Germany: Al-Qaida suspects seized with explosives

Germany: Al-Qaida suspects seized with explosives

Via the Local:

German police on Friday detained three alleged members of al-Qaida, federal prosecutors said, as a report said they had been plotting attacks in Germany.

The prosecutor's office in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe said the trio had been taken into custody early Friday and would appear before a judge Saturday, when a news conference has been scheduled.

It declined to provide further details.

The daily Bild reported that the three were Moroccans living in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and were caught with "large amounts of explosives".

(source)

Paris: Police arrest Tunisian migrants

Paris: Police arrest Tunisian migrants

Via AFP:

French police arrested 60 mostly Tunisian immigrants in Paris, officials said Wednesday, accusing them of entering the country illegally, as France pushes to tighten the EU's open-border rules.

A Paris police source said the suspects, who included some Egyptians, Libyans and Algerians, were in custody after being arrested in Paris and Pantin, a suburb of the capital, for "breaking the residency laws".

(source)

Norway: New ritual circumcision law proposed

Norway: New ritual circumcision law proposed

Via Views and News from Norway:

Changes have been proposed to the law on ritual circumcision in Norway, with health officials hoping to ensure that the procedure can be done under proper medical conditions by covering it for free as part of the public health system.

Until around 10 years ago, free circumcisions were available to parents in public hospitals, almost always right after birth. Opposition from doctors nonetheless increased until the practice ended within the public health system.

(source)

EU: Muslims responsible for 3 out of 249 terror attacks

EU: Muslims responsible for 3 out of 249 terror attacks

Via Europol:

Europol's EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) records a total of 249 terrorist attacks in the EU in 2010, in which seven people died and scores of others were injured. Most of these were related to violent separatist, nationalist, or anarchist activities. Three attacks were attributed to Islamist terrorist groups, of which two were aimed at causing mass casualties. In addition an attempted attack, claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in November 2010 had the capacity to cause serious damage and possible loss of life for a large number of EU citizens. A package containing explosive devices was sent by airfreight from Yemen to the US and was intercepted in the UK. Another one was intercepted in Dubai. In overall terms the number of attacks in the EU represents a decrease on the figure for 2009, due largely to a significant decrease in the number of attacks attributed to ETA.

In 2010 611 individuals were arrested for terrorist-related offences, of which 179 were linked to Islamist terrorism, representing a 50% increase on the previous year. Meanwhile Islamist terrorist groups issued 46 threat statements to interests in the EU, which also represents an increase on 2009.

(source)

Italy: Berlusconi, Sarkozy call for changes to Schengen

Italy: Berlusconi, Sarkozy call for changes to Schengen

Via AKI:

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and French president Nicolas Sarkozy together called for a revision of the Schengen treaty which removes border controls among the 25 European members.

"We both believe that in exceptional circumstances there should be variations to the Schengen treaty on which we have decided to work together," Berlusconi said, echoing comments by Sarkozy at a joint news conference after a summit in Rome.

Berlusconi and Sarkozy said they have signed a letter to be sent to European Commission, the EU's executive body to propose changes to the treaty allowing individual states to temporarily suspend the free movement of people under certain circumstances.

(source)

Wikileaks: Al-Qaida assassin 'worked for MI6'

Wikileaks: Al-Qaida assassin 'worked for MI6'

Via the Guardian:

An al-Qaida operative accused of bombing two Christian churches and a luxury hotel in Pakistan in 2002 was at the same time working for British intelligence, according to secret files on detainees who were shipped to the US military's Guantánamo Bay prison camp.

Adil Hadi al Jazairi Bin Hamlili, an Algerian citizen described as a "facilitator, courier, kidnapper, and assassin for al-Qaida", was detained in Pakistan in 2003 and later sent to Guantánamo Bay.

But according to Hamlili's Guantánamo "assessment" file, one of 759 individual dossiers obtained by the Guardian, US interrogators were convinced that he was simultaneously acting as an informer for British and Canadian intelligence.

(source)

Norway: Qaradawi to determine prayer times

Norway: Qaradawi to determine prayer times

Via Today's Zaman:

Egyptian Islamic theologian Yusuf al-Qaradawi will live in Norway for a set period of time in order to determine prayer times for Muslims in the world’s polar regions.

