Government & Politics – Page 7

Court upholds fine against illegal Saudi-funded mosque in Helsinki The Helsinki Administrative Court ruled that religious activities on the premises did not constitute daycare activities, as specified in a permit for the facilities.

November 6, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Yle) The Helsinki Administrative Court has rejected appeals related to a fine imposed last year on a mosque operating in a Helsinki apartment building. The owner of the property, the Ormuspuisto housing company, and the Pohjoismaiden Säätiö (“Nordic Foundation”), which operates on […]

After fleeing Taliban and abuse, Afghan woman in Canada for 8 years told she’s being deported soon IRCC ruled Frozan Hassan Zai’s marriage to Canadian is one of convenience, she got deportation orders Tuesday

November 5, 2024 Cameron Mahler

(CBC) Frozan Hassan Zai thought she would finally be safe after leaving an abusive marriage in the Netherlands with her two children, her second time fleeing a country. She arrived in Canada, married a Canadian, had a child, started a business and […]

Greece mulls migrant facility on Rhodes to tackle rise in arrivals

November 5, 2024 Angeliki Koutantou and Renee Maltezou

(Reuters) Greece is considering setting up a migrant detention facility on the island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean to tackle a rise in arrivals from neighbouring Turkey, Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said on Tuesday. Hundreds of migrants have arrived on the […]

CAIR complains about Israeli flag in church polling place in Maryland; ignores every other flag in sanctuary

November 5, 2024 Joel B. Pollak

(Breitbart) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a radical Islamic organization, complained Tuesday about an Israeli flag that was observed hanging inside a church that has been serving as a polling place in Maryland. CAIR, whose director, Nihad Awad, celebrated the October […]

MI5 ‘institutionally defensive’ after Arena bomb

November 5, 2024 Daniel De Simone

(BBC) MI5 showed “institutional defensiveness rather than candour” after the Manchester Arena attack and for years continued to present an “inaccurate picture” of what it had known about the suicide bomber, a tribunal has been told. Twenty-two people died and hundreds were […]

‘Lost faith’: Michigan Muslims shun Harris over Mideast turmoil

November 5, 2024 Issam Ahmed

(AFP) Haunted by the daily violence ravaging the Middle East, Soujoud Hamade, a registered Democrat, felt compelled to back Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the US presidential election. “It is very emotional,” the 32-year-old real estate lawyer told AFP after casting […]

Security boosted around top politician

November 4, 2024 Nina Berglund

(Views and News from Norway) Abid Raja has long been an outspoken, controversial but popular politician for Norway’s Liberal Party (Venstre). Now he’s under special protection by Norway’s domestic intelligence agency PST, after being threatened during a presentation of his latest book […]

Italy court deals fresh blow to Meloni’s migrant plan

November 4, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AFP) A Sicilian court on Monday dealt a fresh blow to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s migrant policy by declaring applications for asylum from Egypt could not be fast-tracked. Egypt was included on the government’s list of so-called “safe” countries to which […]

Suspected spy tells Dutch judges it is too ‘unsafe’ to discuss case Dutch authorities arrested a former employee of the country’s counterterrorism service, accusing him of selling state secrets to Morocco.

November 4, 2024 Molly Quell

(Courthouse News) A man charged with giving classified information to Morocco told judges at the Rotterdam District Court he did not want to discuss the case against him because it was “unsafe” to do so. Abderrahim El M. — names of defendants […]

Supreme Court ‘signed my son’s death warrant,’ mother says of refusal to hear plea

November 4, 2024 Jim Bronskill

(Canadian Press) The mother of a Canadian man detained in Syria says the Supreme Court of Canada has signed her son’s death warrant by closing the door on a plea to hear his case. “I’ve been screaming about this for 7 1/2 […]

Harris botched interview with Muslim influencer by celebrating ‘bacon’ as ‘a spice’

