Academics & Education

Nearly two-thirds of Quebecers support public-sector ban on religious symbols, poll finds But when asked detailed questions about how to apply the ban, public opinion is more divided

(CBC) Most Quebecers are in favour of banning public-sector workers from wearing religious symbols, according to a CROP poll released ahead of the first legislative session under a Coalition Avenir Québec government. But a separate survey by Vox Pop Labs, conducted following […]

Children & Teens

THL: 10,000 girls and women in Finland have undergone FGM Finland’s public health watchdog THL says 3,000 girls risk undergoing the procedure, which involves removal of all or some of the external female genitalia.

(Yle) There are currently as many as 3,000 girls in Finland who face the risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation or FGM, according to an analysis released by the National Institute for Health and Welfare on Friday. The THL data […]

Children & Teens

Pennsylvania does not criminalize female genital mutilation Rep. Thomas Murt has a bill in the pipeline to criminalize anyone who participates in the genital mutilation of a minor

(York Daily Record) A recent federal court decision that held the federal ban against female genital mutilation is unconstitutional may put more pressure on Rep. Thomas P. Murt to get his bill outlawing the practice in Pennsylvania pushed through the general assembly. Pennsylvania is […]

Academics & Education

Austria prepares for headscarf ban in primary schools If draft law passes parliament, children under 10 will be prohibited to wear headscarf, violations will be fined

(Anadolu) Austria’s far-right government has introduced a draft law to the parliament to ban the headscarf in primary schools, planning to implement it without the support of the opposition. Transport Minister Norber Hofer told a news conference following the Council of Ministers […]

Children & Teens

Germany ‘ignoring’ ECJ ruling on refugee reunification Media reports have accused Germany of disregarding a ruling from the EU's top court on the rights of unaccompanied minors to be joined by their families. The key point is the minor's age during the asylum process.

(Deutsche Welle) In mid-April, the European Union’s supreme court in matters of EU law ruled that unaccompanied minors could bring in their families, even if they had come of age during the asylum process. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that […]

Books

Invisible and dangerous: The Salafist scene in North Rhine-Westphalia There are more Salafists in North Rhine-Westphalia than in any other German state. The scene has all but vanished from the public eye in its stronghold. But it is still very active, as DW is told by numerous sources.

(Deutsche Welle) “Speak after me,” the red-bearded German convert and Salafist preacher Pierre Vogel says as he publicly summons the young woman. Cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd in the pedestrian zone of the western city of Offenbach, she does exactly that, […]