Government & Politics – Eye on Islamism

Court puts plea deal on pause for 9/11 mastermind KSM: 23 years later, justice for terrorists is delayed again The pause prolongs a decades-long crusade for justice by the victims' families

January 9, 2025 Morgan Phillips

(Fox) A federal appeals court has delayed Friday’s scheduled military court hearing where suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-conspirators were expected to plead guilty as part of a deal negotiated with prosecutors. The pause, though welcomed by the many […]

A contentious push to wrap up the 9/11 prosecutions takes an emotional toll on victims’ families

January 9, 2025 Jennifer Peltz

(AP) After his only child was killed on 9/11, Ken Fairben looked for justice in a far-off military courtroom on the Guantánamo Bay naval base in Cuba. He traveled there multiple times to observe hearings for accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh […]

French mayor pulls recycling campaign Iran deemed ‘offensive’

January 9, 2025 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A French city on Thursday removed posters depicting Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Tehran called the images “insulting,” in the latest incident in a period of strained relations between the two countries. The southern city of Beziers ran a […]

UAE adds 19 individuals, entities to terrorism list over Muslim Brotherhood links

January 8, 2025 Unlisted Author

(Arab News) The UAE designated 19 individuals and entities as terrorists on Wednesday due to their connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is classified as a terror group in the UAE. Abu Dhabi placed 11 individuals and eight entities on the country’s […]

Outgoing Ottawa MPP apologizes for ‘inappropriate’ post blasted as Islamophobic Lisa MacLeod deletes posts about Muslim man seeking her seat in next provincial election

January 8, 2025 Arthur White-Crummey

(CBC) An outgoing Progressive Conservative MPP in Ottawa is apologizing for a social media post that criticized one of the people vying for her seat — a message Muslim groups say was Islamophobic and that the MPP herself has now acknowledged was […]

Top Republicans roll out bill that would undo 9/11 plea deals The bill would allow the death penalty to remain an option for 3 suspected terrorists

January 8, 2025 Morgan Phillips

(Fox) Top Republicans in Congress are introducing a new bill to stop the White House from offering plea deals to suspected 9/11 terrorists. A pretrial agreement between the 9/11 defendants and the government removed the death penalty as a possibility for punishment, […]

Guantanamo’s prisoners have reached a pivotal moment. So has the 9/11 case. Here’s what to know

January 8, 2025 Ellen Knickmeyer

(AP) After 23 years, the fate of the last remaining Guantanamo detainees swept up worldwide after al-Qaida’s shattering Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is reaching a pivotal moment this month. Court battles and dealmaking are deciding the future of many of those last […]

European court rules against Greece over migrant’s illegal deportation, calls practice ‘systematic’

January 7, 2025 Derek Gatopoulos

(AP) The European Court of Human Rights in a landmark ruling Tuesday found that Greece illegally deported a woman back to neighboring Turkey, and described the use of summary expulsions, or “pushbacks,” as systematic. The decision could impact how Europe handles migrants […]

Ousted MP Khalid Mahmood claims ‘patriarchy’ forced MCB leader out The Muslim Council of Britain is holding an election because Zara Mohammed, the current secretary-general, has reached her two-term limit

January 7, 2025 Imran Mulla

(Middle East Eye) Khalid Mahmood, a former Labour MP who lost his seat at the July general election to a pro-Palestinian independent, has claimed that the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) ousted its leader because of “patriarchy.” MCB’s secretary-general, Zara Mohammed, is […]

Biden administration asks court to block plea deal for alleged mastermind of 9/11 attacks

January 7, 2025 Eric Tucker and Ellen Knickmeyer

(AP) The Biden administration asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to block a plea agreement for accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that would spare him the risk of the death penalty in one of the deadliest attacks ever on the […]

Belgian-Lebanese activist to take legal action after Israeli minister’s threat

January 6, 2025 Unlisted Author

(Belga) Belgian-Lebanese activist Dyab Abou Jahjah plans to take legal action over threatening social media posts from an Israeli minister, who referred to Israel’s pager attack against Hezbollah. The threat comes shortly after Abou Jahjah and his organisation Hind Rajab Foundation filed […]

France orders tighter security after ramming attacks in US, Germany

January 6, 2025 Unlisted Author

(AFP) French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Monday ordered increased security at major gatherings following vehicle ramming attacks in Germany and the United States. Retailleau sought “optimal security conditions” in a memo to officials seen by AFP. “Given the high level of […]

Muslim, Arab voters face uncertain political future under Trump

January 6, 2025 Jared Gans

(Hill) Muslim and Arab American voters in the U.S. face an uncertain political future as President-elect Trump prepares to take office later this month. Long considered a reliable part of the Democratic base, Muslim Americans scrambled the political calculus in 2024 amid […]

U.S. sends 11 Guantánamo prisoners to Oman to start new lives The secret mission left the smallest number of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay since the day the detention center opened in 2002.

