Clerics & Preachers
Imams across UK to reassure worshippers about Covid vaccines (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Mosques
Government & Politics
MPs want to ban foreign funding of Dutch mosques
(NL Times) A majority in Dutch parliament wants to ban foreign financing of mosques in the Netherlands. The VVD, PVV, ChristenUnie, SGP, and FvD previously expressed support for such a ban. The SP now joined them, bringing the call for a ban […]
Government & Politics
Morocco slams Belgian minister for accusations of mosque infiltration Morocco’s representative in Belgium calls on the Belgian minister to avoid 'baseless' accusations that can lead to needless tensions with a strategic ally.
(Morocco World News) Morocco has responded to the Belgian Minister of Justice Vincent Van [Quickenborne] after he accused Moroccan intelligence of mosque infiltration. Van Quickenborne, who claimed that Morocco had infiltrated the mosque in Cinquantenaire park in Brussels, described the mosque’s director […]
Christians
Danish proposal on translating sermons gets pushback from church
(Catholic News Service) A spokeswoman for Denmark’s Catholic Church said draft legislation requiring all sermons and homilies to be translated into Danish will fuel ill-feeling and damage religious freedom. “This law is directed primarily at Muslims — its proponents say they want […]
Clerics & Preachers
French imam will be prosecuted for antisemitic sermon at mosque in Toulouse
(Algemeiner) A French imam is to be prosecuted for racial hatred over a sermon he delivered in 2017 calling for Muslims to “fight the Jews.” Algerian-born Mohamed Tatai was indicted at the end of 2018 for “public verbal provocation to hatred or […]
Government & Politics
French government unveils new law tackling Islamist extremism
(France 24) French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday secured his cabinet’s blessing for a draft law targeting “radical Islamism” following a spate of terror attacks, a move some critics fear will stigmatise the French Muslim community, Europe’s largest. The text was originally […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
New French law may increase discrimination France's government is presenting a draft law to combat 'radical Islamism.' Critics say the measures are inefficient and will further stigmatize Muslims.
(Deutsche Welle) Irfan Thakar and Omar Ahamad feel misunderstood as Muslims in France. They are members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Saint-Prix, a northern suburb of Paris. As the imam, the 30-year-old Thakar regularly leads the prayer at the Moubarak mosque, […]
Clerics & Preachers
Surrey imam who misrepresented himself to immigration officials jailed for sexual assault The victim wants Abdur Rehman Khan deported after he serves his three-year prison sentence
(CBC) The emotional wounds from a sexual assault at the hands of a Lower Mainland imam four years ago continue to affect the daily life of his victim, who says if immigration officials and the B.C. Muslim Association had intervened sooner, the attack […]
Clerics & Preachers
Renowned imam calls on Muslims to engage with France Prominent Islamic scholar [Mohammed] Abu Zaid has urged Muslims in France to cooperate with the government. But he told DW that the authorities should also foster dialogue with the Muslim community.
(Deutsche Welle) France’s latest steps in combating Islamist extremism at home have been closely monitored in Arab countries. The brutal killing of French teacher Samuel Paty, who had shown his pupils cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in class, prompted French President Emmanuel […]
Government & Politics
Muslim Executive responds to accusations of espionage
(Brussels Times) Belgium’s Muslim Executive has responded angrily to accusations aired this week of Moroccan intelligence infiltration of the Great Mosque in Brussels. The mosque, in Cinquantenaire park in Brussels, had applied for recognition as a local faith community, after losing its […]
Government & Politics
Government refuses recognition for Great Mosque
(Brussels Times) Federal justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open VLD) has declined to grant a new recognition to the Great Mosque in the Cinquantenaire park in Brussels, unless there is a change of management. The Great Mosque had its recognition as a […]
Government & Politics
France targets mosques in crackdown on radical Islam
(AFP) French authorities will inspect dozens of mosques and prayer halls suspected of radical teachings starting Thursday as part of a crackdown on Islamist extremists following a spate of attacks, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. Darmanin told RTL radio that if any […]
Government & Politics
French mosque linked to teacher’s beheading ordered to remain closed
(Radio France) France’s top administrative court has confirmed the six-month closure of the Grand Mosque of Pantin after it published a video denouncing history teacher Samuel Paty for showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, which [led] to his decapitation in a street […]
Children & Teens
Islamic preacher Khandaker Rahman on trial for mosque rape
(BBC) An Islamic preacher accused of raping a young girl was arrested 15 years later after she identified him on YouTube, a court heard. The woman only knew her alleged attacker as “The Imam” before going on the internet to find Khandaker […]
Clerics & Preachers
Dutch gov’t to tackle foreign donations, influence on mosques
(NL Times) The government came up with a plan of action to tackle problematic behavior caused by unwanted foreign influence on social and religious organizations in the Netherlands. The intentions and goals of people donating money to Dutch organizations will be more […]
Crime
Investigation into email threat against Flemish minister
(Brussels Times) The Limburg prosecutor’s office has begun an investigation into an alleged email threat made against Flemish mobility minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA). The threat came in an email addressed to Demir following recent comments she made in relation to mosques connected […]
Government & Politics
FvD wants to install wiretapping equipment in Salafist mosques
(NL Times) Forum for Democracy, a conservative political party, wants to install wiretapping equipment in Salafist mosques if there is a suspicion of criminal offenses. That is what FvD Member of Parliament Theo Hiddema said in the television program WNL on Sunday. […]
Academics & Education
Germany’s imams seen as key in combating radicalization Imam training is in the spotlight of this year's German Islam Conference. In light of recent terror attacks, Germany's interior minister said a new training program for German-speaking imams was 'money well-spent.'
