Academics & Education

Hijab a symbol of empowerment, not oppression, plaintiffs argue at trial of Quebec secularism law Sociologist testifies that most Muslim women aren't forced to wear the headscarf

(CBC) Plaintiffs challenging Quebec’s ban on religious symbols sought to dismantle, on Tuesday, one of the main arguments made by supporters of the law — that the hijab is a symbol of female oppression and undermines gender equality. The Laicity Act, which was passed […]

Academics & Education

Quebec’s religious symbols ban dashed dreams and sparked hate, witnesses testify on 1st day of Bill 21 trial Groups argue secularism law unfairly bars Muslim women from public sector jobs, such as teaching and law

(CBC) A test of the constitutionality of Quebec’s secularism law began Monday amid tearful testimony from Muslim and Sikh teachers who said the law derailed their careers and made them targets of bigotry. The law, which was passed last year despite protests from civil […]

Government & Politics

Turkish president files complaint against Dutch MP Geert Wilders, known for his anti-Islam stance, tweeted insulting cartoon of President Erdogan

(Anadolu) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lodged a criminal complaint against Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders over an insulting tweet. The president’s lawyer Huseyin Aydin filed the complaint over Wilders’ insulting contents targeting Erdogan. In a criminal complaint submitted to […]

Citizenship

Media: ‘Bookseller from Brønshøj’ sentenced to death in Morocco In 2015, Said Mansour became the first person ever to be stripped of his Danish citizenship. Four years later, he was shipped off to Morocco

(Copenhagen Post) Last year, Said Mansour was deported to Morocco after becoming the first person in history to be stripped of a Danish citizenship. Now, according to several Moroccan media outlets, the 60-year-old has been sentenced to death in Morocco for his […]

Legal

Married couple accused of trying to join ISIS will be tried together without preliminary hearing Haleema Mustafa and Ikar Mao will go straight to trial after federal officials ordered a preferred indictment

(Global News) An Ontario couple caught in Turkey last year, where they were allegedly trying to join the so-called Islamic State, will go straight to trial without a preliminary hearing, federal officials said Monday. Haleema Mustafa and Ikar Mao will be tried […]

Citizenship

Man denied German citizenship for refusing to shake woman’s hand The man aced the German naturalization test, but refused to shake hands with the female official handing over his citizenship. Despite claims he will not shake hands with men either, his citizenship has been rejected.

(Deutsche Welle) A German court ruled on Friday that a Muslim man who refused to shake the hand of a woman should not receive German citizenship. The 40-year-old Lebanese doctor, who came to Germany in 2002, said he refuses to shake women’s […]