January 6, 2025 Carol Rosenberg

(NY Times) The U.S. military sent 11 Yemeni prisoners at Guantánamo Bay to Oman to restart their lives, the Pentagon said on Monday, leaving just 15 men in the prison in a bold push at [the] end of the Biden administration that […]

The child rape scandal dominating UK politics after Musk criticism

January 6, 2025 Kate Holton

(Reuters) A child sexual abuse scandal that revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago has returned to the political agenda in Britain following criticism from Elon Musk. Musk, a […]

Austrian Muslims’ body demands clarification from state governor on anti-Islam remarks Lower Austria Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner called for 'measures in the fight against Islam' in interview on Sunday evening

January 6, 2025 Timo Kirez

(Anadolu) The president of the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGO), Umit Vural, on Monday, demanded a correction from Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner of northeastern Lower Austria for her anti-Islam remarks. Mikl-Leitner had spoken out against new elections in Austria in an interview […]

Islamic group’s conference urging return of Muslim caliphate and Shariah law brings call for adding it to terror list 'Their views about suicide bombing should be of concern, because once you have an idea like that out in the political domain, it’s not controllable,' says former Hizb ut-Tahrir leader

January 6, 2025 Adrian Humphreys

(National Post) A controversial Canadian Islamic group is resurrecting its annual conference calling for the return of an Islamic caliphate and imposition of Shariah law that was abruptly cancelled last year after its sister organization was declared a terrorist entity in Britain. […]

Candidates for Muslim Council of Britain leadership supported campaign to undermine Labour at elections Two UK doctors are running to lead umbrella organisation of mosques and Muslim charities

January 6, 2025 Lemma Shehadi

(National-UAE) Two candidates who backed a campaign to undermine the Labour Party in the last general election are running to lead the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella body representing hundreds of mosques and Muslim charities in the UK. Successive UK governments […]

Vice Chancellor Habeck: Syrian refugees must work to stay in Germany

January 6, 2025 Unlisted Author

(DPA) German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said on Monday that Syrian refugees must be in employment if they are to remain in the country. “We can make good use of those who work here,” Habeck said on the Deutschlandfunk public radio station. […]

Senator Banks: 50 illegal aliens smuggled into U.S. by ISIS network have gone missing The remarks come after an ISIS terrorist attacked New Orleans on New Year's Day.

January 5, 2025 Unlisted Author

(Daily Wire) Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) said during an interview over the weekend that dozens of illegal aliens smuggled into the U.S. by an ISIS-affiliated network have gone missing. Banks made the remarks during a Sunday CNN interview on “State of the […]

German interior minister: Some Syrians in Germany may have to return

January 5, 2025 Unlisted Author

(DPA) A portion of Syrians who fled to Germany may have to return to their homeland under certain conditions, according [to] German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. “As our law stipulates, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) will review and revoke […]

Dutch MP says he felt intimidated by Iranian regime’s threatening email

January 4, 2025 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) VVD Member of the Tweede Kamer Ulysse Ellian revealed he was intimidated by the Iranian government, describing a threatening email from the Iranian embassy in The Hague that suggested the regime was monitoring him. The email, sent over three years […]

Mississauga mayor vows to ‘try to track down’ location of Islamic terrorist group conference Parrish was criticized last year for comparing slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to freedom fighter Nelson Mandela.

January 3, 2025 Jarryd Jäger

(Western Standard) Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish has responded following revelations that an Islamic extremist group designated a terrorist entity across the world is set to host a conference in her city on January 18. She vowed to “try to track down” the […]

Belgian prisoners in Syria are the next government’s responsibility, says foreign minister

January 3, 2025 Unlisted Author

(Brussels Times) The next government must decide whether or not to repatriate Belgian fighters in Syrian prisons, the interim foreign affairs minister has stated. Following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (OCAM) has identified […]

Trump ally rebukes Republican’s anti-Muslim post after New Orleans attack

January 2, 2025 Mandy Taheri

(Newsweek) Richard Grenell, an ally of President-elect Donald Trump who is set to serve in a key diplomatic role soon, pushed back against a social media post by Republican Florida state Senator Randy Fine that called Islam a “fundamentally broken and dangerous […]