November 4, 2024 Josh Christenson

(NY Post) She jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Vice President Kamala Harris is getting roasted for refusing to talk about the Mideast war with a Muslim influencer — and instead spending her time trying to convince him […]

Pittsburgh ‘Hamas operative’ allegedly bought explosives, vandalized Jewish buildings — and donated to Squad Democrats

November 3, 2024 Ethan Dodd

(NY Post) Steel City has an aspiring Hamas terrorist in its midst — and he likes Squad Democrats. The FBI and Pittsburgh police arrested two Pittsburgh-area residents Wednesday on hate-crime charges for allegedly damaging or defacing Jewish buildings in July. Shockingly one […]

German MPs to name Muslim Jew-hatred as antisemitism vector Coalition and opposition lawmakers agree to pass a text that acknowledges a politically inconvenient reality.

November 3, 2024 Canaan Lidor

(JNS) Germany’s coalition parties and the main opposition faction agreed on Saturday to pass a Bundestag resolution on antisemitism that for the first time will see the legislature name Muslim immigration as a driver of the problem. The draft resolution, which will […]

Trump uses Liz Cheney to make his case to Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan 'Many Muslim and Arab Americans have friends and family living in the Middle East, and Kamala is campaigning with warmongers like Liz Cheney,' Trump said.

November 1, 2024 Irie Sentner

(Politico) Donald Trump made an appeal to Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan on Friday, leveraging the ongoing war in the Middle East and his increasingly inflammatory rhetoric against Republican former Rep. Liz Cheney in an attempt to garner support from the […]

Trump meets Arab Americans in Dearborn, vows to bring peace in Middle East

November 1, 2024 Niraj Warikoo

(Detroit Free Press) Donald Trump met with Arab American supporters Friday afternoon at a halal cafe in Dearborn, vowing to bring peace to the Middle East if he’s elected, and repeatedly criticizing Liz Cheney. “You’re going to have peace in the Middle […]

Harris and Stein tied for Muslim-American vote in last poll before election day Ninety-five percent of Muslim Americans plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election, underscoring deep political engagement

November 1, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Middle East Eye) A large group of Muslim Americans has split its vote evenly between Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the final national poll on Muslim Americans released before the upcoming US presidential election on […]

Germany probes Iran-linked Mustafa Institute in Berlin — Bild

November 1, 2024 Benjamin Weinthal

(Iran International) Germany’s intelligence services are investigating alleged espionage activities involving 700 people linked to the Iranian state-run Al-Mustafa Institute in Berlin, according to the Bild newspaper. The report coincides with diplomatic tensions between Berlin and Tehran, following the execution of German-Iranian […]

UN official withdraws from Montreal conference featuring Canadian leader of Samidoun terror group An updated list of individuals participating in the inaugural 'Coordinating Council 4 Palestine' conference has removed Albanese's name as the keynote speaker on Saturday evening

November 1, 2024 Ari Blaff

(National Post) United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese has withdrawn from a Montreal conference featuring Charlotte Kates, the founder of Samidoun, a designated terror group. An updated list of individuals participating in the inaugural “Coordinating Council 4 Palestine” […]

When does free speech cross the line into breaking U.S. anti-terrorism laws? Former federal officials say the FBI should open a criminal investigation into a New Jersey native who leads a pro-Hamas nonprofit group. Civil rights advocates say she’s engaged in political speech.

November 1, 2024 Simone Weichselbaum and Chloe Atkins

(NBC) Charlotte Kates, a New Jersey native and Rutgers Law School graduate who co-founded the pro-Hamas organization Samidoun, has become the focus of an ongoing legal debate: When does free speech cross the line into breaking federal anti-terrorism laws? Over the last […]

Controversial UN official to speak at Montreal event featuring leader of designated terror group Charlotte Kates is on a panel at the 'Coordinating Council 4 Palestine' conference and Francesca Albanese will give the concluding keynote address

