France: Religious leaders concerned about Islam debate Via AFP : Leaders of six religions on Wednesday voiced concern that a debate on France’s secular nature and Islam planned by President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing party could lead to confusion and stigmatisation. The text signed by Roman Catholic, Protestant, Christian Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist leaders described secularism as “a pillar of our republican pact, a basis of our democracy, a foundation of our desire to live together.” “Let’s take care not to squander this precious gain,” they warned, saying it was “capital during this pre-election period, to calmly stay the course by avoiding lumping things together and the risks of stigmatisation.” ( source )

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Cologne: Explosives found near football stadium, man arrested Via AP : German police found possibly explosive devices near a football (soccer) stadium after arresting a man who may have been planning attacks, authorities said Thursday.

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Sweden: Gov’t targets religious prejudice Via the Local : Sweden’s government has announced plans to chart the extent of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the country, as it attempts to counteract the spread of intolerance towards minorities. The government is to task the state-run Living History Forum (Forum för levande historia) with preparing a report on the issue by August 19th.

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Shaykh Fath al-Mowsily relates, once I saw a young boy walking through the jungle. It appeared as if he was uttering some words

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EU: Muslim students warn Obama world is not US playground Via FNA : The Union of Islamic Student Associations in Europe in a letter warned US President Barrack Obama to stop oppression against Muslim nations and support for long-time US allies and dictators in the region, saying that Islamic awakening, inspired by the Iranian Revolution, is spreading throughout the world and that the world is no more the US playground. “Unlike the past, the world is no longer your playground where you make up rules and force them upon oppressed nations in order to determine their destiny.

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Germany: Minister wants Muslims to root out Islamists Via the Local : German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said on Tuesday Muslims should help root out Islamists in their community, announcing a new initiative targeting extremists like the one responsible for a recent deadly attack on US soldiers in Frankfurt.

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Denmark: 32% want to ban halal butchering Via the Copenhagen Post : In Denmark, where a majority are either Christian or without religion, halal meat is increasingly common. We just don’t know it.

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Sweden: Researchers explore Somali-autism link Via the Local : Swedish researchers want to gain access to a databank of blood tests taken from all babies born in Sweden in order to shed light on an apparent heightened incidence of autism among the country’s Somali population.

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EU: Slight drop in 2010 asylum applications Via Eurostat ( PDF ): In 2010, there were 257 800 asylum applicants registered in the EU27, or 515 applicants per million inhabitants. It is estimated that around 90% of these were new applicants and around 10% were repeat applicants2.

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Sweden: Islamic Association invites antisemitic preacher Swedish journalist Per Gudmundson adds on his blog that Sweden’s Young Muslims are inviting Jamal Badawi to their upcoming youth conference . Per the Investigative Project on Terrorism ( PDF ), Badawi justifies suicide attacks as legitimate war tactics. Sweden suffered its first suicide attack this past December.

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