Serbia: Soccer player banned from national team over anthem

Serbia: Soccer player banned from national team over anthem

Spain: Real Madrid removes cross from UAE partnership logo

Spain: Real Madrid removes cross from UAE partnership logo

left: Real Madrid logo, right: new logo of the Real Madrid
resort island in the United Arab Emirates

Switzerland: Federal Court rules segregated swimming not a religious freedom right

Switzerland: Federal Court rules segregated swimming not a religious freedom right

Via the Local:

(...)

The parents argued that, in accordance with the teachings of the Koran, they wanted to instil a sense of shame in their children before they reached puberty. Mixed swimming lessons in primary school, the family claimed, would be incompatible with such an aim.

Following the family’s appeal of the original Administrative Court verdict, the Federal Court decided to uphold the fine. The court stated that the obligation to participate in mixed swimming classes did not represent a significant assault on the family’s religious freedom.

(source)

Surrey: Islamic archery revived in mosque

Surrey: Islamic archery revived in mosque

London: Muslim women complain about lack of women-only facilities

London: Muslim women complain about lack of women-only facilities

Via Hounslow Chronicle (h/t The LibertyPhile)

A GROUP of Muslim women claim that Hounslow Council is not doing enough for their exercise needs.

They say that due to religious constraints they can not exercise when there is a man about, even if he is the instructor.

Basel: Family loses appeal over swimming lesson fine

Basel: Family loses appeal over swimming lesson fine

Via SwissInfo:

A court says that fines imposed on Muslim parents in canton Basel-City for keeping their children out of mandatory school swimming lessons were correct.

A cantonal administrative court on Friday threw out the appeal of a Muslim couple against their fine, ruling that it was not in breach of freedom of religion and conscience.

The parents were fined SFr1,400 ($1,816) last year – in the first move of its kind - after they withdrew their daughters aged seven and nine from the school swimming lessons.

(source)

Germany: Muslim footballers allowed to eat during Ramadan

Germany: Muslim footballers allowed to eat during Ramadan

A similar ruling was made last year.

Via the Local:

The Central Council of Muslims said it was advising professional football players in Germany that they need not fast during Islam's holy month of Ramadan ahead of the regular season resuming Friday.

"The professional player can make up the fasting days during periods when there is no match and in that way show his respect for God and the holy month of Ramadan," council president Aiman Mazyek said in a statement.

(source)

Lithuania: Muslim basketball player says religion might be reason he's excluded from national team

Lithuania: Muslim basketball player says religion might be reason he's excluded from national team

Germany: Turkish female footballer to host sports show

Germany: Turkish female footballer to host sports show

Austria: Muslim leader resigns for saying sport unhealthy for women

Austria: Muslim leader resigns for saying sport unhealthy for women

Via AP:

The vice president of Austria's Islamic community says he is resigning after local media quoted him as saying too much sport is unhealthy for women.

Ahmet Hamidi says he has been misquoted, but is stepping down to deflect possible criticism of the Islamic community.

Hamidi, a doctor of internal medicine, was quoted last week as telling a Vienna daily that "too much sport is not good for the female organism, this has been clearly proven."

He said Friday that he said only that extreme sports can have negative results for women, and that he offered that opinion as a doctor and not as a functionary of the Islamic community.

(source)

Antwerp: Mosques propose stewards against football riots

Antwerp: Mosques propose stewards against football riots

Via De Standaard (Dutch):

Representatives of the 43 mosques of the Antwerp Mosque Consultative Body condemned the recent riots in Borgerhout after football matches. They say they're reaching out to the city council in order to better guide Moroccan youth and their parents. Mayor Patrick Janssens (sp.a) applauds the initiative.

Furthermore, Nordine Taouil, chairman of the Muslim council, proposes that in the future they will provide stewards that could intervene and mediate when there are problems with the police.

Germany: Sports Clubs Seek to Attract Young Muslim Women

Germany: Sports Clubs Seek to Attract Young Muslim Women

US: Farah sets European record in 10,000m

US: Farah sets European record in 10,000m

Antwerp: Rioting following Morocco - Algeria match

Antwerp: Rioting following Morocco - Algeria match

Via VRT:

The Antwerp suburb of Borgerhout was the scene of rioting by immigrant youngsters last night following a soccer match between Morocco and Algeria.

A large group of youngsters gathered and started hurling stones. One youngster even threw a petrol bomb. Some thirty youths were detained. Four were arrested on vandalism charges.

Antwerp police say that video pictures will be used to identify other vandals.

There were disturbances at the Kiel, but the atmosphere turned most nasty in Borgerhout where two hundred youngsters had massed. Stones rained on the police and several vehicles were damaged.

(source)

France: Sports minister sets up anti-racism body

France: Sports minister sets up anti-racism body

Via AFP:

French Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno on Monday announced the setting up of a committee to fight against discrimination in sports headed by former Olympic fencing champion Laura Flessel.

"We can't say whether discrimination is on the rise. In any case, they are being revealed more often," Jouanno said.

"Internet has freed speech and made discrimination more visible."

(source)

France: Anger at football race quota claims

France: Anger at football race quota claims

Via the Connexion:

CLAIMS that French football bosses want to cut the number of blacks and Arabs in Les Bleus have prompted sports minister Chantal Jouanno to demand an explanation.

News website Mediapart said it had information Fédération Française de Football officials had discussed limiting the number of black and Arab players being recruited to elite training schools to 30%.

There were claims of a lack of “national identity” in the French squad after the shame of the “strike” and then exit from last year’s world cup. National officials were said to be reacting to a widespread problem of young players with dual-nationality.

Mediapart reported FFF officials had secretly approved unofficial quotas as, the website claimed, “there were too many blacks, too many Arabs and not enough white players in French football”.

(source)

Basel: Muslim families refuse swimming lessons despite fines

Basel: Muslim families refuse swimming lessons despite fines

Via WRS:

Five Muslim families in Basel who refused to send their daughters to mixed-sex swimming lessons have not changed their minds after being fined.

A CHF 350 fine was given to each parent in August last year.

(...)

The families are being supported by a benefactor who has paid one of the fines already and promises that three other penalties will be paid.

(source)

Helsinki: City to stop Muslim-only pool hours

Helsinki: City to stop Muslim-only pool hours

Via YLE (h/t Tundra Tabloids):

The City of Helsinki will stop reserving special hours for Muslim women to use the public pool in Jakomäki. In the future, the timeslot for Muslim ladies will be open to all women.

Other swimmers had criticised the practice, according to Teemu Raatikainen, who manages the pool.

Previously, the Jakomäki swimming hall blocked off Saturday mornings specifically for Muslim women. The women's session followed a swimming class for Muslim girls.

(source)

France: Football star attacks French racism

France: Football star attacks French racism

Sweden: Bringing youth together with sport

Sweden: Bringing youth together with sport

Via SR:

In the city of Nörrsköping the project Sport Without Borders - idrott utan gränser - is an integration project, trying to bring children together across cultures.

Admir Lukacevic is, the founder and project leader of Sport Without Borders. He started off in Landskrona, in southern Sweden, where he decided to use sport to bridge social divides.

"At first some of the children are a bit uncertain about the other,s they're not from the same background or share the same values, but after they get the ball, it's all forgotten."

(more)