Clothing

Quebec government aims to define religious symbols in amendment to secularism bill Move is seen as a concession to ensure bill will pass on Friday

(CBC) The Quebec government is offering a first concession to critics of its proposed law restricting religious symbols worn by some civil servants. Tuesday afternoon, Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette tabled the amendment which would define what a religious symbol is. The amendment seeks to define a religious symbol […]

Clothing

Muslim Council demands apology for Cologne police ‘racial profiling’ Cologne police have denied that brief detentions of Ramadan revelers at the city's rail hub amounted to 'racial profiling.' Germany's Central Council of Muslims says officers need coaching in cultural sensitivity.

(Deutsche Welle) Calls of “Allahu Akbar” [“God is great”] by young Muslims wearing long gowns and vests outside Cologne’s main rail station culminated on Wednesday in counter-accusations between city police and the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD). Police chief Uwe […]

Demonstrations

British Al Quds march organiser should be probed by counter-terror police — report Islamic Human Rights Commission permeated 'at every level' by extremism, according to UK think tank

(National-UAE) A group which organises the annual Al Quds Day march in London should be investigated by Britain’s counter-terror police, according to a recommendation by a leading think tank. A report published on Thursday by the Henry Jackson Society investigating the Islamic […]

Academics & Education

Germany: Leading politicians call for a ‘European Islam’ Everyday measures are key to preserving the European way [of] life, say Germany's health minister and the premier of Schleswig-Holstein state. Jens Spahn and Daniel Günther want a faith that shares the continent's values.

(Deutsche Welle) Two senior German politicians have called for a more progressive form of Islam in order to align the religion with the European way of life. Health Minister Jens Spahn and Schleswig-Holstein State Premier Daniel Günther published the appeal Thursday in […]

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 […]