"Muslims are shifting stones in Europe"

"Muslims are shifting stones in Europe"


Islam, and the existence of Islam in Europe, is one of the most complicated issues of the contemporary world, with scholars, journalists and politicians debating the issue more and more every day.


A wide range of scholars at the İstanbul Seminars 2010 at İstanbul Bilgi University are considering the issue of Islam in Europe, including one of the most prominent Turkish scholars studying the issue, Nilüfer Göle, professor of sociology at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes (EHESS) in Paris, who calls attention to the fact that Europe is passing through an experience relatively new for itself.


“Europe had confrontations with Islam several times before in history,” says Göle in an interview with Today’s Zaman. “There had been the Crusades, colonization, the Ottoman Empire and so on. Nevertheless, there is something new in today’s confrontation: that is, Muslim immigrants from different countries now exist in their own lands, and Turkey is so near as a candidate. That’s why all these developments have led Europe to re-evaluate itself on the mirror of the Muslims.”

Denmark: Police holding proof of ROJ TV-PKK links

Denmark: Police holding proof of ROJ TV-PKK links

The Danish police have evidence of a clear link between the Kurdish Roj TV and the PKK, who are on the EU's terror list.

For at least a year, the police have been holding photos showing top officials from ROJ TV on a secret visit to the PKK training camps. They've also had a witness for just as long, knowing of PKK's funds going to ROJ TV. And yet, the station continues to broadcast with a Danish license, and no one in charge has been held accountable.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Manouchehr Zonoozi (former ROJ TV director) and
Metin Yüce (ROJ NV director/Belgium) with the troops

Belgium: Guess who's making threats now?

Belgium: Guess who's making threats now?

Why, it's Anjem Choudary, soon to be Belgium's very own.


Taking a page from the Anjem Choudary handbook, turns out "Muslim Rise" is actually another name for Sharia4Belgium. Same radicals, multiple groups. And this time, they've brought friends from the UK (Choudary) and Denmark.

I've been reporting about Sharia4Belgium ever since they put up their site. They've been very active since in making headlines (Sharia4Belgium site, Lecture shouted down by radical Muslims, Benno Barnard update, Islamists vs. Communists, Sharia4Belgium making threats on behalf of Malika El Aroud, Belgium: New radical group to protest against European oppression)

Do you think that's smart? Or, as Abu Imran boasts here, does that help their cause? Does it matter?

-----------------

"I warn Belgium. If a burka ban is maintained, than that is a path which will lead straight to violence." Anjem Choudary, head of the British banned group Islam4UK, sounded exceptionally threatening in Antwerp yesterday. "We will only rest when the the flag of Islam flies everywhere."

The extremist Anjem Choudary was in Belgium yesterday at the invitation of Sharia4Belgium, which made headlines when several of its members disturbed a lecture of author Benno Barnard several weeks ago. The reason for the visit of the British extremist was a planned protest against the burka ban, which was supposed to march through Brussels yesterday. Choudary wasn't the only foreigner who had come for the protest. A group of young, radical Muslims from Denmark also made the trip.

Everybody Draw Mohammed Day

Draw Mohammed

"Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" was yesterday but the truth is that every day is "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day". Freedom of speech is not something we're given once a year. It's a human right which every human should enjoy year round.

Kurt Westergaard achieved fame by suggesting Muslims were violent. Muslims worldwide, and particularly in Pakistan, went out into the streets to prove him right. And the West folded. Just note how many newspapers print the latest Mohammed cartoon when they report about it.

This might not be Mohammed, but it's the face of Islam. It's not the face of Islam drawn by "Islamophobes". It's the face of Islam that Muslims want everybody to see. Veiled women going out into the streets to protest far away people who might draw offending pictures.


This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Newspapers worldwide will not print a cartoon, but this is the type of picture that no newspaper will think twice about printing. Which is more insulting?

Germany: New initiative against high suicide rate among Turkish women

Germany: New initiative against high suicide rate among Turkish women


A new initiative aims to lower the disproportionately high number of suicide attempts among young German-Turkish women thought to be caused by familial conflicts.


While a nationwide study has yet to be undertaken, regional data from Cologne and Frankfurt shows that young women of Turkish background try to kill themselves twice as often as their German counterparts, daily Die Weltreported on Friday.

But a cooperation between Berlin’s Charité hospital and the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf that began in early 2009 aims to find out the reasons behind the disturbing numbers.

Both facilities are now monitoring the statistics for suicide attempts by young women from Germany's largest immigrant population that are treated in their emergency rooms – in particular the reason the patients say they wanted to die, the paper said.

“We surmise the reason for the increase in suicide rates are conflicts within the family,” Charité study leader Meryam Schouler-Ocak told the paper. “For example the girls perhaps want a boyfriend, or they want to go out to clubs with their circle of friends. Or imagine when a girl is supposed to marry someone she doesn’t want to marry.”

Papatya, an help centre for young female immigrants in Berlin, told the paper that it frequently helps women who already have already attempted suicide in the past.

