(Politico) When Osama Sabsabi learned that opposition forces had captured the city of Homs, where he grew up, he did something that would have been unthinkable just days earlier: He booked a ticket home. “We, the Syrian people, are experiencing an indescribable […]
(AFP) Britain, Germany, France, Italy and several other European countries said Monday they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments […]
(DPA) The German lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, has passed a motion to combat anti-Semitism in its first plenary session since the ruling centre-left coalition broke apart. The motion entitled “Never Again Is Now: Protect, Preserve and Strengthen Jewish Life in […]
(JNS) Germany’s coalition parties and the main opposition faction agreed on Saturday to pass a Bundestag resolution on antisemitism that for the first time will see the legislature name Muslim immigration as a driver of the problem. The draft resolution, which will […]
(DPA) Calls for the German government to tighten rules for asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan mounted on Monday, three days after the deadly knife attack in the western city of Solingen. Resuming deportations to the two countries has been a hot-button […]
(Politico) A knife attack allegedly perpetrated by a Syrian asylum seeker that authorities are investigating as a possible act of terrorism has renewed a heated debate over migration in Germany ahead of three state elections in which the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for […]
(Politico) A brutal knife attack in the German city of Solingen has reignited a debate about public security a week ahead of important state elections in eastern Germany, with the far right hammering the government coalition and other parties over alleged shortcomings. […]
(Bloomberg) Germany is in talks with Uzbekistan over a migration pact that could include the deportation of Afghan asylum seekers so that Berlin does not have to make any direct deals with the Taliban, according to people familiar with the plan. Chancellor […]
(Deutsche Welle) Colleagues, family and politicians converged on the city square in Mannheim on Friday to remember the young policeman who sustained deadly injuries one week ago. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier laid flowers. A 25-year-old man originally from Afghanistan, who is married […]
(DPA) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to allow the deportation of serious criminals to Afghanistan and Syria again, he told parliament on Thursday, following the recent death of a police officer who was stabbed at an anti-Islamic rally. “Such criminals should be […]
(AFP) Six people were wounded in a knife attack at a far-right rally in Germany on Friday, including a prominent critic of Islam, drawing immediate condemnation from the nation’s leaders. The attack, just days before EU-wide elections, comes amid a spike of […]
(Deutsche Welle) A top Bavarian politician on Wednesday demanded tougher consequences for people advocating for Germany to become a “caliphate,” saying they should face prison terms and lose citizenship. Alexander Dobrindt, who heads Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) in Germany’s Bundestag, […]
(Breitbart) A study on juvenile delinquency in the German province of Lower Saxony found that radical ideology is widely prevalent among the Muslim youth population, with nearly half favouring an Islamic caliphate over democracy. A “dark field study” conducted by the Criminological Research […]
(Deutsche Welle) As the parliamentary commissioner for the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, Eva Högl is responsible for ensuring that the issues and needs of German soldiers get heard. In mid-March, Högl presented her third annual report in her role as commissioner […]
(AFP) The German city of Frankfurt switched on festive lights Sunday to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in what local media said was a nationwide first. A large sign reading “Happy Ramadan” and a display of lights in the shape […]
(Exberliner) Berlin’s SPD parliamentary leader Raed Saleh is advocating for laws against Islamophobia to be entered into the state constitution, according to a report by Tagesspiegel. Saleh emphasises that this would be in addition to constitutional clauses which advocate against antisemitism. The topic […]
(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s newly founded “Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening” (DAVA) is currently a voters’ association, but it intends to run as a party in the European elections on June 9. This announcement in January triggered a heated debate in Germany, […]
(Deutsche Welle) The new color scheme a few months back was only a cosmetic step. Now, Germany’s center-right Christian Democrats are going under the hood. For the first time since 2007, the party that ruled Germany for most of the republic’s young […]
(JTA) Recognizing Israel’s right to exist is now mandatory for those who want to become German citizens in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Applicants living in the state will have to confirm in writing “that they recognize Israel’s right to […]
(Politico) Geert Wilders may be just the tip of the iceberg. Following the anti-Islam politician’s shock election win in the Netherlands, European elites are nervously scanning the political landscape for signs of what’s to come — including further surprise wins from far-right […]
(Deutsche Welle) A hostile attitude toward Muslims is widespread in large sections of German society. Its manifestations are an everyday reality. One in two people in Germany agrees with anti-Muslim statements. These are the findings published this Thursday (June 29) by the Independent […]
(AFP) Strong backing for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan among Turks in Germany in last weekend’s historic election has sparked renewed soul-searching about whether Berlin’s attempts to integrate the minority are failing. There were scenes of jubilation in some German cities after Erdogan […]
(National-UAE) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hit the campaign trail on Monday in a Berlin mayoral election marked by concerns over violence and integration. Ugly scenes on December 31 including attacks on police and buses led to fingers being pointed at Arab and […]
(Reuters) Youth riots that erupted in Berlin on New Year’s Eve have rekindled a debate over immigration just as Germany is preparing reforms to lure a new wave of skilled foreign workers to Europe’s largest economy. Dozens of police officers, firefighters, rescue […]
(Jerusalem Post) A controversial Islamic organization has removed Iran’s Hamburg Center from its Shura executive board after German intelligence sources revealed that the Iranian entity in the city-state supports the late Qasem Soleimani, who was a designated terrorist according to US and […]
