Netherlands: Muslim Brotherhood youth group The Federation of Islamic Organizations In Europe (FIOE), representing the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, has announced that its Dutch member organization has established a new youth and student organization.
EU: Human Rights Commissioner against burka ban Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights for the Council of Europe writes that he’s against a burka or niqab ban.
Prague: Al-Yaman releases new album The band Al-Yaman, meaning Yemen in Arabic, was the outcome of a meeting between two distant worlds: Czech musician and music producer Aleš Hyvnar and Ashwaq Abdulla Kulaib, a Yemeni woman who has lived in Prague since the fall of communism. This unlikely connection led to their first CD in 2004, and they have since performed at clubs and festivals in the Czech Republic and beyond.
Germany: Importing Germany's Imams With Germany lacking schools of Islamic theology, Muslim congregations have long imported religious leaders. As Germany considers steps to create more homegrown imams, countries like Turkey — which sends state-employed imams to Europe to serve large segments of the Turkish diaspora — are filling the gap
Paris: 'Baghdad ring' on trial A group of 28 suspected members of one of Europe's biggest people-smuggling rings went on trial today in Paris where they risk jail sentences of up to ten years. The “Baghdad ring” of smugglers charged between 10,000 euros and 15,000 euros (14,000 and 20,000 dollars) to migrants seeking passage to Britain, Ireland, Sweden and Norway, according to French prosecutors. The migrants were mostly Kurds from northern Iraq but some also came from Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China, reaching France after a long dangerous journey through Turkey, Greece and Italy
Europe: 50-70% support burka ban In a couple of related stories: 1. The Swiss government confirmed it does not intend to impose a ban on burkas, as few women actually wear the burka, and it would be difficult to enforce ( EN ) 2. In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders said a ban on headscarves for all public institutions in Almere and the Hague would be central to having the PVV join the municipal coalition. Wilders stressed this ban will not affect crosses or Jewish skull caps because those are 'symbols of religions which belong to our own culture, are not, like the headscarves, a symbol of an oppressive totalitarian ideology”.
Opinion: Why don't the Jews join us? An orthodox Jewish reader once asked me why Islam-critics criticize EVERYTHING about Islam.
Brussels/London: British Council debates on European Muslims Europe is Failing its Muslims Tuesday, 23rd February 2010, 6:45 PM – 8:30 PM Cadogan Hall, London The British Council in conjunction with Intelligence Squared organise a free debate: We hear endlessly in the media that European Muslims are failing to integrate; that they should stop wearing the burka and building mosques with minarets; that like the rest of us, they must learn to tolerate insults to their religion however painful that may be. But isn’t the boot really on the other foot
France: Minister denies he converted to Islam The debate on Islam in Europe is usually painted in black and white. Nationalists/racists on one hand and Muslims/immigrants on the other. But the recent French debate was not driven by extreme right-wingers
CNN: Naser Khader, Tariq Ramadan and Ayaan Hirsi Ali This seems to be a segment of a much larger discussion. I’ll update the post when the entire episode is up. Meanwhile, to sum up: Hirsi Ali: This is not a debate about religion, but about social and political values and there is There is a clash between Muslim values and European values.