(Deutsche Welle) The latest spate of terror attacks in France and Austria will not hamper the cooperation between the government and Germany’s Muslim community, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Tuesday. “We won’t let terrorism and extremism derail us,” Seehofer said at […]
Government & Politics
Peterborough mosque wants daily calls to prayer played through loudspeaker (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Government & Politics
Vienna anti-terror chief suspended after attack failures
(AFP) The head of anti-terror operations in the Austrian capital Vienna was suspended Friday as details emerged of further security lapses in the run-up to this week’s jihadist attack which left four people dead. Erich Zwettler, the head of Vienna’s anti-terror agency, […]
Government & Politics
Austria shuts down mosque after Vienna terror attack Islamic association frequented by the gunman was also closed.
(Politico) Austrian authorities have shut down a mosque and an Islamic association frequented by the man who killed four people in a terror attack in Vienna earlier this week. Integration Minister Susanne Raab and Interior Minister Karl Nehammer announced the closure of […]
Interfaith
After Vienna shooting, European rabbis want ‘much more’ government control of mosques
(JTA) Following a suspected terrorist attack that left four dead in Vienna by a shooter who reportedly shouted “Allah,” European rabbis made an unusual appeal for more “control and transparency” over what goes on at mosques across the continent. “It is important […]
Demonstrations
New York mosques to protest Macron’s ‘blatant disrespect of the prophet’
(IPT) A consortium of New York mosques plans to protest at the French Consulate in Manhattan this Sunday to express their rage at Emmanuel Macron’s support for publishing caricatures of Islam’s prophet Muhammad. “The French President is directly provoking the Muslim world […]
Government & Politics
Denmark to criminalise foreign funding for mosques in effort to ‘counter extremism’
(Middle East Monitor) Denmark is set to present a new bill that would criminalise funding for mosques sent by foreign countries and entities, in new efforts to counter religious extremism. The bill was announced in a Facebook post by Danish Integration Minister […]
Academics & Education
French court upholds closure of mosque near Paris in crackdown following teacher’s killing
(Radio France) An administrative court has validated the Interior Ministry’s decision to close the Grand Mosque of Pantin near Paris for a period of six months after it was found to have shared a video criticising a French history teacher which led […]
Government & Politics
Turkey condemns police raid on Berlin mosque Berlin prosecutor's office, police should apologize to Muslim community for this attitude, says Turkey's vice president
(Anadolu) Turkey on Thursday condemned a police raid on a mosque in Berlin, Germany. “I strongly condemn the immoderate police raid on the Berlin Mevlana Mosque during the fajr prayer time,” Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Twitter. The Berlin prosecutor’s […]
Academics & Education
France closes Paris mosque in clampdown over teacher’s beheading
(AFP) French authorities said Tuesday they would close a Paris mosque in a clampdown on radical Islam that has yielded over a dozen arrests following the beheading of a teacher who had shown his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The mosque […]
Academics & Education
French imam says beheaded teacher is martyr for freedom of speech
(Reuters) A French imam said on Monday that the history teacher beheaded for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class was a martyr for freedom of speech, and he called on mosques in France to pray for the teacher on Friday. […]
Legal
Widow of Pulse nightclub shooting terrorist honored by Muslim-American group
(Floridian) Noor Salman, the widow of Islamic terrorist Omar Mateen, the Pulse nightclub mass shooter, is now being honored by the Muslim Legal Fund of America center (MLFA) at their annual “The [Angels] Await” charity fundraiser. Salman is listed as a guest […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
Wilders sparks outrage with tweet over Covid, minorities
(NL Times) PVV leader Geert Wilders sparked outrage on social media with a tweet about coronavirus patients with a non-Western background. According to Wilders, the treatments of “Henk and Ingrid” are being postponed, because ICU beds are occupied by “Mohamed and Fatima” […]
Health & Medicine
Worshippers complain that Huddersfield mosque leaders flouted Covid-19 guidance (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
Proposed Islamic center sues Teaneck for discrimination in denying application
(Bergen Record) A proposed Islamic community center has filed a discrimination lawsuit in federal court against Teaneck and its zoning board, claiming the township blocked its application by imposing oppressive requirements and draining the developer’s pockets. The Al Ummah Community Center, or AUCC, bought the former […]
Crime
Katie Hopkins forced to apologise for wrongly linking mosque to attack on police (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Academics & Education
Macron unveils plan to fight radical Islam in France
(AFP) President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a plan Friday to defend France’s secular values against radical Islam, announcing stricter oversight of schooling and better control over foreign funding of mosques. Describing Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide, Macron insisted that “no concessions” […]
Christians
German court quashes ban on mosque’s call to prayer The call to prayer had been banned after a Christian couple complained that it intruded on their religious freedoms. The court ruled that the call to prayer did not violate the rights of those who heard it.