Qaradawi and his team will work to determine the five daily Muslim prayer times, the calculation of which are determined by the position of the sun, in a region where the sun does not rise and set as regularly as it does in other parts of the world. Due to such factors as the rotation of the earth, the revolution of the earth around the sun, the tilt of the earth’s axis, the various latitudes of the earth’s locations and daylight saving time, the “times” (according to the clock) for these prayers change from day to day and depending on the location.

(source)

Wikileaks: Guantanamo terrorists radicalised in London mosques

Wikileaks: Guantanamo terrorists radicalised in London mosques

Via the Daily Mail:

Britain's mosques became an international haven for extremists who enjoyed state benefits while being trained for terrorism, leaked documents show.

The WikiLeaks files, written by U.S. military chiefs, reveal that at least 35 Guantanamo terrorists were radicalised in London mosques before being sent to fight against the West.

This is believed to be more than any other Western country.

Of these, just 17 were British nationals or had been granted asylum, while 18 had travelled from abroad – cementing Britain’s reputation as a global training camp for terrorists.

U.S. intelligence officers describe Finsbury Park mosque, in North London, as a ‘haven for Islamic extremists from Morocco and Algeria’ and ‘an attack planning and propaganda production base’.

(source)

Moscow: Hundreds join anti-Muslim rally

Moscow: Hundreds join anti-Muslim rally

Wikileaks: Al-Qaeda threatened 'nuclear hellstorm' in Europe

Wikileaks: Al-Qaeda threatened 'nuclear hellstorm' in Europe

Via the Daily Mail:

The files are also said to disclose that a senior terrorist commander claimed that a nuclear bomb is hidden in Europe and will be detonated if Bin Laden is caught or killed.

Sheikh Mohammed told interrogators that the extremist group would unleash a 'nuclear hellstorm'. They fear the terror group already has uranium.

The 20th 9/11 hijacker also told interrogators that Al Qaeda was seeking to recruit ground-staff at Heathrow to assist them in targeting the world's busiest airport.

(source)

London: Gang of schoolgirls attack Muslim woman for wearing headscarf

London: Gang of schoolgirls attack Muslim woman for wearing headscarf

Via the Sutton Guardian:

A gang of schoolgirls attacked a muslim woman after mocking her for wearing a headscarf.

Four teenage girls, two wearing school uniform, kicked and knocked the woman to the ground before trying to remove the item of religious dress during the incident in North Cheam between 7pm and 9pm on Wednesday, April 13.

(source)

Germany: Islamist preacher ordered to leave

Germany: Islamist preacher ordered to leave

Bilal Philips recently caused concern when he visited Denmark, though his speech wasn't as extreme as expected.

Via the Local:

A radical Muslim preacher has been ordered by German authorities to depart the country immediately. The move comes after he attended an Islamist rally in Frankfurt that took place despite the objections of city leaders.

Citing security concerns, the authorities said if he doesn’t depart on his own, he could be arrested and forcibly deported.

Amsterdam: Gay and Moroccans going out together

Amsterdam: Gay and Moroccans going out together

Via the Telegraaf:

A group of about twenty Moroccan and gay youth will go out together Friday night in Amsterdam, and get insight into each other's worlds. They also want to show that gays and Moroccan-Dutch both support a tolerant society.

The idea for the evening came up in a meeting about tolerance in October in the Argan youth center. The group will start the evening off in a gay bar and will continue later to a club where many Moroccan youth hang out.

Chechnya: Security forces kill 'Saudi Al-Qaeda envoy'

Chechnya: Security forces kill 'Saudi Al-Qaeda envoy'

Via AFP:

Russian security forces in Chechnya killed a Saudi militant who was the top envoy of Al-Qaeda in the Northern Caucasus and responsible for deadly attacks, the national anti-terror committee said Friday.

The militant -- known by the nom-de-guerre of Moganned -- was one of three rebels killed in a clash with Russian security forces around the village of Serzhen-Yurt in Chechnya on Thursday afternoon, it said.

(source)

Belgium: Pig's head buried under cross on mosque site

Belgium: Pig's head buried under cross on mosque site

Germany: Turkish-German actress poses for Playboy 'to be free'

Germany: Turkish-German actress poses for Playboy 'to be free'

Via the Daily Mail:

Sila Sahin, a 25-year-old Turkish German living in Berlin, had until now been regarded as a glowing example of how a modern Muslim girl should behave in a multicultural society.

A successful actress starring in German television soap opera Good Times, Bad Times, she pleased her many fans and made her Turkish family proud.

