Germany: German terror suspect warns of terror attacks in Germany, Europe

Germany: German terror suspect warns of terror attacks in Germany, Europe


Via Deutsche Welle:

German news magazine Der Spiegel says authorities are investigating reports that a German-born Islamic extremist arrested in Afghanistan has warned of possible terrorist attacks in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

The man, identified as Ahmad S, reportedly has ties to the Taiba mosque in Hamburg where the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks met. German authorities closed the mosque last month. The Spiegel report says Ahmad S made the statement under interrogation by the US military at Bagram military prison.

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Germany: Muslim youth violence a problem, says Merkel

Germany: Muslim youth violence a problem, says Merkel

Via Deutsche Welle:

Chancellor Angela Merkel has waded into a contentious debate on immigration in Germany as Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin, unfazed by widespread criticism of his views on race, threatened to fight his dismissal.

Speaking to German weekly Bild am Sonntag, Angela Merkel said it would be wrong to play down statistics that show religious Muslim youths in Germany to be more prone to violence than the rest of the population.

"This is a big problem and we can talk about it openly, without arousing suspicions of xenophobia," Merkel said in the interview published on Sunday, September 5.

But Merkel warned against automatically linking certain religions with violence.

"This is misleading," she said. "Violence among young people is often a sign that they see no perspective for themselves. All that helps is education, education, education."

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Germany: 63% don't think immigration making country dumber

Germany: 63% don't think immigration making country dumber

Via The Local:

Nearly two-thirds of Germans disagree with controversial central banker Thilo Sarrazin’s claim that rampant immigration is making Germany “dumber,” a poll released Friday has found.

A poll published by the news magazine Focus reported that 63 percent of respondents disagreed and 31 percent agreed with the proposition – a key claim in Sarrazin’s anti-immigration arguments that have sparked furious debate this week.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, told the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet in an interview published Friday that Sarrazin’s claims were “absurd.”

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Germany/Netherlands: Immigrants more sexually active

Germany/Netherlands: Immigrants more sexually active

Two recent studies in Germany and the Netherlands examined the sexual behavior of young people. Both found differences between the ethnic population and immigrants.

Another point: Almost 30% of the population sample in the German study were immigrants. Is that representative?

Spain: Muslims upset at Mecca disco

Spain: Muslims upset at Mecca disco

Paris mosque: Burger chain not fully halal

Paris mosque: Burger chain not fully halal

Via AP:

Note to big companies hoping to tap into France's lucrative but long-neglected Muslim consumer market: Pitfalls may await, and not only in the form of complaints from the far-right.

As of this week, 22 outlets of popular French fast food chain Quick are serving burgers it says respect Islamic dietary law. And while many Muslims are delighted, the powerful main Paris Mosque complained Thursday that Quick's criteria aren't all-encompassing enough, and that the operation is meaningless.

Quick's meat is certified as halal, but Cheikh Al Sid Cheikh, assistant to the rector of the Paris Mosque, said the burger chain should have had the other ingredients checked as well, from its mustard to buns to fries.

"The rest must be validated too, or else there's no point," he told The Associated Press. Quick responded that it has no intention of making any of its restaurants halal through-and-through — beer is still served there, for example, said spokeswoman Valerie Raynal.

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Sweden: Immigrants Now Paid To Learn Swedish

Sweden: Immigrants Now Paid To Learn Swedish

Via SR:

On Wednesday, a new law takes effect in Sweden that will pay immigrants taking state-funded Swedish language classes up to almost 2,000 U.S. dollars, tax-free, for completing the program within a year.

Running this incentive program is expected to cost over 10 million U.S. dollars and has come under strong criticism from teachers and researchers for patronizing students.

But Sweden's integration minister, Nyamko Sabuni, defends the new law. According to her, there is a culture of staying in the classes for a long time, but the new law will encourage students to move through quickly.

Denmark: Ramadan celebration in Parliament

Denmark: Ramadan celebration in Parliament

The Danish People's Party and Christian Democrats are trying to stop a controversial end-of-Ramadan meal to be held in Parliament.

In a joint complaint to the Parliament chairman, Thor Pedersen (V), the two parties say that the parliament building shouldn't be used for such thins, and that the event conflicts with the constitution, which says that Denmark has freedom of religion, not equality of religions.

Germany: Public split on fate of race row banker

Germany: Public split on fate of race row banker

Via Reuters:

German public opinion is deeply split over the fate of a central banker whose disparaging comments about Muslim immigrants have triggered a heated debate on race and integration, surveys showed on Wednesday.

Over the past week and a half, Thilo Sarrazin has dominated headlines with criticism of Germany's large Muslim community, and contentious remarks asserting that Jews have a particular genetic makeup.

(...)

A survey by pollster Emnid for N24 television showed 51 percent of respondents saw no need for the Bundesbank to fire board member Sarrazin, with 32 percent taking the opposite view.

But another poll by YouGov for Bild newspaper said 42 percent considered Sarrazin no longer acceptable for the job, with 34 percent seeing him as still acceptable and 25 percent undecided. Both surveys polled around 1,000 Germans.

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Sweden: Hijab a problem for getting a job

Sweden: Hijab a problem for getting a job