“Often it’s a desperate attempt to give the family a sign that something must change that isn’t being heard, or that the family doesn’t want to believe,” a spokeswoman said. “Sometimes the girls have told us, ‘I’d rather kill myself than let my brother do it’.”

Charité’s Schouler-Ocak said that many of the women who try to kill themselves are completely dependent on their family or husband – particularly those young those who have come directly from Turkey as “import brides.”

Because family problems within the Turkish community are traditionally handled privately, Schouler-Ocak said study organisers are working on distributing information on places for women to get help where they are most likely to see them.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: The Local (English)

Utrecht: Religious leaders to vote together

Utrecht: Religious leaders to vote together

During the Dutch parliamentary elections on June 9th, various religious leaders will go to the voting station together. They want to show 'that religions in the Netherlands can contribute to democracy'.

The group, which consists of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, will vote at 9 AM in the Utrecht municipality. "It's the first time that representatives of religions go together this way," according to the initiators.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Participants include Rabbi Raphael Evers of the Dutch Israelite Churches Society, General-Secretary Arjan Plaisier of the Protestant Church and priest Joop Albers of the Anglican Church. Several imams are also participating, including Mohammed Tahier Wagid Hosain of the Contact Body of Muslims and Government.

"A democracy can only function optimally if the citizens use their right to vote. A democratic society is characterized by mutual respect between citizens and maintaining the rights and obligations which apply to everybody, whether they're a majority or a minority," the religious leaders wrote in a statement.

They've chosen Utrecht because the Union of Utrecht was signed there in 1579. "Then it was first declared that all citizens are free to follow their own faith."

According to the leaders, a religion should play a 'joining function' in society.

" The joint voting presence will emphasize this and at the same time be a signal for our own followers in the Netherlands and in other countries."

The leaders urge other rabbis, pastors and imams to go vote together where they live. "Nearby or in an historic location."

Source: Nederlands Dagblad (Dutch)

Belgium: Teachers may be banned from wearing headscarves

Belgium: Teachers may be banned from wearing headscarves

The French Community in Belgium may forbid teachers to wear religious, political or philosophical signs in their school network. That is the advice of the Council of State to a proposal currently in parliament.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

It is a proposal by MR, which was brought to the Council of State by the parliament chairman Jean-Charles Luperto (PS).

In an advice of 40 pages, the Council emphasizes the right to freedom of speech, but also brings up the fundamental principle of neutrality of public services in Belgium. Moreover the Council says that the proposal is in line with the laws of the French community, which ban educational personnel from expressing their political, philosophical and religious convictions.

"The obligation of the community to organize neutral education and to guarantee neutrality of the public services, naturally have an impact on the behavior that educators can be asked for in the public sector. As authority figures at school, it can be expected of them that they bring their behavior and conduct in line with the neutral education of which they're part," according to the advice.

The Council of State clarified that the proposal shouldn't apply to religion teachers.

Source: HLN (Dutch)

Related posts:
* Belgium: City bans headscarves, draft law to ban burka
* Belgium: French Community schools ban headscarves
* Belgium: Headscarf ban 'promotes peace and brotherhood'
* Belgium: Teacher allowed to wear headscarf

Belgium: Ethnic minorities underrepresented in elections

Belgium: Ethnic minorities underrepresented in elections

Seventy-four or 6.7% of the 1,104 candidates standing in Flanders in the 13 June general election come from the ethnic minorities. The figure is much lower than the share of the population as a whole that has foreign roots.

21.6% of Belgians have a foreign background.

Sociologist Jan Hertogen has analysed the figures. In order to qualify for the ethnic label candidates require at least one foreign grandparent.

The highest proportion of ethnic candidates is standing for the far left PVDA+ (18.1%). 11.6% of socialist candidates have foreign roots, while the figure for the ecologist Groen! is 8.7%. For the liberals, Christian democrats and Flemish nationalists the figure is 3.6%, while only 1.4% of candidates for the far right Vlaams Belang have foreign roots.

Mr Hertogen believes that parties are missing a chance here. Putting up ethnic candidates can boost results.

The sociologist told VRT News that ethnic candidates are not exactly the flavour of the month. He points to the Christian democrat list of candidates for the Senate that hasn't got a single member of the ethnic minorities on it.

(more)

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In other election news, former parliament member Cemal Cavdarli was recently placed third on the East-Flemish list of Lijst Dedecker (LDD, conservatives). The Ghent resident was until recently a member of the SP.A (socialists). He felt he was being pushed aside in that party.

Not an obvious move, since the ideas of the LDD and SP.A. are far apart. "I realize that too, but I believe that I can remain true to my principles at Lijst Dedecker," says Cemal Cavdarli. "I'm a social and I'm a democrat, but I've never literally been a socialist. I've been asking myself for a while if I'm really still welcome by the SP.A. By supporters also began to ask questions."

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

When it became clear that there was no visible place for him on the SP.A. list, he moved to LDD.

The Ghent imam and religion teacher last stood for elections in the federal elections in 2007. He wasn't voted in on the senate list.