October 31, 2024 Ari Blaff

(National Post) Francesca Albanese, the embattled United Nations special rapporteur overseeing the Palestinian territories, is set to headline a Montreal event featuring Charlotte Kates, a leader of Samidoun, a designated terror group. The inaugural “Coordinating Council 4 Palestine” conference will be held on […]

Some US Muslims struggle to find a candidate they can tolerate supporting for president

October 31, 2024 Mariam Fam

(AP) With the death and destruction in Gaza on her mind, Soraya Burhani agonized over how to cast her vote for president. “For us, Muslims, I see that there’s no good choice,” she said. With the U.S. handling of the Israel-Hamas war […]

Montreal City Hall removing welcome sign with hijab sends wrong message: Muslim group

October 30, 2024 Sidhartha Banerjee

(Canadian Press) A national Muslim advocacy group says Montreal would send the wrong message if it takes down a welcome sign in the lobby at city hall that generated controversy because it included a woman wearing a hijab. Stephen Brown, chief executive […]

Greece seeks tougher EU migration policies as it braces for impact of Mideast wars

October 30, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AP) Greece is seeking stricter European Union migration policies as it braces for a potential surge in migrants and refugees due to ongoing war in the Middle East, a senior government official said Wednesday. Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said the government is […]

Arab American voters make their choice — Harris, Trump or neither — in the election’s final days

October 29, 2024 Joey Cappelletti

(AP) Bowls of labneh and platters of za’atar bread covered the tables in a Lebanese restaurant near Detroit, yet no one seemed to have much of an appetite. On one side were Kamala Harris’ top emissaries to the Arab American community. On […]

Antisemites should be deported from Sweden, refused citizenship, says MEP Alice Teodorescu Måwe argued for a similar policy to Germany's Saxony-Anhalt, where citizens must recognize Israel to obtain citizenship.

October 29, 2024 Mathilda Heller

(Jerusalem Post) People who incite violence against Jews must be prosecuted or deported from Sweden without pardon, Swedish politician and MEP Alice Teodorescu Måwe argued. Writing in a blog post on her Substack this weekend, Teodorescu said that any Swedish citizen who […]

Ten Danish Muslim leaders refuse to attend minister-called meeting on antisemitism The ten imams said they would attend a meeting only if both antisemitism and Islamophobia were discussed and in a place of their choosing.

October 29, 2024 Mathilda Heller

(Jerusalem Post) Representatives of 10 Muslim groups in Denmark canceled a meeting with the integration minister and the church minister in which they were set to discuss antisemitism in the Muslim community. The 10 imams canceled last Thursday’s session at the last […]

Secularism: Montreal to shed city hall welcome sign that includes woman wearing hijab

October 28, 2024 Sidhartha Banerjee

(Canadian Press) A welcome sign in the lobby of Montreal’s newly renovated city hall depicting a woman wearing a headscarf will be removed in the name of secularism, Montreal’s mayor says, following criticism that the image is offensive. Valérie Plante said during […]

Palestinian activist vows to fight ban after speech moves online

October 28, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Dutch News) A pro-Palestinian activist has held a speech via video link outside a building at Nijmegen’s Radboud University after he was banned by the Dutch government and campus authorities. Mohammed Khatib was due to give a lecture on the treatment of […]

Barred Palestinian activist might still give speech at Nijmegen university protest

October 28, 2024 Unlisted Author

(NL Times) The controversial Palestinian activist Mohammed Khatib will still speak at Radboud University in Nijmegen on Monday, lecturer Harry Pettit, the organizer of the address, wrote on X. “He will not be silenced,” Pettit said, referring to the Dutch government barring […]

‘How was a terrorist able to kill my father?’: Sir David Amess’ daughter speaks out 3 years on from murder

October 27, 2024 Kit Heren

(LBC) The daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess has spoken out on the third anniversary of his death, questioning why a terrorist was able to kill him. Sir David’s daughter Katie said her family’s world “shattered” on October 15, 2021, when […]

Trump lashes out at Cheney, calls her a ‘Muslim-hating warmonger’