(Deutsche Welle) A court in the western German city of Münster on Wednesday ruled that a local mosque is permitted to perform its Friday call to prayer. It follows an appeal by the town of Oer-Erkenschwick against the prior decision to revoke the mosque’s permission. “Every […]
Law Enforcement
Four ex-directors of France Shiite centre arrested
(AFP) Four former directors of a major Shiite Muslim centre in France have been arrested on suspicion of continuing to run the association despite its dissolution over alleged support for armed jihad, a judicial source said Wednesday. The Zahra Centre in northern […]
Government & Politics
Turkey issues report on Turkish minority in Greece Parliament elaborates on cultural, religious issues of Turk community living in Western Thrace and Dodecanese Islands
(Anadolu) The Turkish parliament on Tuesday issued a report elaborating on religious and cultural problems faced by the Turkish minority in Greece. The report by the Department of Research Services also examined the difficulties in protecting joint heritage sites in the southeastern […]
Christians
Cordoba officials vow to resist cathedral mosque demands
(Tablet) The mayor of Cordoba in Spain has vowed to resist Muslim demands for the city’s sixth-century cathedral to be turned back into a mosque, following the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and urged the country’s socialist-led government to ensure it […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
Antwerp mosques file complaint against far-right Vlaams Belang for inciting hatred
(Brussels Times) Two mosques in Antwerp are filing a complaint against the far-right Vlaams Belang political party and its chairman Tom Van Grieken for spreading images on social media which they feel incite hatred and discrimination. The Al Aqsa Mosque and the […]
Christians
Athens Muslims fear mosque delay after Hagia Sophia conversion
(AFP) After Turkey turned Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum back to a mosque, Muslims in Athens fear their own official place of worship, delayed for over a decade, will be held back again. The project to open a state-sanctioned mosque in Athens, the […]
Interfaith
44% of UK Muslims back anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, poll finds London-based Henry Jackson Society think tank report says integration may be key to tackling anti-Jewish prejudice in Muslim community
(Times of Israel) Nearly half of British Muslims endorse some anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, a newly published report has found. However, anti-Semitic sentiments drop sharply — by as much as 12 percentage points — among those Muslims who are more integrated into British […]
Government & Politics
Mosque granted one-off exemption All eyes are on Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, which has been granted a one-off exemption from the restrictions limiting places of worship to 100 people
(News.com.au) Auburn Gallipoli Mosque has been granted a one-off exemption from the restrictions limiting places of worship to 100 people, allowing it to mark one of Islam’s holiest days, Eid al-Adha. The mosque can welcome up to 400 people — still far […]
Clerics & Preachers
Illinois imam resigns over sexist, racist social media posts
(Religion News) An imam at a suburban Chicago-area mosque has resigned after circulation of social media posts in which he used derogatory language toward Muslim women and a racial slur. The Muslim Association of Bolingbrook announced Imam Ibraheem Lunat’s resignation on Friday […]
Mosques
Report reveals extent of Qatari infiltration in Germany
(Arab News) A new report in German media has exposed how Qatar uses its vast wealth and charities to fund and infiltrate mosques, activate Muslim Brotherhood networks and buy influence across Germany. The newly released information is part of a horde of […]
Cemeteries & Funerals
Blackburn police not investigating 250 at mosque
(BBC) Officers will not investigate a breach of coronavirus rules after 250 people attended a funeral, police confirmed. It comes after the imam who led prayers at the Jamia Ghosia Mosque in Blackburn tested positive for Covid-19 following the funeral on 13 […]
Cemeteries & Funerals
Blackburn mosque ‘faces police investigation’ over 250 at funeral
(BBC) Leaders at a mosque in Blackburn say they are being investigated by police and health officials after “around 250 people” attended a funeral service. The chairman of Jamia Ghosia Mosque said they thought there were no restrictions on numbers if hygiene […]
Mosques
Columbus-area mosque begins outdoor broadcasting of prayer call A central Ohio mosque will broadcast the call to prayer for the first time.
(Columbus Dispatch) A central Ohio mosque is trying to pull the community together while making history at the same time. For what is believed to be the first time in Ohio, a call to prayer, also known as Adhan, began being publicly […]
Government & Politics
Plans to create a mosque under the Trocadero in central London have been withdrawn after racist comments (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Christians
Islamic Society of North America condemns Turkey’s conversion of Hagia Sophia
(Greek City Times) The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has released a statement condemning Turkey’s conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ISNA says that the Quran states that it [is] against their religious beliefs to desecrate a Christian place of […]
Clerics & Preachers
Erdogan’s spies track regime opponents on German soil
(Asharq al-Awsat) Hussein Demir, a former law professor at the University of Ankara, sat inside a Turkish cafe in the Spandau district of Berlin, with his friend Omar, a Turkish businessman, drinking coffee and whispering. As I joined them, the conversation moved […]