In 2005, then a Belgian parliament member, he went to Turkey to do his army duty there.

Sources: Flanders News (English), Nieuwsblad (Dutch)

Germany: Ethnic Germans and Immigrants On Better Terms Than Expected

Germany: Ethnic Germans and Immigrants On Better Terms Than Expected


Germany often comes in for flak because of its allegedly poor integration of immigrants and the existence of so-called parallel societies. But a study released this week by a new think tank refutes the country's bad reputation -- at least partially.


It is no cause for wild celebration -- but nor is there much reason to complain. According to Klaus Bade, a leading German researcher on immigration, the co-existence of ethnic Germans and immigrants is often unjustly portayed in a negative light. But a study released this week in Berlin by the immigration think tank that Bade chairs, refutes some of these criticisms. On Wednesday, the Expert Advisory Board for Integration and Migration (SVR), which was founded in 2008 by eight major foundations involved in social and political advocacy and research, released its first annual report.


The report contains what the board calls the Integration Climate Index (IKI) which basically takes the temperature of relations between ethnic Germans and immigrants. The forecast, according to the SVR? Sunny and warm.


"Despite some problematic areas, integration in Germany is a social and political success," Bade said at the launch of the report. "Compared to other nations, things are actually a lot better here than they are reputed to be inside the country."


To get these results, over 5,600 people, both from Germany and elsewhere, were surveyed for their thoughts on integration and migration. The survey focused mainly on what the former West Germany -- around 91 percent of all migrants live in the west. There around 14 million people have a migrant background, and 6 million of those still have foreign citizenship. The former East Germany was not included in the study because the number of migrants living in the east is significantly lower, just 800,000. The German capital Berlin was also excluded because high unemployment among the city's immigrants makes it a special case requiring different research methods.


The final result of the survey in western Germany, though, was cautious optimism. On a scale of zero (very bad) to four (very good) the ethnic German populace's attitude toward integration registered at 2.77 for 2009. The immigrant population's attitude registered higher, at 2.93.


Additionally every second non-migrant person surveyed felt that integration policies had improved over the past five years. Those with an immigrant background felt similarly, with around 48.2 percent believing there had been improvement. Around half of all of those surveyed (both immigrant and ethnic German) expected things to continue to improve.


(...)


One of the more interesting findings of the survey dealt with how much migrants and Germans trusted one another. Migrants trusted ethnic Germans more they trusted one another, with 62 percent having faith in the locals but only 54 percent of the ethnic Germans trusting each other. Also interesting: Up to 93 percent of ethnic Germans thought living in Germany was good, while up to 95 percent of immigrants did.


(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: Spiegel (English)

Netherlands: 'I prefer my wife not take a taxi.. the driver might be Moroccan'

Netherlands: 'I prefer my wife not take a taxi.. the driver might be Moroccan'

Guido van Woerkom, the director of the ANWB (the Dutch automobile association), mentioned he prefers his wife doesn't take a taxi, since there's a chance that the driver is a Moroccan.

Van Woerkom made this statement during a speech mostly for car park owners.  They responded with irritation.  At first they thought it was a joke, and that Van Woerkom would continue.  That didn't happen.

Van Woerkom gave in his speech an exampel about the price of mobility.  He said that his wife only drives 4,000 km a year, and that she thus has to pay less than somebody who drive 100,000 km.  Somebody in the hall suggested that in that case she better take a taxi, at which point Van Woerkom answered that he preferred she didn't, because the driver might be a Moroccan.

The Dutch Moroccan alliance (SMN) is considering lodging a complaint at the discrimination hotline against Van Woerkom.  The SMN is "outraged and offended," said the organization.

SMN-chairman Faris Azarkan was very surprised at the statement.  "You don't actually believe that, do you?  A top executive from the world of social organization who makes such denigrating and discriminating statements.  Van Woerkom really lost the way."

The director regrets his statements, ANWB announced Thursday in a statement.  He didn't mean to 'offend drivers from different cultures', but only wanted in response to a question from the public 'to raise the difference in the quality of taxi transport in the Netherlands'.

The statement caused quite a stir in the conference.  Many of the audience were appalled.  The ANWB refrained from further comment.  The union has about 4 million members.  Until now the affair didn't cost the union any members.

Sources: Telegraaf, Trouw (Dutch)

Sweden: Arson suspect suffers from burns

Sweden: Arson suspect suffers from burns

Anas Khalifa is a radical preacher, who made world-wide headlines when Memri translated a sermon of his in which he said "if we line up the Jews in one row and spat on them, they would faint".

--------------


They were driven by hatred against Lars Vilks. But the arson attack against the artist's house almost cost one of them their life.

Yesterday Mentor Alija (21) and Mensur Alija (19) from Landskrona were remanded into custody on suspicions of attempted arson against Lars Vilks' house Saturday evening.

(Mentor and Mensur)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com


But only Mentor Alija was physically able to appear in the secure hall at Helsingborg court. His brother Mensur Alija is still being treated for serious burns in the Helsingborg hospital

After the attack on Vilks house a jacket was found in Vilks yard belonging to Mentor Alija, as well as several liquid filled plastic bottles.

