Crime

German police launch raids on Iraqi organized crime gang Heavily armed police have carried out a series of coordinated raids on the homes of members of the 'Al-Salam-313' group. The targets are suspected of people smuggling as well as dealing in narcotics.

(Deutsche Welle) German police carried out early-morning raids at apartments in 11 cities on Wednesday as part of an operation targeting organized crime. Hundreds of officers were involved in the raids in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, focusing on the Cologne […]

Clothing

German ‘Shariah Police’ retrial starts in Wuppertal Seven men accused of forming a 'Shariah Police' brigade in western Germany have gone on trial. The group allegedly patrolled the streets of Wuppertal in orange vests, telling people to abstain from music and alcohol.

(Deutsche Welle) The retrial of seven alleged members of a self-proclaimed “Shariah Police” vigilante group began in the western city of Wuppertal on Monday. The men were cleared of wrongdoing in 2016, but the case is now being heard again following a […]

Interfaith

Is a CAIR staffer legitimizing modern blood libels? The organization was officially designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates in 2014.

(Jerusalem Post) A Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) organizer, Zohra Lasania, the program director of CAIR-Pittsburgh, reportedly gave legitimacy to a Zionists-ISIS conspiracy, according to the Middle East Forum, a conservative think-tank. Lasania reportedly posted on Facebook an article first published by […]

Immigration

Germany: Trial of Berlin bomb plotter begins Magomed-Ali C. was arrested in August 2018 on suspicion of planning a bomb attack at a Berlin shopping center. He allegedly had close ties to the man who killed 11 people at a Christmas market in the capital in 2016.

(Deutsche Welle) The trial of a 31-year-old Islamist from Russia who allegedly planned a bomb attack in Berlin began on Thursday. Federal prosecutors accuse Magomed-Ali C. of planning the attack, most likely on a shopping center in the north of the capital, […]

Clerics & Preachers

Salafist preacher Sven Lau to be released from German jail German Islamist Sven Lau will leave prison early after serving two-thirds of his sentence for supporting a terrorist organization. Lau had recruited fighters for the Jamwa militia in Syria.

(Deutsche Welle) A German court on Thursday ordered the early release from jail of one of Germany’s most renowned Salafists. Sven Lau had been serving a sentence of 5 1/2 years for aiding terrorism. Lau was convicted in July 2017 of supporting Jamwa, an Islamist […]

Academics & Education

Bill 21 won’t apply to us, Quebec’s English school boards say QESBA cites Supreme Court ruling in arguing English boards exempt from proposed law

(CBC) An organization representing all nine of Quebec’s English school boards says the province’s proposed ban on religious symbols can’t be imposed on them, potentially opening a new front in the legal resistance to the legislation. Like some of their French counterparts, English schools boards […]

Crime

Germany: Asylum-seeker jailed for random attacks in Amberg Four men from Afghanistan and Iran have been sentenced over arbitrary attacks on passersby in the Bavarian town of Amberg. The incident fueled debate on rules for deporting asylum-seekers who commit crimes.

(Deutsche Welle) A court in the southeastern German town of Amberg on Friday handed a jail term of two years and seven months to an 18-year-old Iranian who carried out arbitrary attacks on passersby in the town shortly before New Year’s Eve in […]

Government & Politics

UN: Hungary depriving rejected asylum-seekers of food The UN has accused Hungary of illegally denying food for up to five days to failed asylum-seekers. Budapest replied it 'is not responsible' for people whose asylum requests have been denied.

(Deutsche Welle) The United Nations on Friday said Hungary was deliberately depriving rejected asylum-seekers awaiting deportation of food, in violation of international law. “According to reports, since August 2018, at least 21 migrants awaiting deportation had been deprived of food by the […]

Crime

Germany: Afghan asylum-seeker stands trial for grisly murder An Afghan asylum-seeker is accused of slitting an 85-year-old retiree's throat while he slept. Prosecutors have called the German man's daughter a key witness in the case.

(Deutsche Welle) A German court on Monday opened a trial against a 20-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker for murdering an 85-year-old sleeping pensioner last year in the small town of Wittenburg. Details of the case: The asylum-seeker is accused of slitting the pensioner’s throat. […]

Government & Politics

SDP: Authenticity of MP Hussein al-Taee’s social media posts ‘news’ to us SDP says the party did not know that antisemitic, homophobic and other comments made by MP Hussein al-Taee on social media were authentic.

(Yle) Following news about alleged antisemitic, homophobic and racist Facebook comments made by Social Democrat MP Hussein al-Taee, al-Taee admitted in his blog on Monday that they were authentic and he was the author. Previously, he had questioned whether they were written […]

Children & Teens

IS fighters’ parents stage German protest

(AFP) German parents and relatives of Islamic State militants demonstrated Monday outside the foreign ministry, urging Berlin to repatriate wives and children of fighters held in Syria. Some brought posters saying “Children are not responsible,” while others held up banners reading “Innocent […]