But her latest move has shocked some of those fans, and enraged those closest to her.

Posing provocatively on the cover of German Playboy magazine with one breast exposed, Sila Sahin seems to be sending a clear and deliberate message to her conservative Turkish family.

'I did it because I wanted to be free at last,' she said. 'These photographs are a liberation from the restrictions of my childhood.'

(source)

UK: Man who burned Koran jailed for 'theatrical bigotry'

UK: Man who burned Koran jailed for 'theatrical bigotry'

Via the Daily Telegraph:

Andrew Ryan, 32, stole a copy of the holy book from Carlisle Library and then set it on fire with a lighter as a crowd gathered to hear his protests in front of a monument.

Police arrested Ryan, of Summerhill, Carlisle, shortly after the lunchtime incident in English Street on January 19.

Sentencing him at Carlisle Magistrates' Court, District Judge Gerald Chalk said: "This is a case of theatrical bigotry.

"It was pre-planned by you as you stole the book deliberately. You went out to cause maximum publicity and to cause distress."

(source)

UK: Mosque area targeted with racial, anti-Islam graffiti

UK: Mosque area targeted with racial, anti-Islam graffiti

Via the Wirral Globe:

HATE crime vandals spray-painted racial slurs over homes near Birkenhead's mosque.

The area surrounding the Borough Road mosque was targeted at the weekend with offensive graffiti such as “Islam = Murder" and "Britain for the British."

The graffiti - painted onto walls in Sycamore Road and Mounsey Road, Birkenhead - has sparked outrage among local residents.

(source)

Berlin: Rapper turned preacher faces weapons charges

Berlin: Rapper turned preacher faces weapons charges

Via the Local:

Former Berlin rapper Deso Dogg, who quit music to become a radical Islamic preacher, is facing weapons charges after police raided his home and found ammunition.

A prominent member of the Salafist scene, 35-year-old “Deso Dogg” whose real name is Mamadou C. but is known in Islamist circles as Abou Maleeq, had stashed 16 rounds of ammunition at his home in March 2010.

He had also recorded and posted on Youtube a video in which he loads a semi-automatic Glock pistol – for which he does not have a licence.

(source)

Finland: Big gains for True Finns

Finland: Big gains for True Finns

London: police probing report that Islamist extremists told woman to cover up

London: police probing report that Islamist extremists told woman to cover up

Via AP:

British police say they are investigating a report that a group of men tried to force a non-Muslim London woman to wear body-concealing robes.

The Sunday Times quotes an unidentified Bangladeshi woman as saying she was threatened with death by men who told her to cover up because she works in an east London district with a predominantly Muslim population. The woman said she is an atheist.

Police say they have interviewed the woman and are working with religious leaders in the community.

(source)

France: Train carrying Tunisian immigrants from Italy stopped at border

France: Train carrying Tunisian immigrants from Italy stopped at border

Via AP:

A train carrying Tunisian immigrants from Italy was halted at the French border Sunday in an escalation of a international dispute over the fate of North African migrants fleeing political unrest for refuge in Europe.

A spokesman for the Italian rail company, Maurizio Furia, told The Associated Press in Rome that the train carrying migrants and political activists who support them wasn't being allowed to pass into Menton, France, from the Italian border station of Ventimiglia.

(source)

Netherlands: Queen supports religious tolerance

Netherlands: Queen supports religious tolerance

Via RNW:

"In our country we make every effort to promote tolerance," Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has said at the Bellevue Palace in Berlin, the official residence of Germany's President Christian Wulff, on Tuesday.

Addressing the president, Queen Beatrix continued by saying that "you yourself stressed the importance of tolerance on the 20th anniversary of Germany's unification." This was an obvious reference by the Dutch monarch to President Wulff's remark that Islam has become part of German society.

(source)

Moscow: 'Underground city' of immigrants found in bomb shelter

Moscow: 'Underground city' of immigrants found in bomb shelter

Via the Moscow News:

An “underground city” of migrant workers has been uncovered in an abandoned Moscow bomb shelter.

But while the makeshift home was designed to withstand an air raid, it fell victim to FMS officers – and most of the 110 people found there are facing deportation.

A further 16 residents face criminal investigations over involvement in crimes in Moscow, while the owners of the factory which hired the illegal labourers could also face a legal probe.

