Academics & Education – Page 12

Muslim community in Belgium opposes new sexual education methods in schools EVRAS program 'raises major concerns when it comes to its means of application and the messages that it will deliver,' says group

September 6, 2023 Nur Asena Ertürk

(Anadolu) The Muslim community in Belgium contested new sexual education methods in schools on Wednesday, according to a statement. “This decision seems to confront the universal and inviolable values of the familial education framework, and the interests of the students and their […]

French schools refuse dozens of girls wearing Muslim robe

September 5, 2023 Jürgen Hecker

(AFP) French schools sent dozens of girls home for refusing to remove their abayas — an over-garment from the shoulders to the feet worn by Muslim women — on the first day of the school year, a government minister said Tuesday. Defying […]

‘Islamophobic controversy’: Prayer rooms subject of debate at ULB and VUB

September 4, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) Improvised prayer rooms in universities have become the subject of discussion after an opinion piece by Nadia Geerts of the Francophone liberal MR party denounced the existence of these so-called “clandestine” areas at ULB University. For several years, a place […]

France’s Macron supports experimenting with uniforms in some schools amid debate over ban on robes

September 4, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door Monday to experimenting in some public schools with uniforms or a dress code amid debate in France over a ban in classrooms on long robes worn mainly by Muslims. The ban on robes known […]

France imposes abaya ban on first day of school

September 4, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) French authorities were on Monday imposing a newly-announced ban on the abaya Muslim dress for women in schools, with over 500 establishments under scrutiny as children across the country returned to class. The government announced last month it was banning the […]

France’s public schools will enforce a dress code banning robes worn by some Muslims, president says

September 1, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AP) French students won’t get past the door if they show up for school wearing long robes, President Emmanuel Macron made clear Friday, saying authorities would be “intractable” in enforcing a new rule when classes resume next week. French Education Minister Gabriel […]

Macron’s abaya ban nods to the right, splits the left But the prohibition on the Islamic garment in schools enters tricky legal territory.

August 30, 2023 Clea Caulcutt

(Politico) With the ban on abayas in schools, French President Emmanuel Macron is killing two birds with one stone: He sends a signal to the right and divides the left. But he also risks opening a Pandora’s box. The decision to forbid […]

French ban of abaya robes in schools draws applause, criticism

August 28, 2023 Juliette Jabkhiro

(Reuters) The French government’s decision to ban children from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in state-run schools drew applause on Monday from the right, but also criticism. France has enforced a ban on religious symbols […]

French school abaya ban opens fresh secularism row

August 28, 2023 Adam Plowright and Claire Gallen

(AFP) The French government’s decision to ban schoolgirls wearing abayas — long, flowing dresses of Middle Eastern origin — has opened a fresh debate about the country’s secular laws and the treatment of Muslim minorities. Education Minister Gabriel Attal said Sunday that […]

France to ban wearing Islamic abayas in schools: minister

August 27, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) French authorities are to ban the wearing in school of abaya dresses worn by some Muslim women, the education minister said Sunday, arguing the garment violated France’s strict secular laws in education. “It will no longer be possible to wear an […]

Taxpayers’ funding to controversial mosque halted amid investigation The Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre was set to receive £2.2million before GB News raised concerns about controversial speeches

August 25, 2023 Charlie Peters

(GB News) A Birmingham mosque with a long history of hosting controversial speeches recently awarded millions in taxpayers’ cash has had its grant paused after a GB News investigation. The Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre in Birmingham was awarded £2.2million from […]

Maryland families say LGBTQ school readings violate religious beliefs In a lawsuit, several Montgomery County families are asking a judge for an opt-out from such materials

August 9, 2023 Nicole Asbury

(Washington Post) Montgomery County’s mandate that students read books with LGBTQ characters forces religious families either to forfeit their beliefs or depart the public school system, lawyers for Muslim and Christian families suing the district said during oral arguments Wednesday at the […]

Iran’s IRGC poses biggest security threat to Britain, authorities say Group reportedly attempting to recruit members of crime gangs to target opponents of Iranian regime

August 6, 2023 Gillian Duncan

(National-UAE) British authorities consider Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be the greatest threat to national security amid reports the group is increasing activities in the country. Home Secretary Suella Braverman is said to be concerned over reports that the group […]

UK Muslim student org hosts IRGC talks calling for war on Jews IRGC leaders have encouraged violence against and parroted conspiracies regarding Jews. The talks have reached tens of thousands of people.