Lawyer Johan Sederholm says that the evidence is in part troublesome for his client.

The police also found many news sites about Lars Vilks in Mentor Alijas computer.

His younger brother is suspected of having gotten his burns in Vilks' yard. The burns are believed to have been the reason the attack was broken off, and the brothers were forced to seek treatment at Helsingborg's hospital.

Prosecutor Charlotte Österlund confirms that Mensur Alija was arrested in Helsingborg's hospital the day after the attack. "He's been interrogated by the police, but can't be moved due to his injuries," she says.

Despite the evidence, the two brothers deny the crime. Neither are known for serious crimes in the past.

Both brothers reportedly turned to a radical faith recently. Mensur Alija openly declared his hatred of Lars Vilks.

----------------


Kvällsposten spoke with members of Landskrona's Islamic community, who confirmed that the brothers' religious commitment increased in recent years.

"I've met them in the community [mosque]. They started visiting it several years ago," said a community member who wished to remain anonymous.

In the past year Mensur Alija sympathized with a very orthodox branch of Islam, and even joined an internet group whose followers have a very hateful attitude towards the State of Israel.

The parents are believing Muslims, but neighbors and schoolmates say they didn't seem them as extreme.

"On the contrary, they were very nice and friendly," says a former neighbor in Landskrona.

The family came to Sweden in October 2001 from then Yugoslavia. Two months later they moved to central Landskrona.

Mentor Alija was then 12, and Mensur Alija was 11.

A few years later the picture changed. Mentor Alija and a friend were suspect of trying to break into a car. When their father moved, life split apart. The family moved to Markaryd.

In 2008, the mother and Mensur moved back to Landskrona. Shortly afterward, Mentor Alija also moved back.

Kvällsposten reports that Mensur is a close friend of the extreme Muslim preacher Anas Khalifa, who has preached in mosques about martyrdom and holy war. [Apparently Kvällsposten later removed the article].

Source: Kvällsposten 1, 2 (Swedish), TV2 Nyhetene (Norwegian)

See also:

* Sweden: Death threat, arson attack against Swedish Mohammed cartoonis

* Sweden: Two suspects arrested in arson attack

* Sweden: Suspects in Vilks attack are two brothers

Marseille: Work begins on Grand Mosque

Marseille: Work begins on Grand Mosque

French Muslims celebrated a milestone on Thursday when work began to build a Grand Mosque in Marseille, the country's biggest and a potent symbol of Islam's place in modern France.

A day after the French government approved a bill banning the full Islamic veil, Muslim leaders and local politicians hailed as "historic" the laying of the mosque's cornerstone at a dusty construction site in northern Marseille.


France's second city is home to 250,000 Muslims, many of whom flock to makeshift prayer houses in basements, rented rooms and dingy garages to worship.


With a minaret soaring 25 metres (82 feet) high, the Grand Mosque will hold up to 7,000 people in its prayer room and the complex will also boast a Koranic school, library, restaurant and tea room when it opens in 2012.


Muslims in Marseille have long campaigned for a mega-mosque as a prominent gathering place that would bring Islam out of the basements and allow it to thrive under the Mediterranean sun.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: France24 (English)

Related articles:

* Marseilles: Grand Mosque plans
* Marseilles: Building of Great Mosque
* Marseille: Grand Mosque financed by Algeria
* Marseille: "I'm going to bomb it when it opens"

Netherlands: "Draw Mohammed Day"

Netherlands: "Draw Mohammed Day"

Kurt Westergaard, the famous Danish Mohammed cartoonist, says the Facebook "Draw Mohammed Day" initiative is good for freedom of speech. "the initiative is seen as a protest for freedom of speech, where Mohammed and my cartoon have become icons for this culture battle," he told the Journalisten magazine. He says there's a risk that it can inspire terrorism, but that this isn't something that should repress us. (DA)

------------

In Rotterdam, Mohammed cartoons were posted in various public places:

------------


Mohammed Mohandis, PvdA (Dutch Labor Party) candidate for parliament, removed a parody of the Danish Mohammed cartoon with his face from the Jonge Socialisten (Young Socialists) Amsterdam site.

In the context of the international "Draw Mohammed Day", held in solidarity with cartoonist who are threatened for their cartoons of the Islamic prophet, the Amsterdam youth division of the PvdA put an edited portrait of Mohandis on the site.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Mohandis wore a turban, just like the prophet in the famous Kurt Westergaard cartoon. In place of a fuse there was a PvdA rose in the bomb. The text on the turban was changed for the Arabic word for love and above it said "On June 9th you can vote for our prophet Mohamed."

"We think that everybody worldwide has the right to express his or her vision on anything by means of ridicule or satire," said the accompanying text. "To quote the words of our chairman Mohammed Mohandis: "Offense belongs to freedom of speech, and that is a great thing."

