UK: Healthy heart training for imams

Via Manchester Evening News:

The British Heart Foundation and QUIT are working together to encourage the Muslim community to stop smoking and lead a healthier lifestyle this Ramadan.

Statistics suggest that South Asians in the UK are 50 per cent more likely to die from heart disease than those in the general population .

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

As part of the Ramadan campaign, the BHF will be training 300 imams in major cities across the UK.

Trainees will receive information they need to help their congregation make positive lifestyle changes including stopping smoking, improving their diet and exercising more. The initiative will take place in Manchester, London, Blackburn and Bradford.

Qaim Zaidi, Ethnic Strategy Manager for the BHF said: “During Ramadan Muslims do not eat, drink or smoke from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. For many it’s the ideal time to kick the smoking habit and lead a healthier lifestyle. Stopping smoking is one of the most important things you can do to benefit your health.

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UN Court: Kosovo independence legal

Via BBC:

Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 did not break international law, top UN judges have ruled in a non-binding decision.

The International Court of Justice rejected Serbian claims that the move had violated its territorial integrity.

Kosovo officials said all doubt about its status had now been removed, but Serbia’s president insisted Belgrade would never recognise the secession.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The US and many EU countries support independence; Russia is opposed.

Addressing the court in The Hague, ICJ president Hisashi Owada said international law contained “no applicable prohibition” of Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

(Photo, Wikipedia)

“Accordingly, [the court] concludes that the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008 did not violate general international law,” he said.

Ten of the ICJ’s judges supported the opinion; four opposed it.

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Spain: Parliament rejects general burka ban bill

Via AP:

Spain’s Parliament on Tuesday rejected a proposal to ban women from wearing in public places Islamic veils that reveal only the eyes.

However, the Socialist government has said it favors including a ban on people wearing burqas in government buildings in an upcoming bill on religious issues to be debated after parliament’s summer vacation break.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Following a lower chamber debate, 183 lawmakers opposed the ban, 162 voted for it and two abstained.

The nonbinding proposal had been put forward by the leading opposition Popular Party, which portrayed it as a measure in support of women’s rights. The ruling Socialist Party opposed the ban.

“It is very difficult to understand how it is that our troops are defending liberty in Afghanistan and the government doesn’t have the courage to do so here, in Spain,” said opposition spokeswoman Soraya Saenz de Santamaria in Parliament.

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“This has been used politically in a search for electoral support,” said Mansur Escudero, president of the Islamic Commission of Spain. He said he last saw a woman wearing a burqa in Spain 10 years ago in the southern city of Marbella, where Saudi Arabia’s royal family and other wealthy Arab clans own large homes and estates.

Escudero said the woman could have been a tourist. The only woman he knew who regularly wore a burqa had lived in the southern city of Cordoba and died about a decade ago.

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Austria: Majority say asylum seekers ‘more criminal’

Via Austrian Times:

Austria’s struggle to present itself as a non-xenophobic country is set to continue as a poll revealed almost one in two Austrians think asylum seekers are “dishonest”.

Viennese public opinion research agency Karmasin found that 49 per cent of Austrians consider asylum seekers as generally “dishonest” people. A majority of 53 per cent told pollsters they agreed with the claim that asylum seekers “are more criminal than other society groups”, according to political weekly profil.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The magazine revealed that the Karmasin study also showed only one in four Austrians think asylum seekers “need protection”, while a meagre 16 per cent said they were “willing to integrate”.

Karmasin interviewed around 500 Austrians for their survey.

These findings come after 94.45 per cent of residents of the southern Burgenland districts of Jennersdorf, Güssing and Oberwart taking part in a referendum rejected plans to build an asylum seekers’ centre in the area.

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Italy: The Catholic Church theology of helping immigrants

Via LA Times:

Visually speaking, the John Paul II Canteen is more IKEA cafe than soup kitchen. Tucked away in a pleasant hillside neighborhood in Rome, it has clean lines, attractive furniture, track lighting and framed photographs, making it a welcome oasis for the immigrants who stream in daily from shelters, homeless camps and overcrowded apartments.

