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. […]

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 […]

Academics & Education

Germany’s imam quandary: Educate, don’t import Ending foreign influence on Muslim religious leaders' education is a long-term goal for the German government. A new study might lead the way for training local imams, if all parties involved are willing to participate.

(Deutsche Welle) A new report published Tuesday proposes a concrete solution to Germany’s ongoing dilemma about how to educate Islamic religious leaders. The goal is to create a seminar that would offer graduates of Islamic theology institutes in Germany the possibility to […]

Clerics & Preachers

Rivlin meets delegation of European Muslim leaders in Jerusalem President and group of imams and activists from France and Belgium discuss anti-Semitism, value of interfaith dialogue

(Times of Israel) President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday met with a delegation of French imams and French and Belgian Muslim activists in Jerusalem. The group was headed by Hassen [Chalghoumi], an imam well-known in France for his involvement in interfaith initiatives. The […]

Clerics & Preachers

French imam in Jerusalem: Anti-Zionism is antisemitism Hassen Chalghoumi is currently leading a delegation of French and Belgian Muslims in Israel to improve Muslim-Jewish ties.

(Jerusalem Post) French Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, currently heading a delegation of French Muslims in Israel, said on Wednesday that anti-Zionism is antisemitism, and blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for incitement against Jews in France and Belgium. Chalghoumi is on his second visit to […]

Government & Politics

Germany is failing to prosecute IS foreign fighters, Yazidis accuse Members of the Yazidi minority in Germany are taking the federal government to court. They say Berlin isn't doing enough to bring German 'Islamic State' supporters captured in Syria to justice.

(Deutsche Welle) The Yazidi Women’s Council has filed a lawsuit against Germany’s justice and interior ministers, alleging obstruction of justice, according to German media reports. The interest group accuses the government of failing to prosecute German supporters of the “Islamic State” (IS) militia […]

Academics & Education

Austria: Opinion leaders condemn Muslim headscarf ban Law bans headscarves for girls under age of 10 at all primary schools across country, including private schools

(Anadolu) Opinion leaders say the ban in Austria on religious headscarves in primary schools is clearly discriminatory against Muslims and contradicts with the principles of equality and freedom of religion. The bill, which was passed in Austria’s parliament on May 15 and […]

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 […]

Clerics & Preachers

Salafist preacher Sven Lau to be released from German jail German Islamist Sven Lau will leave prison early after serving two-thirds of his sentence for supporting a terrorist organization. Lau had recruited fighters for the Jamwa militia in Syria.

(Deutsche Welle) A German court on Thursday ordered the early release from jail of one of Germany’s most renowned Salafists. Sven Lau had been serving a sentence of 5 1/2 years for aiding terrorism. Lau was convicted in July 2017 of supporting Jamwa, an Islamist […]

Arts & Entertainment

‘A Regular Woman’: Remembering honor killing victim Hatun Sürücü The film 'A Regular Woman' tells the true story of Hatun Aynur Sürücü, shot dead in 2005 by her own brother to 'protect the family honor.' The haunting work gives a voice to the victim.

(Deutsche Welle) “I was an honor killing” and “The bundle under this shroud is me”: Through sentences like these, an off-screen voice speaks in the name of Hatun Aynur Sürücü, who was shot by one of her brothers on the street in 2005. The film A Regular Woman unsparingly […]

Clerics & Preachers

Government and DF to blacklist ‘forces of darkness’ The government and its supporting party is ratcheting up the regulations on foreign donations to religious groups

(Copenhagen Post) Concerns over large amounts of foreign money supporting the building of mosques in Denmark have led to the government and Dansk Folkeparti proposing a donor blacklist similar to the one applying to “hate preachers.” “The ‘forces of darkness’ should not […]