With no residence documents for Moscow the migrant workers – mostly from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – had little choice but to hunker down in the bunker near the Mostochlegmash plant on Dorogobuzhskaya Ulitsa in western Moscow.

Some of them said they had not left their workplace or makeshift home for about a year, Interfax reported.

(source)

Germany: Education minister wants imams to teach Islam in schools

Germany: Education minister wants imams to teach Islam in schools

Via Ennahar Online (h/t EuropeNews):

The German Minister of Education Annette Schavan wants imams teach courses in Islamic religions in schools, in an interview with the weekly Die Zeit to be published Thursday.

In Germany, where church and state are not separate, the schools provide religious instruction, Catholic or Protestant to students.

They could be "used in schools" at halftime, as "priests," said Schavan to Die Zeit. She nevertheless conditioned their hiring that they are trained at university in Germany.

(source)

Belgium: Turkey protests anti-immigrant poster

Belgium: Turkey protests anti-immigrant poster

Aarhus: A father speaks out against al-Shabaab recruitment

Aarhus: A father speaks out against al-Shabaab recruitment

Subtitling via Vlad Tepes:

Stockholm: Apology for performance stop over Koran quotes

Stockholm: Apology for performance stop over Koran quotes

Via SR:

Following a wave of criticism, the artistic director for Stockholm’s premier cultural venue, Kulturhuset, has apologized for hastily cancelling a feminist performance last weekend in which women were set to dance to a score that included recitation of verses from the Koran set to music.

In a blog posting Thursday, the head of Kulturhuset, Eric Sjöström, said his decision to cancel part of a two-day performance piece entitled “Celebration of Womanhood” was taken under duress and that he regrets the action. A heated debate had broken out on Facebook Sunday following a dress rehearsal for the show, and Sjöström said he ordered the stop out of concerns for public safety.

(source)

Belgium: Former MP running for Turkish parliament

Belgium: Former MP running for Turkish parliament

Hague: Council rejects mosque ban proposal

Hague: Council rejects mosque ban proposal

Via Expatica:

The Hague council on Thursday rejected a Freedom Party proposal to ban the construction of new mosques in the city.

All parties fiercely rejected the proposal which they branded as discriminatory because the Freedom Party is not opposed to the construction of new places of worship of other religions.

Green Left leader Inge Vianen said “They are guilty of discrimination when they suggest that the council should assist all religious people in finding a suitable place of worship except Muslims.” The Green Left politician added that "the fact that this type of statement is increasingly considered normal, does nothing to change that.”

(source)

Pakistan: Two French terror suspects arrested

Pakistan: Two French terror suspects arrested

Via AFP:

Two French nationals suspected of belonging to an international terror group have been arrested by Pakistan's security services, French and Pakistani sources said Thursday.

The two are suspected of being part of the group responsible for the bloody attacks in Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people, the worst terror attack in Indonesia, according to Pakistani security officials, who requested anonymity.

The terror group is the one allegedly connected to Indonesian Umar Patek, who was himself arrested recently in Pakistan.

(source)

Russia: Chief Mufti wants crescent as as part of nation emblem

Russia: Chief Mufti wants crescent as as part of nation emblem

Via RIA Novosti:

A Muslim crescent should be part of Russia's national emblem along with Orthodox crosses, Chief Mufti of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin said on Friday in an interview with Moskovskiye Novosti daily.

Tadzhuddin, the head of the Central Muslim Spiritual Directorate in the southwest Russian republic of Bashkiria and the Chief Mufti of Russia proposed adding the Muslim crescent above one of the crowns that decorate Russia's symbol, the double-headed eagle.

In February, Tadzhuddin shared his idea with President Dmitry Medvedev. The president "listened attentively," the imam said.

(source)

London: New course for Muslim female youth workers

London: New course for Muslim female youth workers

Munich: Eight accused of spreading online Islamist propaganda

Munich: Eight accused of spreading online Islamist propaganda

Via Deutsche Welle:

A trial of eight people accused of spreading Islamist propaganda over the Internet opened in Munich on Tuesday. Prosecutors say the defendents used Internet forums and blogs to call for a holy war.

Seven men and one woman are accused of inciting terrorism and releasing brutal videos of bombings and beheadings as part of the German section of a group known as the "Global Islamic Media Front."

According to the federal prosecutor, the suspects published German translations of Al-Qaeda propaganda material as well as their own material on the Internet between August 2006 and March 2008, in order to attract new members and support for terrorist organizations abroad.

