Antwerp: Sharia Sisters responsible for false charges of sexual abuse

Disclaimer: I'm not coming out of retirement.. but I thought this was interesting, and couldn't find an English source to show people.

The story started when a teacher was accused of sexually abusing kindergarten kids in the Antwerp school De Blokkendoos, this past June.  For days parents protested outside the school, and finally the school was forced to close a week ahead of the summer vacation. The teacher and administration of the school also received death threats and had to go into hiding.  The case has not been officially closed, but the Mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever recently announced that the teacher had been wrongly accused.

And this is where it gets interesting.

So Long (and thanks for all the fish)

So Long (and thanks for all the fish)

I've been putting off writing this post, but I can't put this off forever: I'm closing down my blog.  This blog has always been a hobby, and as happens in life, I've moved on to other things.  I've also discovered that it's not really healthy for me to read thousands of news articles a day and to be aware of every tragedy and scandal across the continent.

Comments are still welcome, and every now and then I'll moderate them.  All related email lists will be shut down.

Blog vacation

Dear Readers,

I 'll be going on blog-vacation for the month of June.

I'll continue to monitor comments, though much less often.  Commentators who do not follow the comment policy will be banned. 

If your comment is not accepted by the automatic moderation system, try rephrasing it.

Esther

Macedonia: "Al-Qaeda had training camps in Macedonia"

Macedonia: "Al-Qaeda had training camps in Macedonia"

Via B92:

Al-Quaeda had three training camps in Macedonia, claims retired professor of the Skopje Faculty of Security Ivan Babamovski.

(...)

Babamovski stated that 25 members of "an ethnic group" in Macedonia had undergone terrorist training in Tehran, Iran, and that one of the leaders of that community had been to Qom, the Shia spiritual center, where he was trained in leading groups related to terrorism. 

(source)

Prague: International conference on Islamic banking

Prague: International conference on Islamic banking

Via Radio Praha:

Islamic banking is today the fastest growing segment of the financial system, and is also considered a more honest and fairer alternative to conventional banking. Cihad Erginay is the Turkish ambassador to Prague, and head of the local group of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation which organized the event.

“There was great interest on the subject from our Czech colleagues, Czech bankers and journalists who kept asking us about it and expressed their interest because they saw that Islamic banks were not as affected by the economic crisis that we see today. That led us to think that it could be interesting to organize such a conference. And as you can see from the participation, there is great interest in the subject.”  

(source)

UK: MPs want curbs on 'unacceptable' religious slaughter

UK: MPs want curbs on 'unacceptable' religious slaughter


Via the BBC:

The government is facing renewed calls to curb the slaughtering of animals that have not first been rendered unconscious - a debate that pits religious sensitivities against the convictions of animal welfare campaigners.

Senior Conservative backbencher Greg Knight has told MPs that the practice of slaughtering cattle, lambs and chickens in this way is "rife".

(source)

Norway: Somalis, Afghans and Iraqis top list of new citizens

Norway: Somalis, Afghans and Iraqis top list of new citizens

The original article's headline is a bit misleading, since the three groups together make up about 30% of new citizens.

Via Views and News from Norway:

Norway attracted 14,300 new citizens last year and around 2,100 came from Somalia, which ranked as the largest single group of immigrants taking on Norwegian nationality. More than half of all Norway’s new citizens are women. 

(source)

Azerbaijan: Eurovision Terror, Assassination Plots Foiled

Azerbaijan: Eurovision Terror, Assassination Plots Foiled

The news reports don't mention when these arrests took place. 

Via Bloomberg:

Azerbaijan said its agents foiled plots by Islamic rebels to kill foreigners at the Eurovision song contest in Baku and assassinate President Ilham Aliyev.

Azeri law-enforcement officials killed two members of the armed group, including its leader, and arrested 40 more, the National Security Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today. The rebels have links to insurgents in the Dagestan region of neighboring Russia, according to the ministry. 

(source)

UK: Prisoners under pressure to convert to Muslim 'gang'

UK: Prisoners under pressure to convert to Muslim 'gang'


Via the Telegraph:

Inmates at HMP Whitemoor told researchers commissioned by the Ministry of Justice that they changed their faith for protection or because they were bullied into it.

Prison guards said they had a policy of “appeasement” towards the powerful and growing Islamic population, particularly convicted terrorists who were feared to be recruiting future extremists.

Non-believers avoided confrontation with any Muslim in case it led to retribution from the wider group, and said they even avoided cooking pork or bacon in communal kitchens or undressing in the showers in case it caused offence.  

(source)

Sweden: Moroccan-Swede singer wins Eurovision Song Contest

Sweden: Moroccan-Swede singer wins Eurovision Song Contest