Islam in Europe

UK: the TV experiment that aims to change perceptions and prejudice

2012-02-26T04:48:00.002-08:00

UK: the TV experiment that aims to change perceptions and prejudice

Rashid is a devout Muslim whose insistence on praying five times a day in the mosque led to tensions in the house as his prayer schedule made it difficult for him to discharge house duties such as buying food for the evening meal. He shared a room with 24-year-old sheet metal worker Damon, who lives in a predominantly white part of the city. "Bradford is very segregated," he told me. "There are white areas and Asian areas and you just grow up not having any reason to mix."

The eight participants in Make Bradford British spent four days living in a shared house, then split into pairs and spent time with each others' families. "I have lived in Bradford for more than 30 years and I have never been invited by an Asian to have Sunday lunch or a cup of tea," said Audrey, 48, who runs a pub in the city centre.

That kind of segregation has potentially dangerous consequences, as ignorance breeds resentments. In the series, Mohammed, a 45-year-old taxi driver, describes his vision of Britishness as "getting bladdered on a Saturday night", while Audrey said that Bradford was a "ticking bomb. I'm a publican, I speak to the public every day and there is an undercurrent. People say things in private or in a bar but they wouldn't say it publicly because they might be labelled racist."

In the series there is a hint of these undercurrents, when 71-year-old retired police officer Jens recalls the time he joked with an Asian colleague that he was going "Paki-bashing"; the incident leads to a painful discussion about the consequences of using hateful language.

The programme-makers say that the purpose of the series was to see whether people from different religions, backgrounds and cultures could live together and in doing so find out what it means to be British.

(source)

Germany: Secret services ramp up online surveillance

2012-02-26T03:04:00.000-08:00

Germany: Secret services ramp up online surveillance

Via the Local:

German secret services have ramped up surveillance of online communications in the fight against terrorism. A new report reveals the authorities accessed 37 million emails and data connections in 2010 - five times as many as in 2009.

“Bomb,” “nuclear” and “rocket” were all keywords used by German intelligence agencies to flag up and monitor 37,292,862 emails and data connections last year, the Bild newspaper reported on Saturday.
(source)

Finland: Hundreds march for tolerance in Oulu

2012-02-26T01:48:00.003-08:00

Finland: Hundreds march for tolerance in Oulu

Via YLE:

Fresh off last weekend's attack on two immigrants in Oulu, hundreds of people marched for tolerance in the city on Friday. The procession culminated with Imam Abdul Mannan presenting a plea for peace to mayor Matti Pennanen.

Last Saturday's deadly pizzeria shooting in the city left one Moroccan man dead and another seriously injured.

Demonstrators called on Oulu decision makers and police to promote tolerance in the community. They also want officials to step up efforts to make the city more secure for immigrants as well as the native Finnish population. A similar procession was held in Helsinki on Friday, moving from the Central Railway Station to the Parliament House.

(source)

Manchester: Muslim takeaways attacked by mob

2012-02-24T07:33:00.001-08:00

Manchester: Muslim takeaways attacked by mob

The attack is related to an ongoing sex-grooming trial.

Via AFP:

A mob of about 200 people has attacked Asian takeaways in Rochdale in apparent race-related violence.

Windows were broken, police officers pelted with bricks and several vehicles damaged in the violence on Thursday night after the group gathered in the Heywood area of the city. One officer suffered bruising.

Police in riot vans filled the area and eventually dispersed the crowd, arresting a 35-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy.
(source)

EU: Plurality see Islam as threat to identity

2012-02-24T05:44:00.003-08:00

EU: Plurality see Islam as threat to identity

Via La Croix and IFOP (PDF):

French polling agency IFOP published the results of a survey on Europeans and Islam. The survey 'How Europeans see Islam' was conducted April 9-18, 2011 through online questionnaires in Germany, the Netherlands, France and the UK, with relatively low samples of 600-800 people in every country.

