Government & Politics

New SDP MP under scrutiny over contentious Facebook posts The MP’s employer, Martti Ahtisaari’s Crisis Management Initiative, says it stands behind Hussein al-Taee.

(Yle) Fledgling politician Hussein al-Taee, who was recently elected to parliament on a Social Democratic Party ticket, has come under intense scrutiny over old Facebook posts about the situation in the Middle East. Among other things, the new MP from Vantaa appeared […]

News: Europe

How a German mining town became a recruiting ground for IS The western town of Dinslaken became known as a Salafi hotbed in 2013 when a group of local youths traveled to Syria to join the 'Islamic State.' Years on, the community is still trying to leave the past behind.

(Deutsche Welle) A deep-seated mistrust is noticeable, even from inside the car, as we drive slowly through the streets of Dinslaken-Lohberg. Due to bad weather, only a few people are outside, following us with their glances. “That’s normal in Lohberg,” social worker […]

Children & Teens

Germany brings home ‘Islamic State’ children from Iraq Germany has started repatriating the children of jailed 'Islamic State' fighters from conflict zones [in] the Middle East. European countries are grappling with how to handle returning foreign fighters and their families.

(Deutsche Welle) The German Foreign Ministry said Friday it had brought several children of convicted “Islamic State” (IS) militants back to Germany from Iraq. The returns were carried out with the consent of the parents, a ministry source said, adding that the number of […]

Academics & Education

Germany to push for imams to be trained locally, not abroad In an effort to curb foreign influence and foster integration, the German government is pressing for imams to be educated locally, in Germany. Are German Muslim communities willing to back the idea? DW investigates.

(Deutsche Welle) Forty-three-year-old imam Murat Gül is president of the Islamic Federation of Berlin and teaches Islam at the local Rosa Parks primary school. “Ever since I was a young boy, I had a love for the Koran,” said Gül, who was […]

Citizenship

Germany approves stripping dual national terrorist fighters of citizenship Germany's cabinet has approved a change to the law allowing dual nationals to lose their citizenship if they fight for a foreign terrorist militia. The new law will not be applied retroactively.

(Deutsche Welle) Germans with dual nationality who join foreign terrorist militias will lose their citizenship in the future, the cabinet decided on Wednesday. “Someone who goes abroad and actually participates in combat operations for a terrorist militia shows that they have turned […]

News: Europe

Finnish woman wants to return from IS stronghold: international media International news media reported encountering a woman who claimed to be Finnish and living in an Islamic State-controlled area

(Yle) A journalist writing on Twitter on Wednesday said that he had encountered a Finnish woman living in an area in Syria controlled by the extremist organisation Islamic State. Kurdish affairs analyst and journalist Mutlu Civiroglu tweeted that the woman came to […]

News: Europe

Spain helping US identify European jihadists in Syria Interior Ministry is receiving information from officers working on Operation Gallant Phoenix that could serve as evidence against returning fighters

(El País) Spanish agents in Syria are cooperating with Operation Gallant Phoenix, a U.S.-led effort to identify fighters from Western nations who have joined Islamic State (ISIS) and Al Qaeda-affiliated groups in the region, counter-terrorism sources told El País. The Spanish Interior […]

Government & Politics

Germany: Horst Seehofer sets terms for repatriating ‘Islamic State’ foreign fighters Some 40 foreign fighters who fought for 'Islamic State' and are in detention in Syria reportedly have German passports. Germany's conservative interior minister has said they can only return under strict conditions.

(Deutsche Welle) Germany will only take back “Islamic State” foreign fighters and their families if they can prove their identities and they do not pose a serious security threat, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has said. “In the interest of the security of […]