But the image wasn't there long before Mohandis, the national chairman of the Jonge Socialisten, asked it be removed. He explains: "This was an initiative of the Jonge Socialisten Amsterdam. Previously I was contacted and I said in a sort of intoxication draw what you want. But this goes too far. I'm for freedom of speech, but I am personally depicted. I hadn't seen that in advance, and I think it shouldn't have been submitted to me."

"I have no interest in being portrayed like that. It should be about freedom of speech, about the issue, and not about me." Mosselman had asked Mohandis via Twitter for a photo for 'Draw Mohammed Day", and he had pointed to a photo [of himself] on his website.

the initiator and board member of the Jonge Socialisten in Amsterdam Arne Mosselman responded with deep disappointment. "It was a playful manner to say: Mohandis is our prophet, vote for him. And with the rose and the word love our message was: it's possible." Mosselmen wasn't only called by Mohandis, but got various calls from the 'heart of the PvdA, from the campaign' saying that the picture should be removed. It would be harmful to the campaign.

"I think it was good for the campaign," says Mosselman. "Anybody who is not a fundamentalist, thought it was great. And fundamentalists aren't going to vote for you."

Mosselman does admit that portraying Mohandis this way bears a security risk. "I think that's most regrettable. That leads to censorship. And we're doing that too now."

Mosselman is now considering voting for Femke Halsema of GroenLinks. "That party does too little for integration, but at least has principles."

Sources: De Pers , NU.nl (Dutch), h/t NRP

Brussels: Municipality doesn't allow veil ban protest

Brussels: Municipality doesn't allow veil ban protest

See also: Belgium: New radical group to protest against European oppression

The Muslim organization 'Muslim Rise' is calling on Muslims all over Europe to come Saturday to the Brussels Stock Exchange to protest against the burka ban. The city of Brussels is not allowing it, also because the Zinneke Parade will be marching through the city at the same time.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

The Muslim organization say they want to express their dissatisfaction in a peaceful manner. The demonstrators will go out into the streets to "allow the next generation a life with Islamic dress."

Similar demonstrations will take place at the same time in the UK and Ireland, where demonstrators will stand by the Belgian embassy.

A spokesperson for the city of Brussels told brusselnieuws.be that the demonstrations can't take place.

"We made this decision on the basis of three criteria. On the application there's no official name, but rather an Islamic pseudonym. Moreover, 40,000 people will be coming Saturday to the Zinneke Parade, a family party. Finally, the police also gave negative advice, since the chance for a counter-protest is too great."

The organization was asked to stop all advertisements. the police will also warn all possible demonstrators Saturday that the demonstration has been canceled.

"Safety first," the spokesperson concluded. "A number of years ago we canceled a protest of the extreme right for the very same reasons. The nature of the protest has nothing to do with the decision to cancel the demonstration."

According to the organizers, there is no ban, and the protest will take place. The protest was planned for Saturday by the stock exchange, starting at 2pm. The police will call in extra manpower to guarantee safety.

Source: brusselnieuws.be (Dutch)

Netherlands: Non-Western immigration costs 7.2 billion euro a year

Netherlands: Non-Western immigration costs 7.2 billion euro a year

Slightly more than a month ago, Wilders published the initial findings (to Nyfer's annoyance), saying that Non-Western immigration costs 6-10 billion euro a year

--------------

Non-Western immigration costs Dutch society 7.2 billion euro a year, according to a study published Wednesday by economic research agency Nyfer for the PVV fraction in parliament.

Nyfer bases their calculations on a yearly net-flow of 25,000 immigrants and the same number of descendants. According to the researchers, these immigration make use of more collective services and pay less taxes and premium than the average Dutch. they're also more often on social welfare and have disability insurance and unemployment benefits more often. They're also overrepresented in crime, which leads to additional costs.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

PVV leader Geert Wilders said the results of the study were shocking. he had asked Nyfer to study the costs of immigration when last fall then integration minister Eberhard van der Laan responded unsatisfactorily to Wilder's question on the subject. The PVV is happy that the taxpayer finally knows what is happening with his money, says Wilders.

The PVV leader says that ten years of unmodified immigration policy means a bill costing society 72 billion euro. "The fact that mass immigration is also disastrous financially, confirms the need for measures which the PVV wants, such as an immigration stop for people from Muslim countries, a reduction of the remaining immigration and asylum flows, and excluding new immigrants from benefits for ten years."

Nfer says the study confirms the conclusions of a similar study of the CPB (Central Planning Bureau) from 2003. CPB's sum would now come out to 6 billion euro, says Nyfer. According to the Nyfer researchers, the difference between their findings (7.2 billion euro) could mostly be explained by the fact that they're more pessimistic about the rate at which the second generation will catch up in the job market.

Accordingto Statistics Netherlands (CBS), non-Western immigrants are those born in Africa, Latin America, Asia or Turkey, or have at least one parent born in those countries. Most come from Turkey, Morocco, Suriname, the Dutch Antilles and Aruba.

In response, the anti-racism organization Nederland Bekent Kleur (Netherlands recognizes color) called the ideas of the PVV "your own people first politics". They say that the PVV discriminates by wanting to shut the borders exclusively to people coming from countries with a certain religion. This measure in the elections platform is one of the many proposals with which the PVV discriminates against Muslims.