Sweden says EU migrant ‘return hub’ plan could be pitched in March

January 2, 2025 Dave Graham and Simon Johnson

(Reuters) The European Union could submit a proposal as soon as March on the creation of so-called “return hubs” to expedite the removal of illegal migrants, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday. Kristersson sketched out the potential timetable during a […]

Spain’s Canary Islands received record 46,843 migrants in 2024: ministry

January 2, 2025 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A record 46,843 migrants reached Spain’s Canary Islands illegally in 2024 via the increasingly deadly Atlantic route, the second consecutive year of unprecedented arrival numbers, official data showed on Thursday. The landmark came as the European country received 63,970 irregular migrants […]

Labour rejects Oldham’s call for government inquiry into grooming gangs scandal Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has said Oldham should 'take its own approach' instead

January 1, 2025 Charlie Peters

(GB News) The government has formally rejected repeated requests for a Home Office-led inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham after the town’s council voted on the matter earlier this year. Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has responded to two letters from the […]

German government condemns New Year’s Eve violence after hundreds of arrests

January 1, 2025 Unlisted Author

(AP) The German government on Wednesday condemned a series of incidents on New Year’s Eve in which police officers and firefighters were attacked and injured, mostly with fireworks. Revellers across the country traditionally ring in the new year by setting off large […]

Arab Americans eye Trump’s pro-Israel government picks As Donald Trump prepares to take office amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Arab Americans are considering the legacy of his past policies and staunch support for Israel — and how that could affect US policy.

January 1, 2025 Janelle Dumalaon

(Deutsche Welle) It has been several weeks now, but Wasel Yousaf has photos on his phone to help him relive the memory of meeting his idol. “He made a joke about how tightly I was shaking his hand,” Yousaf said, looking at […]

Switzerland’s burqa ban takes effect as of January 1 The question remains whether these laws are a step toward equality or a step backward in the protection of individual freedoms.

January 1, 2025 Issam Toutate

(Morocco World News) The controversial burqa ban has officially taken effect today, January 1, in Switzerland, prohibiting the wearing of full-face coverings in public spaces. The law, which passed through a nationwide referendum in 2021, echoes an ever-growing wave of restrictions and […]

More than 36,000 migrants crossed English Channel to UK in 2024 — up 25% on 2023 It's the second-highest number of people successfully making the crossing since records began in 2018.

January 1, 2025 Unlisted Author

(Sky News) A total of 36,816 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2024, provisional government figures show. The figure is up 25% on 2023 when 29,437 people arrived in small boats. The number successfully making the journey in 2024 […]

Signs Christmas market attack suspect mentally ill: German minister

December 30, 2024 Frank Zeller

(AFP) The German government, under fire for failing to prevent a deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market, argued on Monday that the tragedy would have been hard to prevent and said that the suspect appeared to be mentally disturbed. Interior Minister […]

Added powers will ‘disrupt’ Channel crossings — MP

December 30, 2024 Unlisted Author

(BBC) Extra counter-terror powers for border security enforcement will “make the difference” in the number of attempted Channel crossings, a Labour MP has said. Mike Tapp, MP for Dover and Deal, said the government’s proposed Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will […]

Pentagon appeals court upholds plea deals in Sept. 11 case The three-judge decision appeared, at least for now, to put plea proceedings for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two others back on track to take place in early January at Guantánamo Bay.

December 30, 2024 Carol Rosenberg

(NY Times) A Pentagon appeals panel on Monday upheld a military judge’s finding that the plea deals in the Sept. 11 case are valid, clearing the way at least for now for a guilty plea hearing next week with the accused mastermind […]

Around 100 extremists could enter Britain with their children if Shamima Begum is allowed to return: ‘It would open the floodgates’ The previous government argued that the jihadi bride posed a threat to national security if she returned home

December 29, 2024 Holly Bishop

(GB News) Security sources have warned that up to 100 extremists and their children could enter Britain if jihadi bride Shamima Begum is allowed to return from Syria. Begum, who left London in 2015 to join Islamic State as a schoolgirl, previously […]

Amsterdam City Council party to welcome banned Palestinian activist Mohammed Khatib

December 27, 2024 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) The new political party De Vonk in Amsterdam has caused controversy by inviting the leader of Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, to the launch of their political movement, De Telegraaf reported. Mohammed Khatib has been banned from the Netherlands […]

More than 150,000 migrants have crossed Channel to UK in small boats since 2018 On Christmas Day, more than 450 migrants arrived in the UK on 11 small boats, and a further 400 people made the journey on Boxing Day.