In those four countries, a plurality think that the presence of a Muslim community in their country represents a threat for their country's identity (47% in the UK, 44% in the Netherlands, 40% in Germany, 42% in France). In France and more so in the UK, a higher proportion of youth under 35 tended to regard the presence of Muslims as a factor of cultural enrichment. In Germany the Netherlands the youth were more critical of Islam then those over 35.

But IFOP says the results hide a more nuanced reality: more than 50% said they either thought the Muslim community was an enriching factor (19% in the UK and Netherlands, 24% in Germany, 22% in France) or that it was neither option (34% in the UK, 37% in the Netherlands, 36% in Germany and France).

IFOP note that their focus has changed from geographical origin to cultural and religious background. and that 'Muslim origin' has gradually replaced 'North African origin' among both French leaders and regular citizens.

IFOP chose those countries since they have the largest proportional Muslim population. Though every country has a different integration/assimilation model, most Europeans think there's been a failure in integrating Muslims into society. Dutch (77%) and Germans (75%) are most critical, followed by the French (68%) and British (65%). When asked why, 'refusal to integrate' topped the list, far ahead of economic and social causes.

Reason for failure to integrate:

Refusal to integrate: France and the Netherlands 61%, UK 64%, Germany 67%
Very different cultures: France 40%, Germany 34%, the Netherlands 47%, UK 39%
Muslims tend to group together (neighborhoods, schools): France 37%, Germany 32%, Netherlands 34%, UK 58%
Racism and lack of openness among some Europeans: France 18%, Germany 15%, the Netherlands 11%, UK 14%
Economic difficulties and lack of work: France 20%, Germany 10%, the Netherlands 6%, UK 6%
Gov't actions and insufficient budget: France, the Netherlands and UK 2%, Germany 5%

IFOP chose the headscarf/veil, mosques and Muslim political parties as emblematic symbols of Islam in Europe.

A majority opposed a headscarf/veil in public schools (France 90%, Germany 70%, UK 64%, Netherlands 62%), but overall respondents were more open to headscarf/veil on the streets:
The Netherlands: 20% for, 42% against
France: 9% for, 59% against
Germany: 13% for, 42% against
UK: 15% for, 49% against

Asked about building mosques, the Dutch and Germans were most opposed.
France: 20% for, 39% against
Germany: 18% for, 50% against
UK: 14% for, 38% against
The Netherlands: 13% for, 51% against

Asked about Muslim political parties, the French were most opposed (France 74%, UK 43%, the Netherlands 41% and Germany 32%). About a third also opposed having a Muslim mayor (France 33%, UK 35%, the Netherlands 39%, Germany 29%).

Switzerland: CoE urges new law amid "rising racism"

2012-02-24T04:21:00.001-08:00

Switzerland: CoE urges new law amid "rising racism"

Via swissinfo:

The Council of Europe’s human rights chief has called for an overhaul of Swiss anti-discrimination law and policy.

Intolerance and racism are “dangerously on the rise”, the commissioner for human rights, Thomas Hammarberg, said after a four-day review of Swiss policies and practices.

The review was part of the Council of Europe’s ongoing assessments of the human rights situation in member states. The last such Swiss review was in 2004 and this time around it paid particular attention to how Switzerland was fighting racism and xenophobia.
(source)

Marseillais: 'Muslim culture is definitively taking over the lower levels of society'

2012-02-24T02:50:00.001-08:00

Marseillais: 'Muslim culture is definitively taking over the lower levels of society'

Via National Geographic:

What worries some Marseillais is not the caricature of Talibanization invoked by right-wing extremists but what they see as the creeping Islamization of the city's largely working-class population—and not only those issus de l'immigration. "I think that Muslim culture is definitively taking over the lower levels of society," says Michèle Teboul, of CRIF. "There are many mixed marriages with Muslims."

"That's real integration," I say.