Strolling down the cafeteria line on a recent day, canteen coordinator Maurizio deStefano boasted about the quality of the free food, which today included farfalle pasta and meatballs, spinach, boiled eggs, cheese, bread and apples.

“The thing is,” he said, “there are so many Muslims that the menu often doesn’t have pork on it.”

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

That may be sacrilege in some Italian culinary circles — no prosciutto? no spaghetti alla carbonara? — but it’s hardly unexpected, considering Muslims are the largest group of immigrants in Italy. Still, as the name suggests, the John Paul II Canteen is run by Roman Catholics, not Muslims. Therein lies an interesting dynamic.

In Europe, as in the United States, the Roman Catholic Church has assumed a leading role as a protector of, and advocate for, immigrants. But whereas the largest bloc of migrants to the United States are Catholic, the majority of European immigrants are Muslim.

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“For the church, the perspective is … the right of the human person to be treated with dignity,” said Father Federico Lombardi, the chief Vatican spokesman. “It is a general principle; it’s not just a religious principle. It is more profound.”

European nationalists, Catholics among them, worry about the Islamicization of Europe, but the Vatican itself has been steadfast in its support for immigrants. If anything, Vatican officials see the growing secularization of Europe as a greater threat.

(…)

“It’s a theological conviction,” said Luigi Accattoli, a veteran Vatican correspondent for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

“But,” he added, “there’s also a very modern reason. It’s due to the strong convictions that [ Pope] John Paul II had on this subject, and this was due to his experience as a Pole. The Poles immigrated all over the world, and the Poles were political refugees who were escaping communism. And so John Paul II formulated a kind of right to immigration, and he did it very forcefully.”

(…)

There are those who believe the church could reap some benefits in showing kindness to Muslim immigrants in Europe.

For one, Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out recently about his concern for the treatment of Christians in predominantly Muslim countries. By treating Muslims well in Europe, one line of thinking goes, the church could influence the way Catholics are treated in the Mideast and elsewhere.

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Some European Catholics also suggest that the presence of so many Muslims, who are more visible in their faith than others in Europe, might, in effect, shock non-practicing Catholics back to their faith.

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Hague: Coup? What coup?

The former treasurer of the GSC ESDO football club, Jaap Kanters, told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that a Moroccan ‘coup was committed‘ in the club. The truth is completely different. Haaglandenvoetbal.nl investigated.

Many years ago, ESDO was forced to move out of their own complex and joined the GSC, who were struggling with declining membership numbers. The two clubs fused into GSC ESDO. Many former members of the Paraat club also joined the new club.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The GSC ESDO club continued having troubles and the Hague municipality threatened to terminate the rental contract for their fields. According to the municipality rules, a club must have a sufficient number of teams to apply for renting accommodations.

GSC ESDO made several attempts to turn the tide. They attempted to establish a women’s division, to start a youth football division. Those attempts didn’t have much success. Moreover, administrators left over time, either because they were getting on in years, or because they thought the younger generation should take over. As in many other clubs, this wasn’t so easy to turn into reality.

Several years ago a group of Moroccan football players joined the club. They ensured an in crease in the membership – which prevented the termination of the rental contract – and also made the club more competitive. More people came ot watch the game, and members from the Moroccan community announced their candidacy for board members. These candidates did well for the club, spoke fluent Dutch (some were born in the Netherlands), and were active in social issues.

The new board was voted in during a general meeting on November 2009, a month after the former board broke up. As the new board says on their website, every member was able to apply for the vacant positions, and “it surprises us that Mr. Kanters sees this as a coup”.

The new board started working for the club, and that resulted in winning the title in the fourth league, and for the first time, the club can join the third league this season. The new board highly values ‘values and norms’, and so last season they introduced for the premier team, that after the game, the players would honor the opposing team. This resulted in a nomination by the Zuid-Holland province.

