Academics & Education

Calls to shut Swedish school where ‘ISIS teachers’ taught in classrooms Politicians demand closure of leading state-funded school accused of hiring former militants as teachers

(National-UAE) Calls are mounting for the closure of a leading state-funded Islamic school in Sweden that was accused of hiring ISIS fighters as teachers after their return from Syria. The chancellor of Vetenskapsskolan school in Gothenburg, Abdel Nasser El Nadi, has been […]

Government & Politics

British politicians must do more to tackle extremism, says top adviser Sara Khan says MPs' responses to extremism are 'weak, insufficient and often ineffective'

(National-UAE) The British government’s extremism adviser has called on leaders of the country’s three main political parties to commit to challenging hateful acts. Sara Khan has written to Conservative leader and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson, […]

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 […]

Deradicalization

America faces a new counter-terrorism problem it is completely unprepared for Country lacks system to ensure that scores of jailed extremists no longer pose a threat after release

(National-UAE) Few people have defined America’s post-9/11 homegrown terrorist threat like John Walker Lindh, the so-called “American Taliban.” On May 23, having served 17 years of a 20-year sentence for aiding a terrorist organisation, Walker Lindh walked free from a high-security prison […]

News: Europe

‘Dangerous’ Muslim Brotherhood fatwa app in Apple Store’s top 100 downloads Exclusive: Despite calls for the Muslim Brotherhood-linked app to be banned for its 'poisonous' content, it remains among the most downloaded

(National-UAE) A “dangerous hate” app linked to the Muslim Brotherhood has been in the top 100 downloads in the Apple Store in a third of European countries since its launch, despite international calls for it to be banned. The Euro Fatwa app, […]

Demonstrations

British Al Quds march organiser should be probed by counter-terror police — report Islamic Human Rights Commission permeated 'at every level' by extremism, according to UK think tank

(National-UAE) A group which organises the annual Al Quds Day march in London should be investigated by Britain’s counter-terror police, according to a recommendation by a leading think tank. A report published on Thursday by the Henry Jackson Society investigating the Islamic […]

Books

Former far-right politician who converted to Islam says EU must be realistic about immigration Joram van Klaveren worries that the ideas he contributed to may become policies after the next EU elections

(National-UAE) With Europeans approaching the next parliamentary vote split down the middle on the benefits of immigration, few can claim to have the perspective possessed by Joram van Klaveren. As a spokesman for right-wing Geert Wilders’s anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) a […]

Crime

Controversial scholar Ramadan’s absence overshadows Muslim gathering with France at crossroads over Islam’s role The Swiss academic accused of rape continues to hold ideological sway over some attending the Muslims of France group meeting despite efforts by organisers to distance themselves from him

(National-UAE) As tens of thousands of people attended the annual congress of a French Muslim organisation, the name of a controversial absentee was in many thoughts. Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss academic accused of two rapes but vehemently protesting his innocence, has been […]

Government & Politics

Germany confirms Islamic Relief ties to Muslim Brotherhood Federal government aid payments to British-based charity under official scrutiny

(National-UAE) German officials have accused Islamic Relief Worldwide of “significant” connections to the underground Muslim Brotherhood, triggering concerns among politicians over the diversion of official funds to Islamists. A submission to the Bundesrat revealed that the powerful Federal Court of Audit was […]

Deradicalization

Terrorists set for release across EU without proper monitoring EU still tinkering with deradicalisation policy as convicted extremists are set to walk free

(National-UAE) European countries will release 1,500 convicted terrorists over the next 12 months, posing a major security challenge for authorities grappling with the fallout from wars in Syria and Iraq, a London counter-terrorist conference heard on Wednesday. The wave of releases coincides […]

Clerics & Preachers

Ecquevilly: The ‘quiet Salafist’ town resisting French integration While there are signs of hope in this commune west of Paris, a radical preacher’s influence lingers

(National-UAE) Barely 30 kilometres from the renowned Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, France’s perpetual search for harmonious relations with its post-colonial Muslim population has its own reflection in the troubled recent history of one small town. On first encounter, […]

Arts & Entertainment

Comedian Eshaan Akbar on trying to highlight the humour in Islam 'There’s no representation on TV of Muslims having a laugh. There isn’t anything out there that allows white British people to see Muslims just being normal,' he says

(National-UAE) Most comedians have to put up with a fair degree of heckling in their careers, but British comedian Eshaan Akbar has received violent threats for his new stand-up routine at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In Prophet Like It’s Hot, the 34-year-old […]

Government & Politics

UK commission to probe output of ‘intellectual’ extremists Head of counter-extremism body tells the National she will make decisions after major research project

(National-UAE) A UK government-appointed body is to consider new laws to tackle increasingly professional extremist groups that harness the power of social media to disguise divisive messages as mainstream political campaigns. Sara Khan, the group’s head, cited the work of the international […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Campaigners decry attack on Tory plan to tackle Islamophobia Conservative efforts to root out Islamophobia defended against Baroness Warsi's complaints

(National-UAE) Campaigners against Islamophobia distanced themselves from Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the former chairman of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party, as she reignited her feud with its leadership over Islamophobia. Weeks after the Conservative chairman Brandon Lewis announced it would work with campaigners to […]