Alcohol & Drugs
Reading knife attacker had ‘fleeting interest’ in extremism, court told (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Catholicism
Government & Politics
Tlaib: ‘I hope you realize just the opportunity here that Allah has given us to show the power of Muslims in Georgia’
(CNS) Muslim leaders, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), expressed the hope and expectation on Sunday that Muslim voters would be a deciding factor in the pivotal Senate runoff election in the state of Georgia early next month. The […]
Academics & Education
Only Muslim school in Paris closed down amid claims of Islamophobia France targets the capital’s only school catering to Muslims amid a wider crackdown on the country’s 4.5 million Muslim population.
(TRT) Paris’s only Muslim school was shut down by French authorities while pressure continues to increase on Europe’s largest Muslim community. MHS College and High School is a private secondary in Paris, originally established in 2015. Although the school is officially secular […]
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 […]
Christians
Vienna terror attack reportedly intended to target church youth group
(Catholic News Agency) A gunman affiliated with the Islamic State had planned to attack a Catholic youth group meeting at a church in Vienna during his Nov. 2 terror attack, according to local media. On Nov. 2, a gunman killed at least […]
Clerics & Preachers
France Islam: Muslims under pressure to sign French values charter
(BBC) France’s Muslim Council is due to meet President Emmanuel Macron this week, to confirm the text of a new “charter of republican values” for imams in the country to sign. The Council (CFCM), which represents nine separate Muslim associations, has reportedly […]
Clerics & Preachers
‘The French government has no right’: CAIR slams Macron’s ‘ultimatum’ to Muslims Muslim-American civil rights group labels French president's order to establish 'National Council of Imams' under government parameters 'hypocritical and dangerous'
(Middle East Eye) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s “attempt to dictate the principles of the Islamic faith” to French Muslim leaders, and his demand they “falsely state that Islam is an ‘apolitical religion.’” Macron on Wednesday […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
Austria’s Muslims wary of backlash after attack
(AFP) When Osama Abu El Hosna found himself under a hail of bullets during the shooting rampage in Vienna, he heroically risked his life to save a policeman at the scene. But while Hosna has been lauded for his courage, other Muslims […]
Christians
Horrified by deadly attacks, French Muslims protect church
(AP) As a French-born Muslim, Elyazid Benferhat’s stomach turned when he heard about a deadly Islamic extremist attack on a church in Nice. Then he decided to act. A self-described man of peace and pragmatism, Benferhat and a friend gathered a group […]
Crime
Eight detained after Vienna attack had previous convictions
(AFP) Eight of those detained following Monday night’s terrorist attack in Vienna had previous convictions, including for terror offences, the Austrian interior minister said Thursday, as the investigation extended to Switzerland and a second, unnamed country. In the wake of the attack […]
Clerics & Preachers
Christchurch imam Gamal Fouda calls for French president Macron to take lead from NZ after terror attacks
(NZ Herald) The leader of a Christchurch mosque where 42 Muslims were shot dead last year has denounced the recent attacks in France and called on French president Emmanuel Macron to take a lesson from New Zealand’s response to extremist violence. Two […]
Christians
More arrests as French Catholics pray in shadow of attack in Nice
(AFP) French Catholics on Sunday celebrated the All Saints religious festival under heavy security, as police made two new arrests over an attack on a church in the southern city of Nice blamed on an Islamist knifeman. Three people were killed in […]
Clothing
Historic case in the making as Quebec’s religious symbols ban heads to court Constitutional challenges to Bill 21 begin on Monday in Quebec Superior Court
(CBC) Around 9:30 on Monday morning, on the 17th floor of a drab, black and grey building in Montreal, some of the most basic principles of Canadian democracy will go on trial. That’s when lawyers from several civil society groups will begin […]
Christians
Portuguese bishop blames European ‘prejudices’ for Islamist terror attack in France
(Breitbart) The bishop of Porto in Portugal, Manuel Linda, said Friday that Thursday’s lethal Islamist terror attack in Nice, France, was not due to Islamic animosity toward Christians but to European prejudice. “Yesterday’s attack on the cathedral in Nice is not Islam’s […]
Christians
Cardinal Sarah says West must wake up to threat of Islamism after three killed at French Catholic church
(Catholic News Agency) Vatican Cardinal Robert Sarah said Thursday that the West must wake up to the threat of Islamism after three people were killed at a French church by an attacker shouting “Allahu Akbar.” The Guinean cardinal wrote on Twitter Oct. […]
Christians
Knifeman kills three at French church, ratcheting up terror fears
(AFP) A knife-wielding man killed three people at a church in the French city of Nice on Thursday, slitting the throat of at least one of them, in what officials are treating as the latest jihadist attack to rock the country. The […]
Academics & Education
Malta imam says religious vilification should be illegal, in France murder reaction Imam Mohammed El Sadi claimed the publication of Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad played into the hands of Muslim extremists and extreme right groups
(Malta Today) The imam of the Paola mosque, Mohammed El Sadi, has once again called for the criminalisation of blasphemy and the mocking of faiths, in a reaction to the fanatical murder of a French teacher who displayed the notorious Charlie Hebdo […]
Children & Teens
Child abuse inquiry ‘scared of racist tag’ (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
French Muslims ‘horrified’ by Paty murder, says religious leader
(Radio France) France’s Muslim community is “horrified … profoundly shocked” by the killing of Samuel Paty, according to Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith. He said the teacher’s brutal murder was an insult to the memory of […]
Government & Politics
Muslims in Michigan, a key vote in a must-win state, on track for record turnout Muslim areas around greater Detroit could be a key factor in who will be president in January.