August 4, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Jerusalem Post) Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) leadership preached an ultimate war on the Jewish people in live-streamed talks arranged by the Islamic Students Association of Britain, according to a Jewish Chronicle report on Thursday. Some of the speakers who addressed the Muslim […]

Quebec judge denies request to appeal decision maintaining school prayer space ban

July 26, 2023 Jacob Serebrin

(Canadian Press) A Muslim organization and a civil rights group seeking to suspend Quebec’s ban on prayer spaces in public schools have been denied leave to appeal a court decision that maintained the ban. Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Robert Mainville ruled […]

Windsor Islamic Association, school board have ‘constructive meeting’ after Pride flag protests School board has apologized for a teacher's comments captured in a secret recording

July 24, 2023 Unlisted Author

(CBC) The Windsor Islamic Association (WIA) says it’s had a “constructive meeting” with the local public school board after the majority of students at a local school — some connected to a mosque — were absent the day the Pride flag was […]

Groups seek permission to appeal Quebec court ruling maintaining school prayer ban

July 24, 2023 Jacob Serebrin

(Canadian Press) A Muslim organization and a civil liberties group asked for permission on Monday to appeal a Quebec Superior Court ruling that denied their request to suspend the province’s ban on visible prayer in public schools. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association […]

Muslim woman says she was forced to remove hijab when UK police took her to Lexington jail

July 21, 2023 Karla Ward

(Lexington Herald Leader) A Muslim woman has alleged she was forced to take off her hijab after being arrested by a University of Kentucky police officer and taken to the Fayette County Detention Center. Now a national civil rights organization is calling […]

NCCM, CCLA turning to Court of Appeal to suspend Quebec’s school prayer ban

July 17, 2023 Cole Fortner

(CityNews) The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) say they are continuing to challenge Quebec’s school prayer ban. “We cannot stand for a situation where Quebec students are being bullied and subjected to a regime […]

Trudeau says Muslim parents who object to gender identity education misled by ‘far right’

July 13, 2023 Lorrie Goldstein

(Toronto Sun) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Muslim parents who object to their children being taught about gender identity issues in schools are being fed “misinformation and disinformation” by “the American right-wing” and the “far right.” “I’ve heard this concern many, many […]

Wakefield school apologises after serving non-halal meat labelled halal

July 5, 2023 Unlisted Author

(BBC) A primary school has apologised to parents and carers for serving non-halal meat that was labelled as halal. The principal of Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill in Wakefield said he discovered last week that not all the meat served to pupils in […]

Jen Psaki claims Republicans are recruiting Muslims against transgender people

July 2, 2023 Nicole Silverio

(Daily Caller) Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed Republicans are recruiting Muslims against transgender people in her Sunday episode of MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.” Psaki claimed Republicans are using former President Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” method by turning Muslim […]

Ontario school board’s anti-Islamophobia strategy questioned after Muslim student singled out Teacher asked sole Muslim student to discuss 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo offices

June 24, 2023 Jenna Benchetrit

(CBC) An Ontario father is questioning the legitimacy of a school board’s anti-Islamophobia strategy months after his son was singled out by a teacher during a lesson that featured racist cartoons. During the January class, the high school teacher in Peel Region, which includes […]

Abaya controversy tests French schools’ secular limits

June 21, 2023 Imran Marashl

(AFP) A reported increase in Muslim girls wearing the abaya dress at French schools has triggered a debate about their violation of the country’s sacrosanct commitment to secularism in education. France’s identity has long been wedded to its conception of secularism in […]

Radical Islamist free to give Birmingham lecture despite pro-beheading comments Bangladeshi cleric Enayet Ullah Abbasi has given a slew of extreme speeches, slamming the queen and praising 9/11 terrorists

June 20, 2023 Joe Kasper

(GB News) An Islamist cleric who said critics of the Prophet Mohammed should have their heads “chopped off” has been allowed into the UK to speak at an event. Sick Enayet Ullah Abbasi previously slammed the late Queen Elizabeth II for endorsing […]

Council on American-Islamic Relations condemns El Camino’s response to commencement controversy

June 17, 2023 Delfino Camacho

(ECC Union) The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Los Angeles office released a statement Friday, June 16, condemning El Camino College’s official response to the controversy surrounding a graduation speech by the outgoing student government president. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) LA-based director […]

