Academics & Education

‘Terre des Femmes’ pushes headscarf ban for girls The women's rights organization 'Terre des Femmes' has launched a petition calling for a headscarf ban for minors in schools and daycare centers in Germany. But the initiative has courted controversy.

(Deutsche Welle) A girl below the age of 18 wearing a headscarf? The human rights organization “Terre des Femmes” believes it is morally wrong and is demanding that the German government ban headscarves for girls in schools and daycare centres. On Thursday, […]

Crime

Attacks on Muslims drop in Germany in first half of 2018 The number of attacks on Muslims and mosques has fallen significantly in Germany, new figures show. But lawmakers warn the country is still failing to include its Muslim community in society.

(Deutsche Welle) In the first six months of 2018, there were 320 offenses committed against Muslims, mosques and other institutions associated with Islam in Germany, according to information from the Interior Ministry. That’s significantly lower than the nearly 500 cases reported during […]

Arts & Entertainment

Comedian Eshaan Akbar on trying to highlight the humour in Islam 'There’s no representation on TV of Muslims having a laugh. There isn’t anything out there that allows white British people to see Muslims just being normal,' he says

(National-UAE) Most comedians have to put up with a fair degree of heckling in their careers, but British comedian Eshaan Akbar has received violent threats for his new stand-up routine at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In Prophet Like It’s Hot, the 34-year-old […]

Clothing

Germany tolerant of LGBT neighbors, but not Muslim ones While homophobia has seen a drastic decrease in Germany over the years, Islamophobia has remained stubbornly stagnant. A new Playboy poll has found that most Germans are opposed to mosques, hijab, and refugee homes.

(Deutsche Welle) A new poll published on Thursday by Playboy Germany shows that while national hostility to minority sexualities may have taken a nosedive over the years, hostility to Islam remains depressingly stagnant. According to the survey, which polled over 1,000 men […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Conservative senator apologizes for tweet citing Liberal MP’s Saudi background Tweet by Denise Batters, which she deleted, has led to calls for her resignation

(CBC) Conservative Sen. Denise Batters apologized to Liberal MP Omar Alghabra today for her choice of words in what some interpreted as a racist tweet. “My intent was to suggest Mr. Alghabra’s experience living in Saudi Arabia would give him unique insight about the difficult situation […]

Clothing

Met Police chief: Boris Johnson’s burka comments not a criminal offence The former foreign secretary faces criticism for a column which argued against banning the full-face veil in Britain.

(Sky News) Boris Johnson’s comments comparing women who wear the burka to “bank robbers” and “letter boxes” would not “reach the bar” for a criminal offence, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said. Commissioner Cressida Dick said “some people have clearly […]

Academics & Education

Muslim teacher claims discrimination

(Views and News from Norway) A Muslim man who lost his job as a substitute teacher at an Oslo elementary school has filed a discrimination complaint with state authorities. He claims his contract wasn’t renewed on religious grounds, because of his refusal […]