Children & Teens

Syrian Kurds hand over four ‘Islamic State’ children to Germany Kurdish authorities in Syria have handed over four children to Germany who had parents that were 'Islamic State' fighters. Many EU countries are grappling with how to handle returning foreign fighters and their families.

(Deutsche Welle) The Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeastern Syria on Monday handed to Germany four children whose parents were part of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) terror outfit, Kurdish sources and a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said on Monday. There […]

Clerics & Preachers

French Muslim association to forge ahead with imam training plans despite Macron reticence Hakim El Karoui’s association plans to raise cash from taxes on halal products and Hajj trips

(National-UAE) A new French Muslim association is pressing ahead with plans to finance the training and payment of imams despite silence from President Emmanuel Macron on his long-promised initiative for the organisation of Islam in France. Analysts believe the president shelved his […]

Government & Politics

Are deportations from Germany on the rise? German's amended laws on migration and asylum will soon come into force. This includes legislation to facilitate deportations. But what is going to change? Answers to the most important questions.

(Deutsche Welle) How many people is Germany currently deporting? According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s figures for last year, 23,617 rejected asylum-seekers were deported in 2018. This sounds like a lot. But in the same period, about 31,000 deportations failed […]

Interfaith

Anti-Semitism a growing concern for majority of Europe’s young Jews Young Jewish Europeans believe anti-Semitism is on the rise in their countries. An EU report shows young Jews are concerned about safety and blame social media networks for a rise in anti-Jewish sentiment.

(Deutsche Welle) More than 80% of European Jews aged 16 to 34 strongly identify with being Jewish, and an equally high number of respondents believe anti-Semitism is a growing problem in their countries. According to the “Young Jews in Contemporary Europe” report […]

Government & Politics

Greece does not consult Turkish minority: party chief Party gaining support of ethnic Turks in Greece in EP elections offers to be mediator between Athens, Turkish minority

(Anadolu) Athens does not consult with the ethnic Turkish minority in its northeast on the group’s own affairs, a Greek political party garnering overwhelming support from the minority said on Friday. Greece’s Western Thrace region is home to around 150,000 Muslim Turks. […]

Clothing

Quebec premier shrugs off charge new religious symbols law makes Muslim women more vulnerable to racism François Legault skeptical of Muslims who say Islamophobia's on the rise in Quebec

(CBC) Quebec Premier François Legault says he doesn’t “really” believe Muslim women in the province who say they’ve been the target of Islamophobic incidents since the government passed a law making it illegal for some civil servants to wear religious symbols. Several Muslim […]

Government & Politics

Germany loses track of 160 ‘Islamic State’ supporters About 1,000 Germans traveled to the Middle East to join the 'Islamic State' after 2013. A third of them have since returned to Germany. Some died on the battlefield, others are in prison, but many appear to be missing.

(Deutsche Welle) The German government has lost track of more than 160 German “Islamic State” (IS) supporters who traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the terror group, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper has reported. The figure from the Interior Ministry was […]

Clerics & Preachers

Turkey slams Greece for violating Lausanne Peace Treaty Greece ignores Lausanne Peace Treaty and restricts Turkish minority’s freedom of belief, says Turkish foreign ministry

(Anadolu) Turkey on Friday decried a decision by Greece that local religious leaders, known as muftis, among the Turkish minority living in the Western Thrace would henceforth be appointed by the state instead of being elected by the local people. “Greece violates […]

Government & Politics

Give Matteo Salvini the Nobel Peace Prize, says far-right German AfD’s Beatrix von Storch thinks the Italian interior minister has made a ‘great contribution to the security and stability of Europe.’

(Politico) German MP Beatrix von Storch reckons Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for his “great contribution to the security and stability of Europe.” “I propose Matteo Salvini for the Nobel Peace Prize because he […]

Government & Politics

Former Romanian president, now MEP: ‘EU seems to tell us we must live with Muslim invasion’ Tough action is needed to combat the criminal gangs running migrant operations, says Traian Băsescu.

(Politico) Former Romanian President Traian Băsescu, newly elected as an MEP as part of the European People’s Party, slammed EU inaction on migration and what he sees as the bloc’s inability to protect its borders. “The EU, through its lack of action, seems […]