The defendants are now all between 18 and 30 years old, but some of them were minors at the time. Most had never met before the trial, relying on the Internet to communicate from their homes across Germany.

(source)

EU: Koran burning trials

EU: Koran burning trials

Three recent stories relating to Koran burning

In France, a man is on trial for burning and urinating on a Koran. The prosecutor wants three months suspended sentence and a fine of 1,000 EUR for incitement to racial and religious hatred.

In the UK a Welsh BNP candidate spent the weekend in custody for burning a Koran. He was released after charges against him were dropped, apparently due to a technicality. Police are still investigating.

In Switzerland three Hindus who intended to burn the Koran and Bible were acquitted by a Swiss court, since they did not actually do anything. They were asked to pay half the court costs because they overstepped the boundaries of personal freedom and injured the religious feelings of others.

Kosovo: Serb nuns learn language of Albanian Muslims

Kosovo: Serb nuns learn language of Albanian Muslims

Via AFP:

A Serb Orthodox monastery in religiously polarised Kosovo is breaking stereotypes by making its nuns learn Albanian so they can talk to Muslim villagers who come to pray at a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Muslims from all over Kosovo flock to the Sokolica monastery because they believe its 14th-century sculpture of the Virgin with Christ can cure deaf-mute children and help childless couples fall pregnant.

"When they ask how to pray, we tell them to pray in their own language and in the way they are taught to. We let them praise their Allah as we do our God," the 67-year-old head of the monastery, Mati Makarija, told AFP.

(source)

Poland: Grand Mufti declares suicide bombings ‘haram’, offers to mediate in Pakistan

Poland: Grand Mufti declares suicide bombings ‘haram’, offers to mediate in Pakistan

I think this is the first time that a European Muslim says radicalism and terrorism in the Muslim world should be dealt with since they reflect back on European Muslims. Or in other words, that Muslim terrorism is cause for 'Islamophobia'.

Netherlands: Amsterdam, Rotterdam join forces on ethnic policies

Netherlands: Amsterdam, Rotterdam join forces on ethnic policies

Via RNW:

Amsterdam and Rotterdam are to join forces in the fight against ethnic divisions in Dutch society and the promotion of the integration of migrants. Newspaper de Volkskrant reports that senior civil servants and politicians from the two cities have held a closed meeting in Rotterdam.

The collaboration between the two cities comes as a surprise, as the two cities chose radically different approaches to the issue of integration in the wake of the assassinations of politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002 and film maker Theo van Gogh in 2004. Under the leadership of local interests party Leefbaar Rotterdam (Liveable Rotterdam) the port city adopted a zero-tolerance policy including ethnic registration of problem youths. Then Amsterdam mayor and prominent Labour Party politician Job Cohen was both praised and vilified for his policy of ‘accommodation’ and ‘drinking tea’ with representatives of ethnic minorities.

(source)

Lampedusa: Tunisian boat people riot against deportation

Lampedusa: Tunisian boat people riot against deportation

(KitmanTV)

France: Rise in anti-Arab attacks in 2010

France: Rise in anti-Arab attacks in 2010

Via Connexion:

RACIAL tolerance is receding in France according to a report by the Commission Nationale Consultative des Droits de l'Homme (CNCDH).

While the number of physical attacks on people based on race has dropped, the report concludes that "tolerance is receding and xenophobia is spreading".

In 2010, 886 racist incidents were reported, 165 which were violent, down 13.6% compared with 2009, according to figures from the Interior Ministry.

People of north African origin were the principle target, accounting for roughly a third of both violent and non-violent incidents.

"The year 2010 saw a rise in attacks on the Muslim community," said the CNCDH, an independent body which advises the government on human rights. Thirteen mosques and other centres were attacked compared to six in 2009.

(source)

Denmark: Concern about hate preacher visit

Denmark: Concern about hate preacher visit

Via the Copenhagen Post:

This coming Sunday the youth department of the Danish Islamic Community will host a conference with controversial preacher Bilal Philips as one of the main speakers.

Philips has previously been banned entry to the UK and Australia, where he is regarded as a potential threat to society.

A famous Muslim scholar who has written several books, Philips is featured in numerous YouTube videos in which he promotes Sharia law and condemns Shia Muslims and homosexuals.

BREAKING: Blast rocks Belarus metro station

BREAKING: Blast rocks Belarus metro station

An explosion ripped through a metro station in the Belarusian capital Minsk on Monday, killing several commuters and injuring at least 10.

