Denmark: Is Islam a problem for social cohesion? (Is the presence of Islam a problem for social cohesion?, Uriasposten ) A couple of weeks ago I posted an article about a poll conducted in Denmark for Jyllands-Posten. One of the questions was “to what degree do you see the presence of Islam in Denmark as a problem for social cohesion?”, and according to Jyllands-Posten, 55% answered in the affirmative .
Chechnya: Sharia law threatens Moscow control Via Reuters : Aspects of sharia law imposed in Muslim Chechnya in recent months are inching the republic closer to autonomy and posing a renewed threat to Kremlin control, analysts say.
France: “We are at war against al-Qaida” Via AP : France is “at war” with al-Qaida and will step up efforts to fight its North African offshoot after it executed a French hostage in the Sahara, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Tuesday.
Spain: Moorish revival Via BBC : A thousand years ago North African Muslims ruled southern Spain. Now some of their descendants are contributing to a “Moorish revival” that is regenerating parts of Andalucia, says the BBC’s Sylvia Smith. Sitting in Abdul Hedi Benattia’s tea shop you forget for a moment where you are.
Germany: Proposal for Turkish police to deal with Turks When I first saw the headline, I assumed the proposal was about sending in German police agents of Turkish background. Following an article in on FrontPageMag , I went back to the original article.
UK: Imams helping Muslim gays get religious recognition Via BBC : Some British Asian gay Muslims are embracing a new identity, based as much on race and religion as on sexual orientation with a number trying to do it with the help of their local imams. When Khalid Habib decided it was time to come out about his sexuality, the first person he chose to confide in was not anyone in the family but his local imam. “It was really important to me because I am a practising Muslim.
France: “Open a mosque and you close a prison” France’s most prominent Muslim leader has called for the number of mosques in the country to be doubled to 4,000, sparking fresh debate on the secular status established in French law a century ago. Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grande Mosque of Paris and formerly president of the French Council for Muslims, believes a sharp increase in facilities for worship is necessary to give Europe’s largest Muslim population a chance to pray in dignity and comfort.
Denmark: New attack planned against Mohamed cartoonist?
Russia: Proposal to ban media from mentioning nationalities Moscow’s lawmakers have set their minds to fight xenophobia by banning the media from mentioning the nationality, race and religion of criminals. The measure, intended to tackle the level of hate-crime in the city, is designed to prevent generalizations about certain groups in society. For example, talking about a crime committed by a person from Dagestan, Russian journalists will not be allowed to say “Dagestani” or “coming from North Caucasus,” but they would rather refer to a “person born in Dagestan.” This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com The difference may seem small, but the authors of the idea say that a more precise formulation will matter a lot.
France: Suspected al-Qaeda cell head arrested French authorities arrested a French-Moroccan man suspected of heading an al-Qaida support cell that planned to send militants to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflict zones, and was plotting terror attacks in Morocco, they said Thursday. The suspect, Ahmed Sahnouni, 40, was arrested last week in a Paris suburb and has been brought before a prosecutor, said an official at the DCRI, the French counterespionage agency. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the nature of his job, said Sahnouni is being interrogated