December 27, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Sky News) More than 150,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats since 2018. The government began recording the number of people who have made the dangerous journey almost seven years ago, on 1 January […]

Swiss foreign ministry to re-examine case of Swiss Islamic State fighter

December 27, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Swiss Info) The Federal Supreme Court has accepted the appeal of a Swiss former fighter for the Islamic State held in Syria. The Swiss foreign ministry must now consider the 30-year-old’s request for repatriation. In December 2023, the detainee’s lawyer lodged an […]

Wilders criticizes king’s Christmas speech, reaffirms PVV stance

December 26, 2024 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), pushed back against King Willem-Alexander’s Christmas speech, following the monarch’s direct appeal to Muslim and Jewish citizens in the country. “The Netherlands is ours, proud of our culture, our customs, […]

German Interior Minister Faeser warns AfD not to exploit Magdeburg

December 25, 2024 Unlisted Author

(DPA) German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has warned the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party not to exploit the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg. “To the AfD, I can only say: Any attempt to exploit such a terrible act and […]

Trump pick for critical foreign policy role thinks Islam incompatible with the West Michael Anton will serve as director of policy planning at the State Department, a role that effectively sets the agenda for the secretary of state

December 24, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Middle East Eye) A staunch anti-immigrant conservative who was a spokesperson for the White House during Donald Trump’s first year in office in 2017 is returning to government — this time, as director of policy planning at the US State Department, which […]

Iran denies claims it used kids to hit Israeli targets in Europe

December 24, 2024 Golnar Motevalli

(Bloomberg) Iran dismissed as “preposterous and ridiculous” claims by investigators in Sweden and Belgium that the Islamic Republic has recruited children to attack Israeli targets in their countries. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the allegations, reported by […]

UK Muslim group asks Tories to remove shadow justice secretary for ‘admiring’ far-right 'Ms (Kemi) Badenoch cannot allow what appears to be support for such Islamophobic and extreme content from a member of her shadow cabinet,' says head of Muslim Council of Britain

December 24, 2024 Burak Bir

(Anadolu) The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) on Tuesday called on the main opposition Conservative Party to remove Robert Jenrick from his position as shadow justice secretary over leaked messages showing his admiration for a far-right social media account. The MCB issued […]

Germany’s far-right AfD holds march after Christmas market attack

December 23, 2024 Ralf Hirschberger and Frank Zeller

(AFP) Germany’s far-right AfD party on Monday held what it called a “memorial” rally for victims of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market that has newly inflamed debate on migrant and security policy. Meanwhile, an anti-extremist initiative called “Don’t Give Hate […]

Italy vows to push ahead with dormant migrant vetting centers in Albania

December 23, 2024 Colleen Barry

(AP) Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s government vowed on Monday to open controversial migrant processing centers in Albania that have remained dormant after Italian courts refused to validate the transfer of the first two groups of migrants. Government ministers “repeated the firm intention […]

Magdeburg attack offers far right fertile ground despite suspect’s backing for AfD

December 23, 2024 Bethany Bell

(BBC) “I feel bad, I still do,” said Eidwicht, as she stood in the Christmas market close to the spot where the car sped through on Friday, killing five people and injuring more than two hundred others. “My granddaughter was here. I […]

Omtzigt and van der Plas clash over Quran ban proposal during coalition talks

December 23, 2024 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) Pieter Omtzigt, leader of New Social Contract (NSC), and Caroline van der Plas, leader of the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), publicly debated on Sunday over whether a proposed Quran ban had been part of coalition negotiations. The discussion followed comments made […]

Germany probes warnings about man who ploughed into Christmas market

December 22, 2024 Unlisted Author

(DPA) There were mounting questions on Sunday about whether the deadly attack on a German Christmas market could have been prevented after it emerged that various authorities across the country had received warnings and tip-offs about the perpetrator. Five people were killed, […]

Security questions over Christmas market attack in Magdeburg The attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg has raised questions about public safety and intelligence gaps in Germany. Police have described the suspect as 'atypical,' while experts have also blamed social media.

December 22, 2024 Ben Knight

(Deutsche Welle) German security forces faced a series of difficult questions at Saturday’s press conference in Magdeburg. Friday night’s attack, in which Talib A.*, a 50-year-old Saudi man, rammed a car into a crowd at a busy Christmas market in the Saxony-Anhalt […]