Source: Telegraaf (Dutch)

Sweden: Proposal for immigrant orientation

Sweden: Proposal for immigrant orientation


All newly arrived immigrants should undergo courses in core societal values and be taught about how Swedish society works with municipalities obliged to offer 60 hours of teaching, a government inquiry has proposed.

"Without knowledge of fundamental societal values an important prerequisite to be able to live and work in Sweden is lacking," writes Erik Amnå, who led the government inquiry, in a debate article in the Dagens Nyheter daily.

Amnå, whose proposal has been presented to the integration minister Nyamko Sabuni, suggests that the courses should be divided into three key areas - values (the constitutional foundations), the welfare state (public institutions), and everyday life (practical applied knowledge of how the welfare state works).

Erik Amnå proposes that municipalities be instructed to offer 60 hours of schooling to each new immigrant and advises against dividing up new arrivals according to traditional categories such as ethnicity or religious identity.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: The Local (English)

Paris: Pro-burqa supporters stop debate

Paris: Pro-burqa supporters stop debate


A debate organised by "Ni putes ni soumises", a French NGO, Tuesday night in Paris, on the question of the full Islamic veil ended in an exchange of insults and blows. Meanwhile, meeting in Paris Wednesday, French ministers paved the way for a draft law that seeks to ban the wearing of the burqa in France.

French NGO “Ni Putes Ni Soumises” had planned a public debate on the eve of the presentation of the draft law that seeks a complete ban on the burqa, the full Islamic veil. However, pro-burqa supporters, who the police have failed to identify, violently thwarted the NGO’s efforts.

Fiercely opposed to the wearing of the burqa, Ni Putes Ni Soumises intended to use the opportunity to develop a common front against the wearing of the veil in France.

The one hundred plus people who gathered at the debate premises, — a primary school in Montreuil a Parisian suburb,— was made up of diverse groups including women, feminists, politicians, Islamists, some women wearing the simple veil and some wearing the full veil.



The debate, which began in a tense atmosphere, was allegedly disrupted by members of Sheikh Yassin, a pro-Palestinian group, forcing the organizers to call for police intervention, as insults turned into fistfights. The rioters had already fled upon the arrival of the police.

(...)

Manuel Valls, member of the French Socialist Party (PS) and supporter of the ban on the burqa, was among those present when the riots broke out. According to him, instead of dissuading him, the incident has only given impetus to his belief that the law should be established. "I feel that this case comes to try the Republic and its representatives and I for one won’t be intimidated”, he said.

"I think those who had doubts before tonight’s debate understood, as they left (the meeting), the need for a law that says enough to those who exploit Islam and reduce women to silence," added Sihem Habchi, President of Ni Putes Ni Soumises.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: AFRIK.com (English), h/t NRP

Kosovo: Danish army attacked for favoring Albanians

Kosovo: Danish army attacked for favoring Albanians


A Danish army office in the Serbian part of Kosovo was attacked, and a window smashed.  There were no injures. 

The house is used by the Danish army as a base for patrols.  The Kosovo police say they found a letter outside the house, threatening the Danes with revenge for favoring the Albanians.

Source: Kristeligt Dagblad (Danish)

Finland: Town backpedals on headscarf ban

Finland: Town backpedals on headscarf ban


Raasepori's school district has backpedalled on an outright ban on head-scarves for female students. The city softened its stand in the face of one family's fight to preserve its daughter's right to cover her head in public.

Some time ago, the city quietly issued guidelines that forbade the use of visible religious symbols during school hours. The restriction is not based in Finnish law and according to many critics is unconstitutional. Raasepori is the only Finnish school district to issue such restrictions.

Raasepori school officials say that immigrants accepted the guideline when it was issued.

Things changed when one Iraqi family announced that they would not allow their daughter to attend school unless the ban was revoked.

In the face of opposition, Raasepori's officials watered down the guideline, announcing on Tuesday that the use of headscarves would no longer be banned as long as school traditions were respected. The announcement has left many in Raasepori unsure as to what that means; even some members on the deciding committee say they want clearer instructions.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: YLE (English), h/t Tundra Tabloids

Iraq: Dutch, Danish teams targets in World Cup plot

Iraq: Dutch, Danish teams targets in World Cup plot

Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani Mr Qahtani was arrested on 3 May after a note about the plot was found

An alleged al-Qaeda militant detained in Iraq has given details about a plan he had to attack the World Cup in South Africa next month.

The Saudi man, Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani, told reporters he had suggested an attack on the Dutch and Danish teams in revenge for cartoons drawn of the Prophet Muhammad.

(...)


"We discussed the possibility of taking revenge for the insults of the prophet by attacking Denmark and Holland," Mr Qahtani told the Associated Press.

"If we were not able to reach the teams, then we would target the fans."

The plan would have included car bombs and gun attacks.

The plan had not been approved, but had been awaiting the green light from al-Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mr Qahtani said.

