Germany: Politician Blasted for Support of Islamic Law

Germany: Politician Blasted for Support of Islamic Law

Via Spiegel:

Most politicians in Germany have gotten the message: The quickest way to spark a career-damaging controversy is to make a facile comment about Nazis or the Holocaust. Media critics and political opponents are quick to pounce.

But that isn't the only way to attract unwanted attention, as Jochen Hartloff, the interior minister of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, found out this week. In an interview with the Berlin tabloid BZ, Hartloff said that Sharia law, in a "modern form," would be acceptable in Germany. In comments published on Friday in the center-left daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, he added that Islamic moral code "is certainly conceivable when it comes to questions pertaining to civil law."

Hartloff, a politician from the center-left Social Democrats, made clear that he was referring specifically to family law issues such as divorce settlements and alimony, but also certain instances of contract law in which devout Muslims seek to avoid paying interest. Applying Sharia rules, he said, could help avoid hostility in such cases.

(source)

France: Not all civilisations equal, minister says

France: Not all civilisations equal, minister says

Russia: Islamist chief orders halt to civilian attacks

Russia: Islamist chief orders halt to civilian attacks

Via Expatica:

The leader of Russia's Islamist rebels ordered a halt to attacks on civilians, saying mass opposition protests showed the public no longer supported Vladimir Putin, according to a video posted Friday.

(...)

"I order all special groups that are carrying out or plan to carry out special operations in Russia to put a halt to these operations that could hurt the peaceful population," Doku Umarov said in a video address posted on the rebel mouthpiece kavkazcenter.com.

(source)

Netherlands: Freedom Party shocked by integration report

Netherlands: Freedom Party shocked by integration report

Via RNW:

Freedom Party MP Joram van Klaveren says the annual integration report from the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) paints a “shocking” picture of crime among non-Western ethnic minorities.

The SCP report is not due to be published until 8 February but, according to the anti-Islam Freedom Party, the figures show that Moroccans and Antilleans are more than five times as likely to be crime suspects than indigenous Dutch people.

(source)

Flanders: Minister proposes youth movements for immigrants

Flanders: Minister proposes youth movements for immigrants

Via brusselnieuws.be:

Flemish minister Pascal Smet (SP.A) is considering starting a special youth movement for and by immigrants. This after the Council of Europe concluded that the existing youth movements are not succeeding in bringing together Flemish and immigrant youth.

The Felmish youth movement are split on the issue. Jill Marchantof Chiro Brussels says that it's not a good idea and immigrant youth should be placed in the existing youth movements. Marchant worked with the BINT project for teenag girls from Molenbeek who wanted to be counselors. Chiro Youth of Flanders says that separte youth movements means giving up on the idea of real coexistence in society. They say that instead the existing groups should be more open to experimination and to being truly open for immigrant children. 14% of their members are of non-Belgian origin.

The Scouts movement in Flanders said they're aware of the problem and can understand Smet's proposal. The immigrant and traditional youth movement should cooperate together and the latter should be open for diversity.

Germany: Muslim arbitration affects court decisions

Germany: Muslim arbitration affects court decisions

Via DW:

Joachim Wagner, who has written a book on the topic called "Judges acting outside the law," can see the positive aspect of that tradition, but his research has also yielded many negative examples.

In an interview with DW, Wagner describes one of 16 cases he analyzes in his book. In that case, a man shoots another in the foot. Later, the victim's brother takes revenge and shoots the perpertrator in the leg. Both cases go to court.

According to Wagner, Muslim mediators from Sweden and Germany are consulted, resulting in a watering-down of the original statements in the course of the lawsuit. The shooting in the foot is now seen more as accidental.

Wagner claims the case is a typical example of how statements change and lead to a wrong and unfair ruling. In the end, the German court handed down a sentence of nine months on probation - too lenient in Wagner's opinion. If both the victims and the perpetrators had stuck to their original statements, the sentence would have most likely been harsher.

(source)

Moscow: High-ranking Interior Ministry officials suspected of extortion from Muslim community

Moscow: High-ranking Interior Ministry officials suspected of extortion from Muslim community

Via Interfax:

Federal Security Service officials have submitted to the Prosecutor General's Office materials stating that several high-ranking officials from the Interior Ministry's Main Department for the Prevention of Extremism extorted a large amount of money from a Moscow Muslim community, Kommersant daily reports.

"The Federal Security Service officers obtained information that a major extortion incident had occurred in the Moscow Lefortovsky market before the New year holidays. According to that information, a group of police officers went to the market under the pretext of an inspection, suspended the market's operation and demanded 1 million rubles from traders for permission to resume work," Kommersant writes.

(...)

According to Kommersant, the police said they were checking reports stating that there was an illegal extremist center disguised as a prayer room at the market, which was visited by Muslim traders and Tajik workers from nearby construction sites.

(source)

UK: Muslim teenager 'hit for kissing white man'

UK: Muslim teenager 'hit for kissing white man'

Via the BBC:

A Muslim teenager from Hampshire was kidnapped, imprisoned and had her hair cut off after her siblings saw her kiss a white man, a court has heard.

Winchester Crown Court heard Shamima Akhtar, 18, was attacked by her family in Basingstoke in April of last year. The prosecution said the case was about "honour-based domestic violence".

Her sisters Nazira, 29, and Nadiya, 25, and brother Kayum Mohammed-Abdul, 24, deny kidnap, false imprisonment and causing actual bodily harm.

(source)

London: Youth jail inmates converting to Islam for protection, easier lifestyle

London: Youth jail inmates converting to Islam for protection, easier lifestyle

Via the Daily Mail:

A third of inmates at one of Britain’s most notorious youth jails are Muslims and the religion is attracting a large number of converts.

(...)

‘The popularity of the faith has surprised people. We are seeing a large number of inmates converting to Islam.'

He added: ‘There is a difference between mainstream believers and extremists, but the fear is that some in the jail are being radicalised.

'Others convert for protection or to have what they believe is an easier lifestyle.’

(source)

Belgium: Muslim Executive asks mosques to shelter homeless

Belgium: Muslim Executive asks mosques to shelter homeless

Via HLN (Dutch)

On Wednesday the Muslim Executive asked Belgian mosques to open their doors to the homeless and others in need during the cold wave.

The Executive was responding to a request of Brussels MP Fouad Ahidar (sp.a), who said he was very happy that the Muslim Executive took responsibilty to take care for the victims of the cold wave.

Ahidar also called the Brussels authorities to use MIVB buses to transport the homeless to shelters.