"That depends," says Teboul. "It depends if there is a mixture of the two cultures and not one culture gaining the upper hand over another," she says. In France, as she sees it, the institutionalization of secularism and the prevalence of political correctness have weakened the value systems in society and left people without any strong sense of tradition. "Loving your homeland, loving your country, having values— whether religious or other—has been put aside by the politically bien-pensant, and that has helped to break up families that no longer have points of reference, especially those that are underprivileged." Islam, says Teboul, offers a structure to the lives of many people who feel they are adrift. "I'm convinced of that," she says.

Many young Muslim men and women would be surprised to hear of Teboul's concerns. Holding on to Islamic traditions seems a lost cause, or a pointless one, to those who live in a hybrid world of mixed cultures. Their political voice is minimal. An old guard descended from earlier waves of immigrants dominates the local political machines. Italian names abound; Arab ones do not. At the national level almost all of the Muslims that Paris will listen to on Muslim issues, when it listens at all, were not born in France.

"The great paradox is that we who were born here are not recognized," says Djellil. "We have a French culture, we went to French schools, we have a lot of the same demands as our friends who are named Jean-Pierre or Frank," he says. "There's a real generational problem."
(source)

Sweden: Immigrant firefighters hired 'to stop attacks'

2012-02-24T01:23:00.001-08:00

Sweden: Immigrant firefighters hired 'to stop attacks'

Via the Local (h/t Winds of Jihad):

The Swedish fire service is looking to hire more personnel with a foreign background in order to increase safety for fire fighters in big city areas, according to a report by Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT)

”At one point some kids were throwing rocks at us. I caught hold of a guy and spoke to him in his own language,” said Ilhan Demir of the South Stockholm fire service to SVT.

The diversity project is meant to widen recruitment, according to SVT, not in the least when it comes to attracting staff with a different background than the traditional Swedish.

It is hoped that it will overcome language barriers and increase security for fire personnel in the big city areas.
(source)

Sweden: Bracing for Somali family immigration boom

2012-02-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

Sweden: Bracing for Somali family immigration boom

Via the Local:

The number of people seeking permanent residency in Sweden as relatives of immigrants already in the country will increase with 45 percent to 59,500 in 2012, a number comparable to 41,000 last year according to the latest predictions from Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket).

The main reason behind the expected increase is a recent verdict in the Migration Court of Appeal (Migrationsöverdomstolen) which is set to make it easier to seek a residence permit for people from countries where it is difficult to produce valid identification documents.

The larger part of the rise in applications is expected to come from Somalia.
(source)

UK: Asian children in East Lancashire are less likely to be in foster care

2012-02-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

UK: Asian children in East Lancashire are less likely to be in foster care

Via the Blackburn Citizen:

ASIAN children are less likely to end up in care because of the strong support network in the community, according to a religious leader.

(...)

Salim Mulla, chairman of Lancashire Council of Mosques and a borough councillor in Blackburn with Darwen, said he was not surprised by the statistics.

“In our community the majority of people tend to have a large extended family,” he said.

“So within the community, extended family members often take on the additional responsibility of looking after their relatives’ children without even thinking about it.

“That is the mentality of the Muslim community, to support one another in their hour of need, and that message is always given in sermons in mosques.”
(source)

UK: Meet the British lawyer fighting Islam, one parking ticket at a time

2012-02-23T07:05:00.000-08:00

UK: Meet the British lawyer fighting Islam, one parking ticket at a time

Via Foreign Policy (h/t DW):

The Mosquebusters, or the Law and Freedom Foundation as they're officially known, are part of a new wave of anti-Islamic campaigners in England with links to more established anti-immigrant groups such as England Is Ours and Stop Islamisation of Europe. Like many of these groups, the Mosquebusters fear that traditional British culture, laws, and values will disappear with the changing face of Britain and worry that extremist interpretations of sections of the Koran urge Muslims to kill non-believers and take slaves.