The new board says that in the period between the installation of the new board and the end of the seasons, the members probably noticed that communications did not go smoothly between Mr. Kanters and the new board. This was partially due to the fact that the treasurer position was transferred from Mr. Kanters. They do not want to go into details, as this should be discussed between Mr. Kanters and the board, and they they will go to the media, it will be in the presence of Mr. Kanters, and they are convinced that this is the main reason why Mr. Kanters wants to leave the organization.

As for the departure of the recreational teams, they think the reason is because they’ve announced that starting next season soft-drugs and tobacco will not be allowed in the cafeteria and the dressing rooms. Alcohol and meat are not even up for discussion.

In De Telegraaf Kanters complained that most of the new board had been members for just a couple of years and had already been honored by the club.

Haaglandenvoetbal.nl reports that they were present when several of the ‘old-time ethnic Dutch members’ were thanked for their efforts and given gifts for their efforts in the recent season.

Haaglandenvoetbal.nl add that the De Telegraaf article already led to parliamentary questions by the PVV., and that it might have been wiser to first understand what exactly was going on.

Source: Haaglandenvoetbal.nl

Norway: Pakistanis grapple with questions of identity

Via DAWN:

For the first time since 9/11, about 4,800,000 Norwegians were threatened by a possible Al Qaeda terror plot . In a country generally associated with the Nobel Prize ceremony, the 160,000 Muslim population – which includes 30,000 Pakistanis – are now questioning their identity.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

(…)

Deputy speaker of the Norwegian Parliament, Akhtar Chauhdry, is a Pakistani immigrant who has made a name for himself in Norway. He is of the view that the Muslims in Norway, particularly more and more Pakistanis, are leaning towards religion which could be why their views have changed.

Even though there has been some talk of making an Islamic Emirate of Norway among some of the more radical fringe of Muslims in the country, the representatives from the Muslim community want more rights for Muslims in Norway.

One such individual is a second-generation Pakistani medical student, Bushra Ishaque who told DawnNews that efforts were being made to fight for the rights of Muslims. Ishaque said, “We want to be identified as Muslim, without explaining our identity, without the label of ‘terrorist.’”

In response to a question as to who has imposed the identity of terrorist on Muslims, Ishaque said, “This is due to circumstances such as the war on terrorism, 9/11, the ongoing war in Afghanistan, Palestine conflict, Iraq, how ethnic Norwegian see Muslims. They don’t care about your skin color. But if you’re a Muslim, that’s your identity. [To be honest] that scares people. A survey taken of the Norwegian attitude towards Islam showed that Norwegians are more afraid of a Muslim majority in Norway than they are about the current climate crisis.”

However, not everyone thinks like that. Maimoona Khan is a journalist and author who told DawnNews that immigrant Muslim communities were relying on more organisations which have religion as their common ground.”

Khan stated that although she was a religious person, religion is a personal affair. “I don’t have to defend my religion because I feel that is something between me and my God. I feel that identity is linked with a lot of things [and not just religion]. I have an ethnic background of which I’m very proud, I’m also proud of being Muslim [and at the same time], I’m living in Norway and this is the society I’m part of,” said Khan.

Khan also said all Norwegians are not Islamophobic. “I feel that it’s very important that we understand the fear on both sides, it’s not just us who are afraid of being stigmatised. It’s also the Norwegians who are afraid of losing their values. It might be irrational, but there is a fear. I mean we have to try to put ourselves in their shoes and try to understand why they are afraid.”

A member of the Norwegian parliament and a Pakistani, Hadia Tajik, stated that unfortunately there were some elements in society who wanted more space for themselves.

“They call themselves as Muslims but they have a very fundamentalist view of Islam and of our traditions. I think that generally, Norwegian Pakistanis do not share this view,” Tajik told DawnNews.

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Netherlands: Muslims unfazed by rise of anti-Islamic party

Via Hurriyet:

The rise of an anti-Islamic political party in recent Dutch elections leaves some Muslims in the Netherlands concerned for their future. Others, however, say the hostility is unlikely to last long because it is only a symptom of a lack of knowledge about the religion and does not reflect the day-to-day reality of their experience

Although Dutch voters gave the anti-Islamic party a boost in recent elections, Muslims in the Netherlands predict the hostile political atmosphere will be short lived, an idea bolstered by the fact that they are facing no increase in discrimination.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

In the recent general elections, Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom, or PVV, recorded significant gains and ended in a strong third place, with 24 seats out of 150 in parliament. Wilders campaigned on a platform that included ending immigration from Muslim countries and instituting a ban on new mosques and the Quran.