October 26, 2024 Caroline Vakil

(Hill) Former President Trump lashed out at prominent critic former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), calling her a “Muslim-hating warmonger” during a campaign event in Michigan on Saturday. “Kamala is campaigning with Muslim-hating warmonger, Liz Cheney, who wants to invade practically every Muslim […]

Trump in Michigan makes play for Arab American and Muslim voters angry over war in Gaza

October 26, 2024 Kate Sullivan and Gregory Krieg

(CNN) Former President Donald Trump on Saturday invited several Muslim leaders onstage with him at a campaign rally in Michigan as he courts Arab American and Muslim voters disillusioned or angry over US policy on Israel and Gaza in the critical battleground […]

Denmark repatriates woman, son from Syrian detention camp

October 25, 2024 Unlisted Author

(AFP) Denmark said Friday it had repatriated a mother and her eight-year-old son, the child of a dead Islamic State jihadist, from a Syrian detention camp. They arrived in Denmark on Thursday following an agreement with local Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria, […]

Dutch ban Palestinian prisoner activist from entry

October 25, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Dutch News) A controversial Palestinian activist who had been invited to give a lecture at Radboud University in Nijmegen next week has been banned from entering the Netherlands. Mohammed Khatib, who had been asked to talk about Palestinian prisoners and the Israeli […]

Hard-right Dutch government approves unprecedented package of measures to control migration

October 25, 2024 Mike Corder

(AP) The hard-right Dutch government announced unprecedented measures Friday aimed at reining in migration, including a re-introduction of border checks, making the Netherlands the latest European nation to take a hardline stance against migration as anti-foreigner sentiment surges throughout much of the […]

Mother that Canada refused to repatriate has died in Turkey, lawyer says Woman died after being acquitted of criminal charges abroad, lawyer says

October 25, 2024 Ashley Burke

(CBC) A Canadian mother of six who was deemed a security risk and refused permission to come home by the federal government has died suddenly in Turkey, her lawyer says. Lawrence Greenspon said he’s been told his client was found dead in a cell in a Turkish immigration centre sometime […]

‘Don’t blame us, blame yourself’: Furious at Harris, Arab Americans in Michigan face a hard choice Some Arab Americans see Biden and Harris as complicit in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon.

October 23, 2024 Irie Sentner

(Politico) Kamala Harris’ campaign is facing deep skepticism from Arab American voters in Michigan, many of whom are appalled by President Joe Biden’s handling of the war in the Middle East and remain undecided about whether to back a candidate who supports […]

Quebec opens investigation on another religious incident in a public school 'If these events are confirmed, you can be sure decisions will be made,' says Education Minister Bernard Drainville. 'I'm not going to let this go on without a very firm and determined response.'

October 23, 2024 Philip Authier

(Montreal Gazette) The Quebec government has opened an investigation into another incident of religion reappearing in a public elementary school, with Education Minister Bernard Drainville saying Quebec will not turn a blind eye to the fresh allegations. One day after suspending the […]

Dutch refugee plan means border checks, safe areas in Syria

October 23, 2024 Robin Pascoe

(Dutch News) The right-wing Dutch government has abandoned plans to declare a refugee crisis but will press ahead with a number of tough measures to reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to the country. These include reducing residency permits for refugees […]

Biden-Harris administration pressed to sanction Palestinian terrorism-tied groups

October 23, 2024 Gabe Kaminsky

(Washington Examiner) A coalition of pro-Israel watchdogs is pressing the Biden-Harris administration to sanction a network of groups that the coalition warns are fronts for Palestinian terrorist factions, according to a letter. The letter, sent on Wednesday to the Treasury Department and […]

Swiss parliamentary committee pushes to extend Hamas ban to include Hezbollah

October 23, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Swiss Info) A Swiss parliamentary committee has voted in favour of banning both Hamas and Lebanon’s militia Hezbollah in Switzerland. The Security Policy Committee of the Swiss House of Representatives, along with its counterpart in the Senate, voted 20 to 2, with […]