(more)

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This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com


The Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism (NCTb) says it takes the threats seriously, though it does not plan on announcing new security measures. An NCTb spokesperson said that the organization already concluded that Dutch abroad were more at risk from terrorists than in the Netherlands.

The head of the Danish security service PET, Jakob Scharf, didn't want to comment on specific threats against Denmark, but said the massive media attention could make the World Cup an attractive target for Islamic militants. He also said that there's a general terrorism threat against Denmark, and that militant extremist groups see Denmark as a terrorism target.

Sources: BBC (English), Trouw (Dutch), Kristeligt-Dagblad (Danish)

France: Cabinet approves veil ban bill

France: Cabinet approves veil ban bill

The French cabinet has approved a draft law to ban the wearing of full-face veils in public spaces, opening the way for the text to go before parliament in July.


The bill calls for $185 fines and, in some cases, citizenship classes for women do not comply with the ban.


Addressing the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, said: "Citizenship should be experienced with an uncovered face.


"There can be no other solution but a ban in all public places."


The bill includes a new offence - inciting to hide the face - with anyone convicted of forcing a woman to wear such a veil risking a year in prison and a $18,555 fine.


(more)




Sarkozy asks Muslims not to feel hurt by veil ban


President Nicolas Sarkozy urged French Muslims Wednesday not to feel hurt or stigmatised by a planned ban on full face veils that will fine women who hide their faces and jail men if they force them to cover up.


(..)


"This is a decision one doesn't take lightly," he said. "Nobody should feel hurt or stigmatised. I'm thinking in particular of our Muslim compatriots, who have their place in the republic and should feel respected."


Sarkozy said France was "an old nation united around a certain idea of personal dignity, particularly women's dignity, and of life together. It's the fruit of centuries of efforts."


(more)


--------------------

Muslim women protest


"If the law is voted, I won't take off my veil. ... No one will dictate my way of life" but God, said Najat, a divorcee, who gave her age as "45 plus." She was one of a half-dozen women who, in a rare move, met with reporters on Tuesday to express their worries about changes they say will impact their lives to the core.


Like others, she refused to give her full name. All said they fear for their safety in an increasingly tense climate. Najat was among those who said she has been increasingly harassed since debate over the planned law began nearly a year ago.


(...)


The final draft text says France's founding tenets of liberty, equality and fraternity, values that guarantee the "social pact," are at stake.


The women beg to differ, claiming that France is betraying itself.


"Liberty. Liberty. I'm in France, in the land of liberty, equality, fraternity. I had the impression I was living it," said Oum Al Khyr, of Montreuil, on the edge of eastern Paris.


(...)


The bespectacled Najat, with a French mother and Moroccan father, said she has covered her face with a veil for 10 years. Najat said that because she is divorced and raising her children alone no one "can say this is imposed on me."


"I won't leave" France if the veil is outlawed. "Why should I leave?" Najat said, waving her French passport.


The women predicted that their "sisters," other women who veil themselves, would hide out in their homes so as not to get caught breaking the law. Several said they would take their case to the European Court of Human Rights if arrested.


(more)


This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Sources: al-Jazeera, Reuters, AP (English)

Catalonia: Town to debate veil ban

Catalonia: Town to debate veil ban


A Spanish town is to debate calls for a ban on wearing the full-face Islamic veil in public amid growing cross-party opposition to the burqa in the country, a local party said Tuesday.

The moderate Catalan nationalists of the Convergence and Union (CiU) party proposed the ban, calling the veil "an obstacle to the dignity and integration of women in our society," they said in a statement.

The presence in the town Lerida "of Salafist representatives (hardline Islamists) has facilitated the spread of practices incompatible with the values of sexual equality and respect for women."

El Pais daily said the town's socialist mayor Angel Ros has also expressed his opposition to the Islamic veil in the past.

Spain's Labour and Immigration Minister Celestino Corbacho said Monday he was in favour of a ban on the full veil in work spaces.

"Totally covering women with a piece of clothing, whatever the symbolism, completely goes against our society and stops the move towards equality between men and women," he said.

The council debate in Lerida, a town of some 140,000 inhabitants in north east Catalonia, will take place on May 28.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: Expatica

Sweden: Man arrested for plotting terror attack

Sweden: Man arrested for plotting terror attack

Though quite a few Swedes have been arrested abroad for planning and committing terrorism, I think this is a first for Sweden. About two years ago several people were arrested for financing terrorism, at which time it was discovered they might have been planning on attack on Lars Vilks.

In France, meanwhile, 14 people were arrested for planning to break out of jail the man who committed a 1995 metro bomb attack. But in France, arrests for terror financing, recruitment and planning seem to be much more common.

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A man has been arrested in Gothenburg on suspicion of planning terror attacks in Somalia, the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) has said.


The man, a Swedish citizen, was arrested on Tuesday morning in the Gothenburg area, Göteborgs Posten reports. A warrant for his arrest had been issued some time ago, according to police.

He was originally arrested on suspicion of ‘crimes against national security’, but police later said he was now being held pn suspicion of 'conspiracy to commit acts of terror'.

