Children & Teens

Pressuring France to bring them home, women who joined ISIS stage hunger strike Frenchwomen who joined the Islamic State and are now held in squalid detention camps in Syria have gone on a hunger strike to protest France’s refusal to bring them back.

(NY Times) In a desperate appeal to France’s government, some 10 Frenchwomen who joined the Islamic State and are now being held in detention camps in Syria began a hunger strike on Saturday, protesting the government’s refusal to bring them home for […]

Academics & Education

France: No Samuel Paty school after backlash over name change A French town won't rename a school after Samuel Paty — who was slain by an Islamist extremist — following backlash from teachers and parents. The move marks a sign of deeper divisions in French society.

(Deutsche Welle) No one at the school “The Eucalypts” in the village of Ollioules, near the Mediterranean coast in southern France, wants to talk to the media anymore. Sandra Olivier, maths teacher and member of the teachers’ union SNES-FSU, turned down DW’s […]

Academics & Education

French mosque accused of radicalism to reopen earlier Pantin mosque was closed for six months in October for disseminating video criticizing history teacher before his murder

(Anadolu) The Grand Mosque of Pantin near Paris, closed as part of a crackdown against radical Muslims by the French government in the aftermath of history teacher Samuel Paty’s assassination, will soon be reopened, the interior minister announced Monday. The mosque was […]

Children & Teens

Forced adoption case against Norway hits European rights court A Muslim woman whose son was adopted against her wishes claims Norway violated her right to religious freedom by putting him in the care of a Christian family.

(Courthouse News) The European Court of Human Rights heard arguments Wednesday over whether Norway violated the religious rights of a Muslim woman whose child was forcibly adopted by Christians. During a remote hearing before the ECHR, lawyers for Mariya Ibrahim argued the […]

Academics & Education

France: Proposal to ban Islamic veil sparks criticism Macron’s controversial draft of ‘separatism’ bill causes heated debate, with amendments suggesting ban on Islamic veil

(Anadolu) An ongoing debate on the controversial draft of a “separatism” bill has sparked criticism, [and] resulted in a diversion, dividing the house on the question of [the] veil, whether to include amendments to ban veiled students at the university and accompanying […]

Children & Teens

Irving man admits to harboring fugitive father accused of murdering teenage daughters The FBI said Yaser Said narrowly escaped capture in 2017 after a maintenance worker reported seeing him at a Bedford apartment where he is suspected of staying with his son, Islam Said, documents show.

(Dallas Morning News) An Irving man pleaded guilty Tuesday to helping his fugitive father elude capture for more than a dozen years in the alleged murders of his two teenage daughters, federal authorities said. Islam Yaser-Abdel Said, 32, entered a guilty plea […]

Children & Teens

Trump signs anti-female genital mutilation law that increases punishment of perpetrators The new law says female genital mutilation is 'a form of child abuse, gender discrimination and violence'

(Fox) A new law that its backers called a pivotal step in protecting vulnerable young women and girls across the United States from the “barbaric and medically unnecessary procedure” of female genital mutilation was signed into law by President Trump on [Tuesday]. […]

Children & Teens

Ohisalo: Repatriated al-Hol families ‘strongly in hands of authorities’ The interior minister says she understands people’s concerns, but she trusts both the social and security authorities.

(Yle) Interior Minister Maria Ohisalo (Green) said she understands that the repatriation of mothers and their children from the al-Hol displacement camp in Syria may raise concerns for people, but she emphasised that security will be ensured through strong cooperation between Finland’s […]

Children & Teens

Foreign Ministry: Swift repatriation lowers risk of radicalisation Finland says it will continue working to bring home Finnish citizens still living in a Syrian detention camp.

(Yle) The Foreign Ministry on Sunday evacuated six Finnish children and two mothers from the al-Hol displacement camp. However, some 15 kids and five mothers still remain interned in the camp housing women and children captured after the collapse of the Islamic […]

Children & Teens

Germany brings home ‘Islamic State’ brides, children from Syrian camps Humanitarian reasons have been cited for flying home several 'IS' brides and children from internment in Syria. At the height of the civil war, the women allegedly traveled to join the Islamist militia.

(Deutsche Welle) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday said he was “relieved” that a “humanitarian” recovery operation had brought home 18 children and five “Islamic State” (IS) brides from Kurdish-run internment camps in northeastern Syria. One of three German women brought back, identified in reports as […]