Burkini

‘Burkini’ row erupts in Italy after mayor criticises Muslim beachgoers The mayor of a northern Italian town has sparked outrage by warning 'Muslim foreigners' to stop swimming 'with their clothes on' when visiting Italian beaches.

(Local) Italy is known for having some of Europe’s stricter rules on covering up in public, with regular reports of outrage over nudity and revealing swimwear. But on Wednesday, one politician from the nationalist League party in northern Italy sparked controversy by […]

Clerics & Preachers

Muslim groups condemn Riikka Purra’s ‘black sacks’ blog comment Purra's 'black sacks' comment, made in 2019, presumably referred to burqas, the full-cover garments worn by some Muslim women.

(Yle) A total of 26 Muslim groups and organisations in Finland have issued a joint statement condemning a blog comment written in 2019 by the country’s finance minister, Riikka Purra (Finns). Purra’s comment, in Finnish but translated here in English, stated: “There […]

Burkini

Council of State suspends burkini ban in south-eastern France The Council of State ruled that the ban violated 'three fundamental freedoms: freedom of movement, freedom of conscience, and personal freedom.'

(Morocco World News) The Council of State, France’s highest court, has suspended the burkini ban imposed by the municipality of Mandelieu-la-Napoule on its beaches, arguing that there was no evidence that the burkini posed risks to public order. This ruling by the […]

Clothing

Finland’s Islamic community demands government take concrete steps towards ‘zero tolerance’ of racism A total of 26 Islamic congregations and organisations signed the joint statement.

(Yle) A group of Islamic communities and organisations in Finland have issued a joint statement calling on the government to take concrete steps towards achieving “zero tolerance” on racism. “We call on the Finnish government and especially Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) […]

Academics & Education

Muslim students lead protest for adequate prayer space at New York’s Baruch College Thursday's protest, coming on the final day of Ramadan, was one of the larger weekly protests students have organized over the past two months.

(Religion News) Loud chants carried through the main plaza at Baruch College in the early afternoon on Thursday (April 20) as a group of around 40 students protested near the Office of Student Life. The students, a majority of them Muslim, were […]

Children & Teens

Suella Braverman describes grooming gang comments as ‘unfashionable facts’ after backlash The home secretary claimed it was not racist to speak 'plain truths' after she was accused of amplifying far-right narratives with claims most grooming gang members are British-Pakistani.

(Sky News) Suella Braverman has defended her use of language after claiming grooming gang members are “almost all British-Pakistani,” describing them as “unfashionable facts” in the face of a backlash. In a column for the Spectator, the home secretary said it was […]

Children & Teens

Muslim groups urge Suella Braverman to withdraw ‘irresponsible and divisive’ grooming gang comments A Home Office-commissioned study in 2020 found that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white.

(Sky News) Suella Braverman has been urged to withdraw “divisive” comments around child sexual exploitation (CSE) by dozens of medical bodies, businesses and Muslim community organisations, Sky News can reveal. A number of Muslim organisations across the country have written to Rishi […]