The cause for the blast is currently unclear.

Update: I'm guessing it's a terror attack, relating to local Belarussian politics. I'll post updates as they come in.

Russia: Muftis indignant at imam's murder in Dagestan, accuse police of lack of action

Russia: Muftis indignant at imam's murder in Dagestan, accuse police of lack of action

In other news, three policemen and three Islamist militants were killed in clashes in the North Caucus Monday.

Via Interfax:

The All-Russian Muslim Board has called for stopping the killings of clerics in the North Caucasus.

"Militants are openly threatening clerics, and clerics are killed in their own homes. What else must happen before practical steps are taken to stop the mass destruction of clerics?" head of the Board's Executive Committee Mufti Muhammedgali Huzin told the Interfax-Religion.

Lyon: Jew shot by North Africans in antisemitic attack

Lyon: Jew shot by North Africans in antisemitic attack

Via European Jewish Press:

A 21-year-old man was seriously wounded in an anti-Semitic attacked by two youths, after returning home from a Torah course in a synagogue in Villeurbanne, in southern France, the Jewish Community’s protection service (SPCJ) said.

As he was walking home from the synagogue late Thursday night, the two aggressors, in their twenties, asked their victim’s name.

After hearing his response, the two told him: "you don’t look to be named Antoine, you look Jewish, you are a Jew."

EU: Tunisian migrant issue dominates interior minister talks

EU: Tunisian migrant issue dominates interior minister talks

Via Deutsche Welle:

Italy's decision to grant temporary visas to thousands of economic migrants following political turmoil in North Africa will be the major topic of discussion at a meeting of European Union interior ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.

Germany and France have been especially opposed to the influx of migrants entering Europe.

"We cannot accept that many economic migrants will come into Europe through Italy," said German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich before the meeting. "We expect Italy to adhere to the legal standards and fulfill its duties."

(source)

France: Burqa banned

France: Burqa banned

Kosovo: Female police chief elected as new president

Kosovo: Female police chief elected as new president

Netherlands: Jews and Muslims call on parliamentarians to reject proposed ban of ritual slaughter

Netherlands: Jews and Muslims call on parliamentarians to reject proposed ban of ritual slaughter

Via WJC:

The Netherlands, one of Europe's first countries to allow Jews to practice their religion openly, may soon pass a law banning the kosher slaughter of animals. An alliance of a small animal rights party and the larger xenophobic Freedom Party of Geert Wilders is spearheading support for the ban on kosher and halal slaughter methods.

France: 'We are coming to take back what belongs to us'

France: 'We are coming to take back what belongs to us'

Finland: Priest to be defrocked for criticizing Chechens

Finland: Priest to be defrocked for criticizing Chechens

A few days ago I posted an article from RT (Russia Today) about a Finnish priest, Juha Molari, who's being prosecuted for speaking out against Chechen terrorists and specifically Doku Umarov.

I was aware that RT should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but the story seemed rather straightforward. Turns out it wasn't. As Tundra Tabloids explains in length, Juha Molari is being prosecuted for saying all Chechen refugees have ties to terrorism. More here and here.

Netherlands: Westernized Afghan teenager wins right to stay

Netherlands: Westernized Afghan teenager wins right to stay

France: Anonymous CVs ‘don’t work’

France: Anonymous CVs ‘don’t work’

Via the Connexion:

ANONYMOUS CVs have in some respects the opposite effect to that hoped for, according to a study done for the Pôle Emploi.

The results suggest French employers do not in fact discriminate on social or national origins but in fact operate “positive” discrimination, however a sexism and ageism factor was found.

UK: More than 60 girls groomed for sex

UK: More than 60 girls groomed for sex

The article speaks of non-white adult males grooming white girls for sex. Though it doesn't specify they're Asian or Muslim, a Jordanian and Iranian were previously arrested for one murder and are still suspected of grooming girls for sex.

Via the Daily Mail:

More than sixty teenagers were groomed for sex by a gang of men linked to the disappearance and murder of a 14-year-old girl, it has emerged.

The victims were all young white girls and their abusers non-white men who worked in takeaways in Blackpool, according to an investigation.

Somaliland: Finnish citizens in prominent positions

Somaliland: Finnish citizens in prominent positions

Via YLE:

Somaliland, a de facto independent country located within what is internationally recognized as Somalia, is the subject of much Finnish influence. Many returnees from Finland have risen to prominent positions in Somaliland society.