Police must either charge or release the man by Friday.

Prosecutors were on Tuesday giving little information about the man or the nature of the accusations against him. Agneta Hilding Qvarnström, at the national prosecutors’ office for security cases in Stockholm, told Göteborgs Posten:

“The identity is classified, the circumstances are classified, everything is classified.”

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: The Local

See also:

* Scandinavia: Somalis concerned about al-Shabaab recruitment

* Sweden: Somali gov't concerned about Swedish-Somalis radicalizing

France: "Burqa Rage"

France: "Burqa Rage"

According to the French media (FR), the older woman and her daughter claim the women with the niqab (26) slapped one of them before the lawyer ripped off the veil. The veiled woman denies that.

Two complaints were filed. One for an insult of ethnic, racial or religious character (by the women in the niqab), the other for violence (by the lawyer and daughter).

----------

A 60-year-old lawyer ripped a Muslim woman's Islamic veil off in a row in a clothing shop in what police say is France's first case of "burka rage".

The astonishing scene unfolded during a weekend shopping trip after the woman lawyer took offence at the attire of a fellow shopper resulting in argument during which the pair came to blows before being arrested.

It came as racial tensions grow in the country as it prepares to introduce a total ban on burkas and other forms of religious dress which cover the face.


A 26-year-old Muslim convert was walking through the store in Trignac, near Nantes, in the western Loire-Atlantique region, when she overhead the woman lawyer making "snide remarks about her black burka". A police officer close to the case said: "The lawyer said she was not happy seeing a fellow shopper wearing a veil and wanted the ban introduced as soon as possible."

At one point the lawyer, who was out with her daughter, is said to have likened the Muslim woman to Belphegor, a horror demon character well known to French TV viewers. Belphegor is said to haunt the Louvre museum in Paris and frequently covers up his hideous features using a mask.

An argument started before the older woman is said to have ripped the other woman's veil off. As they came to blows, the lawyer's daughter joined in.

"The shop manager and the husband of the Muslim woman moved to break up the fighting," the officer said. All three were arrested and taken to the local gendarmerie for questioning.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: Daily Telegraph

Netherlands: Gov't body drops project on role of religion

Netherlands: Gov't body drops project on role of religion

For more on the WRR reports see also "Muslims are the scapegoats" and WRR report violated scientific norms.

The Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) is dropping advice on the role of religion in the public domain. The plug has been pulled partly from political correctness, according to WRR staff member P. de Goede.

De Goede said yesterday in Nederlands Dagblad newspaper that the topic has been dropped from the agenda partly due to lack of time. "But the fact that the theme is extremely sensitive also played a role." He "regrets" that the recommendations will no longer be made.

In December 2006, the WRR presented its report "Religion in the public domain." It was the intention that an official recommendation to the cabinet on the role of religion would follow, but this project has now been dropped.

The WRR is still preparing a "supplementary publication" on the role of religion in the public domain, WRR communications advisor M. van Leijenhorst said yesterday in a reaction. But she was unable to say when this will be and in what form.

(more)

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At the University of Tilburg, there's currently on-going research abuot the role of religion in the public domain in the Netherlands, and the consequences for adminsitration and politics.

This is led by profesoor fo Professor of Public Administration Gabriël van den Brink.

He's aware that the WRR dropped their advice on the issue. "If they don't research it, we will," is his only comment.

Van den Brink suspects that the current policial climate is the reason for dropping the WRR advice. "Apprently the government doesn't want to burn their fingers on the issue of religion."

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Sources: NIS (English), Nederlands Dagblad (Dutch)

Finland: Somali population growing fast

Finland: Somali population growing fast

At the beginning of the year Finland had 11,881 residents speaking the Somali language as their mother tongue. About three fifths of them were born in Somalia.

Nobody knows what the figures will show ten years from now.

In recent years the number of Somali-speaking people in Finland has increased by nearly ten per cent in a year. Some of them are asylum seekers, and some are people who have been granted residence permits on the basis of family ties, while many are children who were born in Finland

In the Helsinki region, about half of the growth in the Somali population involves children born in Finland.

Of the 1,180 Somalis who applied for asylum in Finland last year, 548 were granted a residence permit.

The number of Somali asylum seekers has decreased considerably this year, and if the same pace continues, there will be about 600 by the end of the year.
Nearly all Somali asylum seekers whose applications are approved apply for residence permits for family members as well. At the end of this year, there were about 6,000 applications for immigration based on family ties, says Heikki Taskinen, director of the immigration unit of the Finnish Immigration Service.

(...)

Cultures gradually blend in with each other. Researcher Heini Lehtonen says that speech patterns of young Finns in the East of Helsinki already show signs of an indirect influence of the Somali language.

Abib says that many Somalis who have adapted to Finland are so accustomed to silence that a more loud style of conversation annoys them.

“Young people get to know each other at school and in military service. Gradually attitudes change when they notice that we’re all people in the same way”, Mukhtar Abib says.

(more)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: HS (English)