(Anadolu) Politicians in Germany are calling on members of the Turkish community to cast their vote in elections next week to make their voice heard in national politics. “Regardless of which democratic party they support, I am calling on all citizens of […]
(Politico) For Afghans desperate to flee the Taliban takeover of their country, Europe had — at best — mixed messages to offer. As the evacuation from Kabul airport grew increasingly chaotic Monday, with footage emerging of Afghans attempting to cling to a departing […]
(Deutsche Welle) All parties in Germany’s grand coalition government have agreed to ban the flag of Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper said in a report published Sunday. The move comes after several antisemitic incidents occurred last month in […]
(Algemeiner) Antisemitic demonstrations targeting Israel have continued to be staged by Islamist groups in Germany, despite the May 21 ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. In a sinister display last Friday that brought to mind demonstrations by neo-Nazi […]
(AFP) Germany said Friday it would allow deportation of Syrians to their war-ravaged homeland from 2021 if they are deemed a security risk, five years after a massive refugee influx. The EU’s biggest economic power and most populous member allowed in hundreds […]
(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s current general deportation stop to Syria should not be extended, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Friday, urging that individual case-by-case decisions be made “at least for criminals and those considered a threat.” In 2012, Germany passed a ban on […]
(Deutsche Welle) After the identity of a high-profile police informant was blown this summer, a radical Islamist and convicted terrorist has claimed responsibility for unmasking him, German public broadcaster Tagesschau reported on Friday. Bernhard Falk said he worked out the real name […]
(Reuters) Plans by European countries to take some 400 unaccompanied children from the burned-down Moria refugee camp in Greece should mark just the beginning of their efforts, German Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday. Fires destroyed Greece’s biggest refugee camp on […]
(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) have finally managed to expel controversial politician turned author Thilo Sarrazin, who has published a series of books over the last decade bearing little resemblance to the party’s stated positions. Sarrazin’s books criticizing the lack of […]
(Jerusalem Post) The domestic intelligence agency for the city-state of Hamburg announced on Friday that there are 50 Hezbollah members in Hamburg and roughly 30 Hezbollah-affiliated associations spread across Germany. Germany authorities banned activities connected to Hezbollah in April and declared the […]
(Reuters) Social Democrat state [premiers] on Saturday called for Germany to take in vulnerable refugees from crowded reception camps in Greece, in the latest sign of discord in the ruling coalition over the prospect of a new refugee wave hitting Europe. Tens […]
(Deutsche Welle) Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced on Saturday the creation of an “independent expert group on Islamophobia” (Muslimfeindlichkeit), saying it would emulate current ministerial panels on anti-Semitism and antiziganism, meaning hostility toward Jewish and Roma communities respectively. His call follows a charge […]
(Deutsche Welle) There are very few women and girls in Germany wearing a full-face veil such as the niqab or the burqa — most likely a mere two-digit number. A recent verdict handed down by a Hamburg court, however, has sparked a […]
(Jerusalem Post) Ali Ertan Toprak, the chairman of the Kurdish community in Germany, on Tuesday lodged a formal criminal complaint against the Iranian regime-controlled Islamic Center of Hamburg, the owner of the Imam Ali Mosque, for its support of terrorism. According to […]
(AP) Germany’s parliament passed a resolution Thursday calling for a national ban on the activities of Hezbollah and for the Lebanese militant group to be put on the European Union’s terrorist list. Mathias Middelberg, the spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives in […]
(Deutsche Welle) Thilo Sarrazin, who has been accused by Islamic organizations of racism and damaging Germany’s reputation, will no longer appear at a private business club in the northwestern city of Bremen next month. The Weser-Kurier newspaper cited organizers as saying the […]
(AFP) Germany’s far-right AfD party surged in elections in two ex-communist eastern states Sunday, reflecting anger over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s migrant policy and a wealth gap 30 years after the Berlin Wall fell. The Alternative for Germany became the second-strongest party in […]
(AFP) Germany is bracing for what could be the first outright election victories for the far-right AfD party on Sunday, when voters in two states in the ex-communist east go to the polls. Even strong vote results, coming 30 years after the […]
(Deutsche Welle) Plans to no longer serve children pork or gelatin-containing products like gummy bears at two daycare centers in the eastern German city of Leipzig prompted a wave of criticism online and made headlines across the country on Tuesday. The mass-circulation […]
(Deutsche Welle) On its third try, Germany’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD) will be able to kick controversial anti-Islam author Thilo Sarrazin from its ranks, an arbitration court ruled on Thursday. The former Berlin senator intends to appeal the ruling. “We will try […]
(AP) In Scandinavia, there’s a new type of socially conscious liberal — that wants tighter restrictions on immigration. Left-wing parties in Denmark and Sweden that historically defended humanitarian values and generous welfare systems have shifted positions since Europe saw an influx of […]
(VOA) The election victory last week by Denmark’s Social Democrats has prompted a debate among fellow European left-wing parties: Should they, too, adopt anti-migrant rhetoric, imitate their Danish counterparts and campaign for stricter immigration rules? Because of a surge in support in […]
(Deutsche Welle) The parliamentary group leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has sparked a divisive debate after he said a Muslim could be a future CDU leader and chancellor of Germany. Asked by media outlet Idea if a Muslim could lead […]
(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s governing coalition has agreed to strip fighters of the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group of their citizenship, according to German outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR. The new law would apply only to jihadis who are of age, have a second […]
(Daily Sabah) The German government wants to make German language skills a requirement for foreign clerics seeking to enter the country, an Interior Ministry spokesman told dpa on Sunday. Clerics looking after the large number of Muslim migrants who have entered Germany […]
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