A Montreal elementary school is at the centre of a secularism debate. Here’s how we got here Provincial politicians accused of pouncing on religion for political gain

October 22, 2024 Antoni Nerestant

(CBC) In the last few weeks, an elementary school in Montreal’s west-central Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood has been mired in controversy. This past weekend, 11 teachers were suspended for allegedly creating a toxic environment for students and staff that goes back to 2016. On […]

Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy asks for police protection in wake of threats She says she fears for her safety and that of her family after speaking up about a toxic climate at the Bedford school.

October 22, 2024 Caroline Plante

(Montreal Gazette) Saying she fears for her safety and that of her family, St-Laurent MNA Marwah Rizqy has asked for police protection. Rizqy was repeatedly insulted after denouncing the situation at Bedford elementary school that came to light in a recent investigation […]

Ministry suspends licences of 11 teachers at Bedford school as Legault vows to reinforce secularism rules 'We have a group of teachers who tried to introduce Islamic religious concepts into a Quebec public school, putting aside science as a way of helping students,' the premier said.

October 22, 2024 Philip Authier

(Montreal Gazette) With the Legault government saying the evidence shows Quebec’s secularism law was being flouted, 11 teachers at Montreal’s Bedford elementary school have had their teaching licences suspended by the Education Ministry pending the conclusions of an investigation. And the government […]

Soon-to-be-former Rep. Jamaal Bowman to be honored by group with terrorist ties

October 21, 2024 Rebecca Downs

(Townhall) Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) only has a few months left in office, but the Squad member is being lauded in other ways for his anti-Israel narratives. While Bowman lost his primary to Westchester County Executive George Latimer in June, he’ll be […]

PQ leader calls for stricter secularism rules in wake of ‘toxic’ climate report at Bedford school Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says the education minister only referred to 'ideological divergences' in a Radio-Canada interview, without acknowledging the religious part of the equation.

October 21, 2024 Philip Authier

(Montreal Gazette) Urging politicians to not shy away from the debate because it involves religion, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon called Monday for stricter secularism rules in the wake of the Bedford school controversy. St-Pierre Plamondon said what happened in the […]

Islamist hate preacher set for Netherlands seminar appearance Leader of terrorist group to appear at Dutch university, despite widespread bans elsewhere.

October 21, 2024 TEC News

(European Conservative) Mohammed Khatib, a leading figure in the Islamist Samidoun group, has been announced as the main speaker at a seminar hosted by Radboud University Nijmegen (RU), scheduled for the end of October, reports the NieuwRechts website. While the Islamist outfit […]

Macron, hard-line interior minister agree to disagree on immigration crackdown after first meeting The meeting was described as an opportunity to share perspectives — without the goal of reaching an agreement.

October 21, 2024 Victor Goury-Laffont

(Politico) When Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau headed over to the Elysée palace to meet President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, he wasn’t looking for commonality. He went to stand his ground. Macron and Retailleau spoke face to face for the first [time] since […]

NJ residents linked to ISIS, Hezbollah threat, new report says The House Committee on Homeland Security [report] identified three recent cases where New Jersey residents were linked to ISIS or Hezbollah.

October 21, 2024 Michelle Rotuno-Johnson

(Patch) Several New Jersey residents have been linked to a “persistent terror threat” to America from foreign jihadist networks and home-grown violent extremists, according to a new U.S. House report. The House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence released a “Terror […]

Dearborn Islamic leader: Trump closer to Bible, Torah, Quran than Kamala

October 21, 2024 Nick Gilbertson

(Breitbart) An Islamic leader from Dearborn, Michigan, said Monday that former President Donald Trump aligns closer with the Bible, Torah, and Quran than Vice President Kamala Harris does. Imam Husham Al-Husainy of Karbalaa Islamic Center in Dearborn shared his perspective during a […]