(...)

The parliament’s spokesman and the rector of Hargeisa University are both Finnish citizens, for example, and one of Somaliland’s biggest political parties – Faisal Ali Warabe’s Justice and Welfare party – was born in Helsinki.

Hashi believes that the Finnish experience helped Somaliland avoid a bitter civil war similar to that engulfing the Ivory Coast following last summer’s presidential election. Warabe, who lives in Espoo to the west of Helsinki, accepted his defeat when he came second in the vote.

”One interesting thing Warabe said was that he did not want war or conflict,” says Hashi. “He just wants democracy, which he learnt in Finland.”

(source)

Denmark: Tax Authority teaching employees about Islamic culture

Denmark: Tax Authority teaching employees about Islamic culture

Via Danish blogger Uriasposten (via Jyllands-Posten), Jyllands-Posten and Fyens Stiftstidende: About 100 employees of the Danish Tax Authority will be taking a course in Islam next month, in order to learn why male Muslim pizzeria owners won't shake hands with female Tax Authority employees. They will also learn not to take it personally if a kiosk owner of Middle Eastern background curses them.

Norway: New site in memory of honour killing victims

Norway: New site in memory of honour killing victims

Norwegian music producer and activist Deeyah, in association with friends, volunteers and supporters, is launching MEMINI on April 7th 2011. This day marks the anniversary of the public killing of Du'a Khalil Aswad and the International Honour Killings Awareness Day. MEMINI is an online site of remembrance for victims of honour killings and has an associated Facebook page.

Austria: Turkish to become final exam subject

Austria: Turkish to become final exam subject

Via the Austrian Times:

Students in Austria may soon be able to graduate in Turkish.

The federal education ministry of Social Democrat (SPÖ) Claudia Schmied announced today (Tues) the language may become the 14th foreign language learners in the country can pick at their final exams. Turkish has been taught as an optional subject in many secondary modern schools which have focused on languages for some time, but can currently not be chosen as a final exam subject.

(source)

Italy: Northern League threatens to bring down gov't over refugee flood

Italy: Northern League threatens to bring down gov't over refugee flood

(Tunisians fleeing camp in the Italian mainland)

Finland: Priest to be defrocked for criticizing Checken terrorist

Finland: Priest to be defrocked for criticizing Checken terrorist

Update here: Finland: Priest to be defrocked for criticizing Chechens

Via RT:

Russia's number one outlaw Chechen terrorist Doku Umarov is also high-up on the international most-wanted list. But it seems one of Russia's neighbors isn't interested in helping bring him to justice.

Priest Juha Molari is receiving threats, and faces being defrocked for speaking out against Doku Umarov and his internet mouthpiece, the Kavkaz-Centre.

Sweden: Tougher immigration policies help Sweden Democrats

Sweden: Tougher immigration policies help Sweden Democrats

Via SR:

Adopting more restrictive policies on immigration to try to push out the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats only makes them more popular, according to a new study from Gothenburg University.

Political scientists have looked at data from last year's local council election, and say that there are signs that when the other parties have spoken in favour of tighter controls on immigration, the Sweden Democrats are the ones who have seen their polling results improved, reports news agency TT.

The study also contradicts international research which claims that the attitudes of the country's largest conservative party has a major effect on the success of more far-right challengers.

(source)

France: Minister sued for saying growing population of Muslims 'poses problems'

France: Minister sued for saying growing population of Muslims 'poses problems'

Via the Connexion:

THE INTERIOR minister Claude Guéant has been accused of Islamophobia and dishonouring France after saying the growing population of Muslims in the country 'poses problems'.

Netherlands: Court rules Catholic school may ban headscarves

Netherlands: Court rules Catholic school may ban headscarves

Via RNW:

A Dutch court on Monday ruled that the Don Bosco College in Volendam, a town north of Amsterdam, can refuse to allow its students to wear Islamic headscarves. A 15-year-old school student Imane Mahssan had brought the test case.

The Judge said a ban on headscarves fitted in with the Roman Catholic character of the school which also disallows symbols of other non-Catholic religions.