Until mid-February, the Mosquebusters advertised for volunteers, under a campaign called "No More Mosques," on the website of the ultra-nationalist English Defence League (EDL), a group that organizes anti-Islamic street marches that often decend into brawls, riots, and arrests. The EDL and other anti-Islamic groups have no problem convincing their members to parade in public yelling insults like "Muslim bombers off our streets!" and "Allah is a pedophile!," but the Mosquebusters have a quieter, perhaps more insidious approach: In offices and city halls, they are crafting legal cases against mosque construction applications across the country. It's a war against Islam, but one that often resembles a bureaucratic turf battle more than a clash of civilizations.

(source)

Germany: Merkel Asks Victims' Relatives for Forgiveness

2012-02-23T05:43:00.000-08:00

Germany: Merkel Asks Victims' Relatives for Forgiveness

Via Spiegel:

At a memorial event for the victims of the neo-Nazi terror cell on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked their relatives for forgiveness for investigators' wrongful suspicions about the victims and their families. She called on Germany not to forget. "Indifference has a devastating effect," she said.

Germany has paid tribute to the victims of the neo-Nazi terror cell with a moving ceremony in Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the keynote speech at the event in Berlin's Konzerthaus concert hall on Thursday morning. In front of around 1,200 guests, including relatives of the victims and many leading politicians, she described the murder series as an "attack" on Germany and a "disgrace for our country."

Merkel read out the names of the murder victims and described their family backgrounds and future plans. "He had no chance to achieve his dreams," she said, in reference to one of the victims.
(source)

Sweden: Prominent Uzbek Cleric In Critical Condition After Shooting

2012-02-23T04:24:00.000-08:00

Sweden: Prominent Uzbek Cleric In Critical Condition After Shooting

Via RFE/RL:

Imam Obidkhon Qori Nazarov has survived an attempt on his life in the Swedish city of Stromsund.

A source close to Nazarov said he remained in critical condition after being shot three or four times.

Nazarov has been living in Sweden since he was granted political asylum in 2006.

With tens of thousands of followers and admirers, he is considered one of the most powerful opponents of the regime of Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
(source)

Netherlands: No 'honour killing' protection for 17-week foetus

2012-02-23T03:11:00.000-08:00

Netherlands: No 'honour killing' protection for 17-week foetus

Via RNW:

A juvenile court judge has refused to honour a request by the Child Protection Council to place a 17-week-old foetus under supervision, Dutch daily AD reports. The council was seeking protection for an 18-year-old unwed mother against a potential honour killing by her family.

Only unborn children older than 24 weeks are granted legal rights like protection under Dutch law , the court ruled. The mother’s identity has not been revealed.

While she was still a minor, Youth Welfare had her stay at a secret location. On turning 18, however, she moved close to her parents, saying she had nothing to fear.

The Council, however, insists she is at risk: “The family will do anything to stop the pregnancy. If she refuses to abort the baby, the family will not shrink from kicking her in the belly, mistreating her or even stabbing her.”
(source)

Italy: Higher Judicial Council OKs right to wear veil in court

2012-02-23T01:53:00.000-08:00

Italy: Higher Judicial Council OKs right to wear veil in court

Via AGI:

The Higher Judicial Council (CSM) has ruled that the veil may be worn on religious grounds in Italian courts. In their plenary session this morning, the majority approved a resolution establishing that "full respect must be assured to to those behaviours which, without causing disturbance to the regular and correct court proceedings, constitute a legitimate exercise of the right to profess one's own religion, including those precepts that relate to clothing and other outward signs."

(source)

Germany: Anti-Islamization float in carnival

2012-02-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

Germany: Anti-Islamization float in carnival

A papier-mache frog with the text on its tongue 'Islamization' and a butterfly with 'Arab Spring' on a float is pictured during the traditional Rose Monday carnival parade in the western German city of Duesseldorf on Feb. 20, 2012. (Via International Business times h/t Islamophobia Watch)

France: Politician angered by attack on Zaman office

2012-02-22T07:01:00.000-08:00

France: Politician angered by attack on Zaman office

Zaman's offices in Paris

Via Today's Zaman:

European politicians have been continuing to voice their condemnation of an attack on the Zaman daily's office in France last week by terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) supporters.