(Religion News) With his Lebanese last name and his Muslim background, Mike Chehab, an attorney from Sterling Heights, Michigan, said he has heard prejudiced comments during his run this fall for a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. Chehab is a […]
Academics & Education
Beheading of teacher exposes secular divide in French classrooms
(Reuters) Some teachers in France say they censor themselves to avoid confrontation with pupils and parents over religion and free speech, a problem brutally exposed when a teacher was beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in class. History teacher Samuel […]
Christians
Ilhan Omar says Republicans would ‘lose their mind’ if Muslim woman were nominated to SCOTUS
(Newsweek) Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota said on Monday that Republicans would “lose their mind” if a Muslim woman were appointed to fill a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. “Let’s be clear about this: if a Muslim woman was nominated to […]
Government & Politics
Austria’s Kurz reiterates opposition to taking in asylum seekers from Moria
(Reuters) Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Saturday reiterated his opposition to taking in asylum seekers from the destroyed Moria refugee camp in Greece, prompting criticism from his government coalition partner the Greens and from the opposition. The fires at Europe’s largest refugee […]
Crime
Austria arrests Syrian over attacks on Jewish leader, synagogue
(Reuters) Austria has arrested a 31-year-old Syrian refugee suspected of carrying out attacks last week on a Jewish community leader and a synagogue in Austria’s second city Graz, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said on Monday. The leader of Graz’s Jewish community association, […]
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 […]
Immigration
Migrants adrift after camp at France-Italy border shut
(AFP) Sudanese migrant Soulaimen has been sleeping on the beach in the Italian border town of Ventimiglia for 10 days now. With his only shelter a sleeping bag and pasta meals donated by a charity, the 20-year-old is getting by as best […]
Children & Teens
Families of French IS members in Syria battle to bring them back Families in France are growing more determined to bring back relatives who left to join the so-called Islamic State. Dozens of French women and children recently vanished from the radar, leaving relatives desperate.
(Deutsche Welle) Antoine* is used to standing his ground. The trade unionist has defended workers’ rights his whole life. But when his daughter M. suddenly left to join so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq five years ago, he hit rock bottom. “It […]
Health & Medicine
Mosques adapt to coronavirus shutdown by sharing the call to prayer. In Culver City, neighbors said it was too loud
(LA Times) The call to prayer rang out at 7:49 on a Saturday evening as the sky glowed pink from the setting sun. Women in hijabs and masks gazed up at the mosque as the Arabic hymn floated down: Allah is the […]
Christians
‘Muslims were not foreigners’: Why do Portugal’s restitution laws not include everyone? Restitution laws in Portugal offer citizenship only to the descendants of Jews expelled from the country 500 years ago
(National-UAE) Mouraria, a trendy neighbourhood in Lisbon’s city centre, still bears the name of its former inhabitants, the Moors — Muslims who lived in the Iberian Peninsula in modern Spain and Portugal, and once walked its maze of narrow and winding streets […]
Christians
The Muslim running for mayor in Christian Bavaria
(AFP) With his neatly trimmed beard, sharp suit and broad smile, Ozan Iyibas looks like a typical politician out to win votes ahead of a municipal election in southern Germany’s Bavaria region. But he has unleashed a mini earthquake with his candidacy […]
Academics & Education
Muslim-American advocates protest upcoming Army War College speaker
(Army Times) The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is protesting a speaker coming to the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, who has written that terrorism and extremism are intrinsic to Islam. Raymond Ibrahim — whose books include “Crucified […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
Mike Bloomberg’s outreach to Arab Americans, Muslims in Michigan stirs debate
(Detroit Free Press) Mike Bloomberg’s outreach to Arab American and Muslim communities in metro Detroit has sparked an intense debate, with some criticizing him over his past support of surveillance of their population in New York City when he was mayor. This […]
Christians
Minnesota priest apologizes for calling Muslims a ‘threat’
(AP) A Minnesota Roman Catholic priest apologized Wednesday for saying in a sermon that Islam was “the greatest threat in the world” to the United States and Christianity. The Rev. Nick VanDenBroeke apologized in a statement issued by the St. Paul-Minnesota Catholic […]
Children & Teens
Nearly one in five French newborn boys have Muslim or Arabic first names
(Breitbart) According to French political scientist Jérôme Fourquet, the number of newborn males with Arabic or Muslim first names has increased from just one per cent in 1960, to 19 per cent today. Fourquet noted that the decline in the French birthrate — […]
Academics & Education
First imam training course starts in February
(Brussels Times) The University of Leuven (KULeuven) will begin a new course for the training of imams in February. The course lasts six years. The training of imams was a point raised in the report of the parliamentary committee which looked into […]
Academics & Education
Islamic schools grow as parents seek a ‘safe zone’ for their children
(Age) Victoria’s private Islamic schools are the fastest growing schools in the state, almost doubling their population in just eight years. Combined, student numbers at the state’s 10 Islamic schools grew at six times the rate of enrolment growth at government schools […]
Clerics & Preachers
Germany: Imams will have to prove they speak the language Religious leaders from other countries could soon be forced to prove they can speak German in order to stay in the country. Critics say such a law would worsen the country's shortage of Muslim clerics.