With coalition talks ongoing since the shock of Wilders’ election victory and debates continue over his possible participation in the Cabinet, many immigrants and Dutch people think the far-right’s surge in popularity is a temporary situation and does not reflect what they encounter in daily life. And, generally, they don’t take Wilders seriously.

“Although we don’t receive the anti-Islam party’s election success favorably and describe Wilders as a racist, we believe that this was not because of increasing discrimination in this country,” İslam Erkal told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. He also said he thought the political atmosphere would change soon.

The negative image that minorities in Holland – especially Turks – face is nuanced: Religious stereotypes, as evidenced by Gert Wilders’ party, that depict Muslims as criminals and the question of whether immigrants are integrating into European society remain as obstacles.

The Turkish Institute in the Netherlands serves to eradicate these prejudices by informing Dutch society about Turkey and its people. “It’s been two-and-a-half years since we were founded,” Turkish Institute Director Lily Sprangers said. “We still need time to change Turkey’s image.”

Whether Turkish immigrants have integrated into Dutch society is still debated, even within the Turkish community. “We can’t say Turkish immigrants have integrated into Dutch society yet,” said Zihni Özdil, program manager at the Turkish Institute. He said Turks in the Netherlands rank lowest among immigrants in the country when it comes to participating in social activities.

“The question is whether Turkish immigrants are going to become Turkish Dutch or whether they will segregate themselves,” he said. Integration means “the Dutch will become a little bit Turkish and the Turkish will become a little bit Dutch. But except in some underdeveloped countries, there is no example of this kind of ideal integration.”

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Denmark: Can I fight for a Christian country?

A recent Q&A on Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad’s religion portal led to a storm of opinions.

The question:

Salaam alakayium, I’m a boy of 18 who wants to ask a question: I’ve been to the army’s [recruiting] day in Slagelse, and I was born and raised in Denmark. When I’m thinking about it now, my parents are from Pakistan and I’m from Denmark.

So my question is: is military service permitted by Islam, and what now, if I’m considering being a soldier for Denmark or doing some form of training in defense of the country where I will live my whole life?

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Is it permitted to be a soldier and fight for a Christian country which has so many Muslims? And if it’s not allowed, in which way, and if it’s allowed, in which way? I’m really confused on this issue.

Mohammad

Answer:

Wa aleikum al salam,

It’s allowed to do military training in a non-Muslim country, if during the training you can still practice Islam and at the same time, it’s not required that you carry out acts which are not permitted in Islam, including serving as a silent and obedient slave-soldier for oppressive governments, which unfortunately wage wars for their own interest above the people’s welfare.

For example, I can’t see who a Muslim can be stationed in Afghanistan, without at the same time helping to support oppression, which unfortunately is taking place.

I can see possibilities elsewhere though. Some of the military training can be done while at the same time keeping away from the wars, our government has gotten involved in. You’re not forced to be stationed abroad. You can easily serve as a soldier at home. This depends though on the training you’re taking.

With my limited knowledge in this area, I think that combat troops are forced to be stationed abroad when you’re finished training, while people in the Royal Guard have the option of serving in Denmark and not getting involved in the government’s foreign affairs.

I therefore advise to explore your options and choose those that suit you best.

I myself have great interest in the military and strongly considered after finishing high-school (HF) to start military training, but dropped the idea and put other priorities ahead of it. If you are passionate about it, I again advise you to explore your options.

You can inquires by the army and explain to them your situation or go through their website: forsvaret.dk.

Sincerely,
Mohammad Al-Jizani
Shia Muslim and student

Mohammad Al-Jizani is the editor of the Shia debate forum www.shiaonline.dk.