(source)

UK: Ahmadiyya in new anti-Islamophobia campaign

UK: Ahmadiyya in new anti-Islamophobia campaign

Tunisia: Berlusconi arrives to negotiate immigrant stop

Tunisia: Berlusconi arrives to negotiate immigrant stop

"We just want Europe to welcome us"

France: Police warned not to arrest veiled Muslim women near mosques

France: Police warned not to arrest veiled Muslim women near mosques

Via the Daily Mail:

Police in France have been warned not to arrest any women wearing Muslim veils ‘in or around’ mosques.

The strict instructions, from Interior Minister Claude Guent, are contained in a nine page circular issued to officers prior to a full-blown burka ban coming into force next week.

With tensions running high within the country’s six million strong Muslim community, people have already been warned not to perform ‘citizen’s de-veilings’.

(source)

Belgium: Fresh attempt launched to introduce anti-burqa law

Belgium: Fresh attempt launched to introduce anti-burqa law

Via EarthTimes:

A committee in Belgium's lower chamber of parliament approved Wednesday a law outlawing burqas and other kinds of Islamic face veils - relaunching efforts to introduce the ban nearly one year after they were thwarted by a government crisis.

The law seeks to punish anyone caught in public places with their face completely or partly covered - thus preventing their identification - with fines between 15 to 20 euros (21 to 35 dollars) and/or up to seven days' imprisonment.

The draft law still needs to be approved by the full Chamber of Deputies and by the Senate, Belgium's upper house.

(source)

Denmark: 92% want immigrants to adopt Danish norms

Denmark: 92% want immigrants to adopt Danish norms

Compare that to the poll which said a majority of Danes prefer a multicultural society. Another recent poll showed that Danes don't want to give foreigners automatic welfare benefits.

According to the Gallup poll (DA): 20% say immigrants should adopt Danish norms, 72% say they should mostly adopt Danish norms, 4% said they should mostly live by the norms of their homeland, and 4% said they didn't know.

20% said the immigrant issue was very important to their next vote, 44% said it was somewhat important, 23% said it was slightly important and 9% said it wasn't important at all.

Sweden: Church against christening asylum seekers

Sweden: Church against christening asylum seekers

Via the Local:

The Church of Sweden has advised pastors to avoid christening asylum seekers that have converted to Christianity due to the risk of reprisals in the case of repatriation, reported news agency TT.

One of the reasons for the recommendation is because it can cause danger and increase risks if a person who has converted to Christianity is later sent back to their home country.

Another reason is that the motive for the christening can be questioned by some who suggest that asylum seekers convert to Christianity to increase their chances of staying in Sweden.

(source)

Belgium: Mandate of Muslim Executive not extended

Belgium: Mandate of Muslim Executive not extended

UK: British Muslims for Israel

UK: British Muslims for Israel

Via IsraelNationalNews:

A new British group called British Muslims for Israel thinks calls for Israel's destruction are "nonsense" and condemn Hamas and Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade who are "determined to kill indiscriminately."

The group lobbies for Israel and highlights hypocrisy of Iran and Muslim dictatorships. A spokesman for the group, Hasan Afzal, explained in an interview with Channel 10 that Muslims in Israel are freer than they are under repressive Arab regimes.

The interview in English can be viewed here, after a short introduction in Hebrew by the interviewer.

Denmark: Drop in immigrant criminals

Denmark: Drop in immigrant criminals

Via Copenhagen Post:

Criminality among immigrants from non-western countries and their children has fallen dramatically, according to a new study by the Rockwool Foundation Research Unit.

In 1990 eleven percent of first-generation Danes from non-western countries had committed crimes. In 2006 that number was five percent.

Wilders: 'Time to unmask Muhammad'

Wilders: 'Time to unmask Muhammad'

Via Geert Wilders:

Today an op-ed piece from Geert Wilders was published in the Dutch magazine “HP de Tijd”. In this article he explains why Islam is a mortal danger. One must not only consider the Koran, but also the character of Muhammad who conceived the Koran and entirety of Islam.

To know why Islam is a mortal danger one must not only consider the Koran but also the character of Muhammad, who conceived the Koran and the entirety of Islam.

The Koran is not just a book. Muslims believe that Allah himself wrote it and that it was dictated to Muhammad in the original version, the Umm al-Kitab, which is kept on a table in heaven. Consequently one cannot argue with the contents. Who would dare to disagree with what Allah himself has written? This explains much of Muhammadan behaviour, from the violence of jihad to the hatred and persecution of Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims and apostates. What we in the West regard as abnormal, is perfectly normal for Islam.

(source)