Waterbury school board votes to recognize Eid holidays

June 14, 2023 Alicia Gomez

(CT Examiner) After hearing concerns from the Waterbury Muslim community, the Board of Education voted 9-1 on Tuesday to modify the academic calendar to recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as school holidays. About 50 local Muslim community members attended the meeting, […]

Quebec judge rejects request from Muslim group to suspend ban on school prayer rooms

June 14, 2023 Jacob Serebrin

(Canadian Press) A Quebec Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied a request by a Muslim advocacy group and a civil liberties organization to suspend the province’s ban on prayer rooms in public schools. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Council […]

Why the abaya is at the centre of France’s latest secularism row

June 13, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Local) The French education minister says it is, but France’s Muslim Council says it isn’t. France’s latest clothing dispute has settled on the abaya — a long, loose robe or dress — and whether it is or is not an item of […]

Civil liberties, Muslim groups ask Quebec court to suspend ban on school prayer rooms

June 13, 2023 Jacob Serebrin

(Canadian Press) Quebec’s ban on prayer rooms in public schools is harmful to Muslim students and should be suspended immediately, lawyers for a civil liberties group and a Muslim advocacy organization told a Montreal court Tuesday. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and […]

College grad delivers ‘sick’ speech accusing Israel of ‘killing and torturing Palestinians’

June 12, 2023 Doree Lewak, Carl Campanile and Kate Sheehy

(NY Post) Another college student at a publicly funded school spewed antisemitic hate during her recent commencement speech, critics say — and the university even touted part of her talk on Twitter. El Camino Community College student Jana Abulaban, 18, accused Israel of “killing and torturing […]

Muslims seek apology from Democrat for linking them to ‘white supremacists’ over LGBTQ books

June 8, 2023 Valerie Richardson

(Washington Times) Tensions between Muslim parents and Montgomery County Public Schools over the Maryland district’s mandatory LGBTQ books escalated after a Democratic official compared the families to white supremacists. The Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded an apology for “offensive and disparaging remarks” […]

Muslim community waking up to ‘unholy alliance’ with Democratic Party amid battle over parental rights Muslims will be the swing voters in the 2024 presidential election, Asra Nomani predicted

June 8, 2023 Teny Sahakian

(Fox) Muslim parents are waking up to the “unholy alliance” their community forged with the Democratic Party after standing side by side with conservatives to fight for parental rights, said a Muslim journalist. “Parents everywhere, from the Muslim community to the Asian […]

‘You don’t belong here’: Canadian teacher lambastes Muslim student for eschewing Pride In a statement, Edmonton Public Schools said they are 'taking steps to address the situation'

June 7, 2023 Tristin Hopper

(National Post) In a particularly stark illustration of what appears to be a growing rift between Muslim communities and the Canadian public school system, an Edmonton teacher was allegedly caught on tape lambasting Muslim students for eschewing in-school Pride celebrations. “You are […]

Muslim group claims CUNY brass pre-approved law school grad’s ‘hate’ speech

June 7, 2023 Carl Campanile

(NY Post) The nation’s largest American-Muslim advocacy group ripped into CUNY’s leadership as “dishonest” and “cowardly” for calling a law school graduate’s incendiary commencement address “hate speech” — claiming it was cleared by the school’s administrators. The New York chapter of the Council […]

Dem Maryland official says Muslim children aligned with ‘white supremacists’ for opposing LGBTQ curriculum Islamic religious freedom advocate tells Fox News Digital he was 'stunned' by Democrat's comments

June 7, 2023 Hannah Grossman

(Fox) A Democratic member of a Maryland city council blasted Muslim children as on the side of “white supremacists” after they spoke out against sexuality discussions and materials in classrooms during a heated school board meeting Tuesday evening. “This issue has unfortunately […]

Illinois schools to provide halal and kosher meals to kids

June 1, 2023 Jack Baudoin

(WTVO) Some kids in Illinois might have trouble eating meals provided by their school, since they are not allowed to consume them for religious purposes. A bill recently passed by the Illinois legislature, however, will change that. The bill will require state-funded […]

Controversial CUNY Law valedictorians linked to anti-Israel groups

May 31, 2023 Isabel Vincent

(NY Post) Two law school graduates who made headlines for their fiery anti-Israel commencement speeches belonged to a pro-Palestinian campus group that raised money for a Muslim charity that sued the New York Police Department. CUNY Law School grads Fatima Mousa Mohammed […]

Outraged critics rip CUNY law grad’s ‘hate-filled’ commencement speech, demand billions in tax dollars be stripped