(Deutsche Welle) The German Cabinet has introduced a draft of a bill that would require clergy from countries outside the EU to prove their knowledge of German in order to reside in the country. Although the law would apply to clerics from […]
Arts & Entertainment
WIFF documentary shines spotlight on female genital mutilation Giselle Portenier's 'In the Name of Your Daughter' is one of the headlining [films] at this year's WIFF
(CBC) Ask Giselle Portenier why she chose to travel to Tanzania for her latest documentary, and she’ll say that Tanzania actually chose her. According to the self-described human rights filmmaker, whose latest project In the Name of Your Daughter is set to […]
Academics & Education
Muslim headscarf debate divides France, in climate of hate
(AP) When a far-right French official disrupted a regional council meeting to demand that a Muslim woman accompanying a group of schoolchildren be ordered to remove her headscarf, “in the name of our secular principles,” her own child buried his head in […]
Christians
Trois-Rivières Catholic diocese postpones church sale to Islamic cultural centre Parishioners oppose sale of church to neighbouring Muslim community
(CBC) The Roman Catholic bishop of Trois-Rivières has announced that his diocese will postpone selling Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf Church to its neighbour, the Islamic Cultural Centre of the Mauricie, after an outcry from some parishioners over the pending sale to the Muslim community. More than 100 parishioners […]
Government & Politics
9/11 victim’s son blasts Ilhan Omar at Ground Zero memorial service
(NY Post) The son of a woman killed on 9/11 slammed Rep. Ilhan Omar at Wednesday’s memorial service for being insensitive to victims’ families when she gave a speech saying, “Some people did something” to describe the terror attacks. Wearing a shirt […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
Report: News coverage of Muslims is more negative than of other minority groups
(Religion News) A new study of how the media covers minorities in the United States finds that depictions of Muslims in the news remain by far the most frequent and the most negative. “Muslims are just way down there in comparison to […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
At first Muslim presidential forum, Sanders reaps adoration of ISNA attendees
(Religion News) The Islamic Society of North America attracted some major names to its annual convention in Houston this year, including comedian Trevor Noah, activist Linda Sarsour, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and (by video) Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. But the figure […]
Government & Politics
Italy lets in stranded migrants after striking EU deal
(AFP) Italy allowed 116 rescued migrants to disembark from a coastguard ship Wednesday with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s backing after five EU countries and the Church agreed to share responsibility for looking after them. The far-right minister used Facebook to announce his […]
Government & Politics
Delaware senator criticized for suggesting Muslims want to ‘subvert our constitution’
(WHYY) The Delaware state senator behind a bill to prevent “foreign laws” from being used in local courts has drawn criticism from a Muslim advocacy group — and some fellow lawmakers. State Sen. Dave Lawson, a Republican from Kent County, insists his […]
Christians
France: As many Muslims as practising Catholics in 18-29-year-old demographic
(Breitbart) Fewer and fewer French identify as being actively religious, and according to a new study there are now as many practising Muslims among the 18-to-29-year-old demographic as there are practising Roman Catholics. In total, around 32 per cent of French in […]
Christians
Many Americans see religious discrimination in U.S. — especially against Muslims
(Pew) While ideas about religious liberty and tolerance are central to America’s founding and national story, different religious groups — including Catholics, Jews and Mormons — have suffered discrimination in the United States at various points in history. Today, Americans say some […]
Academics & Education
Austrian Muslims to challenge school headscarf ban in court
(Reuters) The organization representing Austria’s Muslims said on Thursday it would ask the Constitutional Court to reverse a ban on headscarves in primary schools a day after it was passed in parliament. There were an estimated 700,000 Muslims living in Austria in […]
Holidays
Queensland Police’s Facebook post on Ramadan sparks debate
(9 News) A Queensland Police Service Facebook post wishing the public Ramadan Mubarak to mark the start of the Muslim holy month has sparked fierce debate online. “From all of us, to all in our Muslim community observing the start of the […]
Immigration
The ISIS mechanic: Man now living in B.C. fixed trucks for terror group. Is he complicit in war crimes?
(Global News) Flying its black flags, the Islamic State group advanced across Syria and Iraq in convoys of pickups and SUVs, some mounted with heavy guns and reinforced with metal plates. Vehicles were central to the ISIS campaign, but like any trucks, […]