Government & Politics

Austria rejects UN migration pact

(AFP) Austria said Wednesday it will not sign a United Nations migration pact that is set to be adopted in December, in order to “defend its national sovereignty.” The United States and Hungary have already rejected the Global Compact for Migration, which […]

Moderation & Reform

Battling Salafism on Germany’s streets Saloua Mohammed's most important tool in the fight against Salafism is listening — to parents whose kids radicalize online, to youth who rave about Salafism, and to women returning to Germany after fighting alongside IS.

(Deutsche Welle) “Let’s see who is going to win in the end, shall we?” social worker Saloua Mohammed says. “They won’t get my youths that easily.” “They” are radical Salafists: ultraconservative Muslims who interpret the Quran literally, live their faith the way […]

Legal

The German who went from left-wing terrorist to Salafist sympathizer Bernhard Falk is no stranger to prisons. A convicted leftist terrorist, he spent 12 years behind bars. Now he looks after imprisoned Islamists. Germany's domestic intelligence agency considers him a danger to society.

(Deutsche Welle) One of the advantages of a constitutional state that ensures the rule of law is that it also applies those rights to people who deeply reject it. Even those who want to abolish the democratic system and fight by force […]

Children & Teens

Germany ‘ignoring’ ECJ ruling on refugee reunification Media reports have accused Germany of disregarding a ruling from the EU's top court on the rights of unaccompanied minors to be joined by their families. The key point is the minor's age during the asylum process.

(Deutsche Welle) In mid-April, the European Union’s supreme court in matters of EU law ruled that unaccompanied minors could bring in their families, even if they had come of age during the asylum process. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that […]

Books

Abu Dujana: The Salafi preacher For years, the organization 'The True Religion' provided a rallying point for radical Muslims in Germany — some of whom left to join IS. Naomi Conrad met Abu Dujana, one of the movement's most prominent Salafi preachers.

(Deutsche Welle) There was nothing remarkable about the friendly, polite man with the long, dark beard, sporting a grey hoodie and blue jeans. Nothing, at first sight that is, to distinguish him from the young parents pushing prams and students milling around […]

Banks & Banking

Paypal halts services for UK charity with alleged ties to terrorism The termination of Paypal's service for War on Want means that people who choose to donate to the organization can no longer do so through PayPal.

(Jerusalem Post) PayPal stopped providing services to War on Want, a UN NGO, after UK Lawyers for Israel, a pro-Israel consortium of lawyers, provided evidence to PayPal claiming to show that the charity had ties with terrorist organizations. UK Lawyers for Israel […]

Books

Invisible and dangerous: The Salafist scene in North Rhine-Westphalia There are more Salafists in North Rhine-Westphalia than in any other German state. The scene has all but vanished from the public eye in its stronghold. But it is still very active, as DW is told by numerous sources.

(Deutsche Welle) “Speak after me,” the red-bearded German convert and Salafist preacher Pierre Vogel says as he publicly summons the young woman. Cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd in the pedestrian zone of the western city of Offenbach, she does exactly that, […]

Demonstrations

PEGIDA’s fourth anniversary: Thousands in Dresden for rival rallies Some 10,000 people joined demonstrations in Dresden opposing a celebratory PEGIDA rally. The far-right group held its first 'evening stroll' four years ago.

(Deutsche Welle) Thousands of people turned out on Sunday in the eastern German city of Dresden in defiance of a fourth-anniversary rally by the anti-immigrant PEGIDA movement. The far-right group’s march through the city took place at the same time and attracted […]

Clerics & Preachers

UK: Anjem Choudary released from prison

(Gatestone) The Islamist firebrand preacher Anjem Choudary, described as Britain’s “most dangerous extremist,” has been released from prison after serving only half of the five-and-a-half-year sentence he received in 2016 for pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. Prison authorities could not prevent […]