May 29, 2023 Zach Williams and Alex Oliveira

(NY Post) Outraged critics are demanding CUNY’s billions of dollars in taxpayer funding be stripped away after a law grad delivered a “hate-filled and dangerous” commencement address ripping NYPD “fascists” and Israel. In her vitriolic May 12 graduation speech at the public […]

The French academic paying a heavy price for probing the Muslim Brotherhood An interview with Florence Bergeaud-Blackler

May 29, 2023 Liam Duffy

(Spectator) Loitering by the entrance, I clock a large gentleman with tattoos crawling up his neck from underneath his collar. It’s immediately obvious he’s not there for lunch: he is there on behalf of the French state to prevent an assassination. Specifically, […]

Muslim, civil liberties groups challenge Quebec school prayer room ban in court

May 26, 2023 Sidhartha Banerjee

(Canadian Press) A civil rights organization and a national Muslim advocacy group are the latest to launch a legal challenge of Quebec’s decree banning prayer rooms in public schools, the second one in recent weeks. The National Council of Canadian Muslims and […]

US university condemned for removing pro-Palestine speech from YouTube Students and activists say commencement speech was removed for its pro-Palestinian content after some critiqued speech as being 'antisemitic'

May 23, 2023 Zainab Iqbal

(Middle East Eye) On 12 May, the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law live-streamed its commencement ceremony where Fatima Mohammed was speaking. The student was draped in the famous Palestinian keffiyeh. But just hours after the graduation ceremony, the […]

Report: Adjunct who showed images of prophet was ‘vilified’ A new American Association of University Professors report says Hamline University administrators 'encouraged and promoted' a 'de facto campaign of vilification.'

May 22, 2023 Ryan Quinn

(Inside Higher Ed) A new American Association of University Professors report criticizes Hamline University for its treatment of an adjunct professor who showed students images of the prophet Muhammad, saying she was academically justified in displaying them and the institution was wrong […]

Demands for inquiry after French police ask schools for information on pupils absent on Muslim festival of Eid

May 22, 2023 Unlisted Author

(Local) Teaching unions and anti-racism charities have demanded an inquiry after French police sent a request to schools for information on the number of pupils absent on the Muslim festival of Eid. The French government has confirmed that it asked for “an […]

Muslim groups ask court to quash Quebec’s ‘discriminatory’ school prayer ban The ban violates 'the fundamental rights of minors and adults in terms of their freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, but also individuals' right of association,' the organizations argue.

May 17, 2023 Andy Riga

(Montreal Gazette) Six Muslim groups are asking a Quebec court to declare unconstitutional a new provincial edict that bans religious activity in public schools. In a lawsuit filed this week, the groups asked Quebec Superior Court to “declare constitutionally invalid, inapplicable, inoperative […]

Different norms and values causing friction in many secondary vocational classes: study

May 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) Different norms and views on things like religion, sexuality, and politics often cause friction between teachers and students at secondary vocational schools. Two-thirds of teachers reported experiencing such conflict in a study by Kennedy Tielman of the university in Wageningen, […]

Muslim parents join conservatives in confronting LGBTQ books

May 16, 2023 Valerie Richardson

(Washington Times) Muslim parents and Moms for Liberty have at least one thing in common: Both are alarmed about the infusion of LGBTQ books and other materials in school classrooms and libraries. Muslim families are raising their political profiles as they join […]

Salman Rushdie warns free expression is under threat

May 16, 2023 Nadine Yousif

(BBC) Nine months after he was … stabbed on stage, acclaimed author Salman Rushdie in a rare public address has warned that freedom of expression in the West is under threat. Rushdie, 75, delivered the video message at the British Book Awards […]

14 people to be tried over French teacher’s beheading

May 16, 2023 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A total of 14 people are set to face trial in France over the beheading of a teacher by an Islamist extremist in 2020, a crime that shocked the country, legal documents obtained by AFP showed on Tuesday. The most serious […]

Study on Muslim students in Austria draws criticism from Muslim associations Muslim Youth Austria (MJO) criticizes study for 'racist' nature and pre-fabricated results

May 11, 2023 Timo Kirez

(Anadolu) A study being conducted by the University of Vienna among Muslim students in Austria has drawn criticism from Muslim associations, according to a report in the Kurier on Thursday. The study, titled “Effects of Islamic Religious Education in Austria,” is surveying […]