This led to quite a few opinion pieces in response.

Theologist Bo Grünberger:

“.. a democratic government’s attempt to defeat a barbaric regime, which publicly beheads people, bans music and forces women and men into a fanciful hell of a prophet’s dream, can’t be called oppressive, unless there is something very wrong with one’s perception of reality,” wrote Bo Grünberger, who also criticized Kristeligt Dagblad for using Mohammad Al-Jizani as a responder.

As did Johan Aa, who thinks Mohammad Al-Jizani’s answer is an expression of a different form of oppression.

“Is this the image that Al-Jizani himself – in a distorted understanding of religion – wants to serve as a silent and obedient slave-solder for an oppressive Islam?”

Other Muslims also joined in the debate, including Safia Aoude, a jurist and teacher at a Muslim school.

“Muslims are obligated to defend their homes, both by the Koran and the Prophet’s example, and therefore also the country where you and your family live in. Therefore it’s not only permitted, but also laudable and benefits the community, if you get military training, for example, the Danish army,” says Safia Aoude, who stresses that the Danish army allows you to opt out of participating directly in war.

“If you don’t want to fight for Denmark, for example, in other parts of the world, the Danish military system leaves you plenty of opportunities to do civil service. In recent years the military in Denmark did a lot to give a place to the religious needs of Muslim soldiers during training and service, although it hasn’t yet introduced a hijab uniform, but I’m certain that will also come sooner or later,” wrote Safia Aoude.

Aminah Tønnsen, a Muslim lecturer and author of several books about Islam, criticized the war in Afghanistan.

“In my view there’s nothing to prevent a Muslim from training for the Danish army. However, it’s problematic if he’s then stationed in war-like conditions, as the Koran only permits defensive war,” wrote Aminah Tønnsen, who generally rejects the belief that war is a solution.

“I don’t think that you can establish people, freedom and democracy by force of arms, death and destruction,” writes Aminah Tønnsen.

The fierce debate led Mohammad Al-Jizani to respond:

“Overall, I’m very much aware how oppressive and barbaric is the Taliban. I myself am a strong opponent of theirs. Therefore I think that such tyrants should be removed from power. I don’t support, though, anybody who wants them removed. A superpower like the USA have their own interests in the country, and I don’t think that moral people should support them,” wrote Mohammad Al-Jizani and added that his answer shouldn’t be seen as a criticism of Danish soldiers.

“I have a lot of respect for our soldiers and veterans, and I’m convinced that they do it in good faith and really want to help the Afghans and make a difference down there, which is a noble idea. Additionally, I have friends who’ve been stationed in Afghanistan and I’ve talked a lot with them about the war. This doesn’t mean though that I exclude other opinions and don’t look at the war objectively. The war is unjustified and I prefer that people don’t get involved in it, but instead serve in Denmark. It’s much more noble to defend and serve one’s country than to wage war against others,” wrote Mohammad Al-Jizani.

Source: Kristeligt Dagblad (Danish)

Denmark: More 2nd generation immigrants buying residences

A third of non-Western second generation immigrants aged 30 own their residences, reports Statistics Denmark. The same goes for 40% of non-Western second generation immigrants aged 35.

Descendants of immigrants are getting into the ownership market much more than their parents. 21-29% of non-Western immigrants live in their own residence. Among those over 50 the percentage is highest at 29%.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Immigrants and their descendants are less likely to buy a residence than somebody of Danish origin.

Half of Danish 30 year old live in their own residence, as does a majority (61%) of all people between 25 and 60. That’s 64% among Danes, 42% for Western immigrants and 26% for non-Western immigrants.

48% of descendants of Western immigrants live in their own residence, compared to 33% of non-Western descendants. Statistics Denmark concludes that’s because the descendants of non-Western immigrants are very young.

The percent of residence owners generally increases with age, until people are in their 60s. 33% of those aged 25-29, 56% of people in their thirties 30-39, 65% of people in their forties, and the greatest share of 68% of those in their fifties, live in their own residence.

Source: Fyens.dk (Danish)