A group of PKK supporters attacked Zaman's offices in Paris and Cologne last Wednesday, threatening newspaper staff and causing property damage to the buildings.

Jean Philippe Maurer, the deputy chairman of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) ruling party and deputy for the Bas-Rhin region, condemned the attack on Wednesday, saying it was the third attack the newspaper had suffered in the past six months.
(source)

Germany: Muslims question Merkel's choice of president

2012-02-22T05:42:00.000-08:00

Germany: Muslims question Merkel's choice of president

Via the Montreal Gazette:

German Muslims also questioned the choice, as did Internet activists.

Wulff reached out to Muslims during his 20-month presidency whereas Gauck has been silent about accommodating Islam in Germany's heritage, telling one interviewer that integration was not about Muslim or foreign identity but only about helping the have-nots.

"We are naturally hoping that Gauck will continue the integration efforts of his predecessor which gave Muslims the feeling they belonged in Germany," said Ali Kizilkaya, chairman of the Council of Muslims, in remarks to appear in the newspaper Tagesspiegel.
(source)

Sweden: Protesters throw eggs at Muhammad cartoonist

2012-02-22T04:21:00.000-08:00

Sweden: Protesters throw eggs at Muhammad cartoonist

A Swedish artist who angered Muslims by depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog was pelted with eggs during a university lecture when he presented another drawing of Islam's revered prophet, police and the artist said Wednesday.

After Vilks was whisked away by security, the attackers started shouting Allah Akbar (video)

France: Sarkozy attacks Le Pen for 'artificial controversy' over halal row

2012-02-22T03:11:00.001-08:00

France: Sarkozy attacks Le Pen for 'artificial controversy' over halal row

Via the Telegraph:

President Nicolas Sarkozy has accused his far-Right election rival Marine Le Pen of creating an artificial controversy over her claim all meat in the Paris region is prepared using Islamic halal traditions.

(...)

Campaigning on Tuesday in Rungis, home of the main wholesale food market serving the Paris metropolitan area, Sarkozy accused National Front leader Miss Le Pen of getting her facts wrong and creating an artificial controversy.

"There is no controversy here. Every year we consume 200,000 tons of meat in the Paris region and 2.5 per cent of it is kosher or halal," Mr Sarkozy said.
(source)

Switzerland: Sharp increase in crime due to Tunisian refugees

2012-02-21T10:22:00.000-08:00

Switzerland: Sharp increase in crime due to Tunisian refugees

Via 20min (French):

Olivier Guéniat, head of the Jura cantonal police, told newspaper Le Matin of the link between the massive increase in Tunisian asylum seekers in 2011 (up by 619% compared with 2010) and the sharp increase in crimes. The number of car burglaries doubled in May and June 2011, compared with the average until then, then increased to 6 times that amount from July to January 2012. Meanwhile, the number of Tunisians who arrived after the Arab Spring and were identified by DNA tests for these offenses, increased by 200% from November 2011 to January 2012.

Guéniat, who is considered close to the Socialists, said the problem was specific and economical, though at the same time unacceptable. The refugees have a hopeless future at home, and their daily allowance do not even allow them three cups of coffee. He refused to stigmatize a community of immigrants.

UK: Ministers pledge end of multiculturalism

2012-02-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

UK: Ministers pledge end of multiculturalism

Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Via the Daily Mail:

The English language and Christian faith will be restored to the centre of public life, ministers are to pledge today.

Eric Pickles will praise the traditions and heritage of ‘the majority’ and describe multiculturalism as the politics of division.

Public bodies should no longer ‘bend over backwards’ to translate documents into dozens of languages and migrants must be asked to learn English and understand the British way of life, the Communities Secretary will say.

Children should be educated in a ‘common culture’, promoting a British identity that crosses class, colour and creed.

Events such as the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics should be used to celebrate traditional culture and ‘fly the flags of Britain’ with pride.

Mr Pickles was speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail ahead of today’s announcement of a new strategy on community cohesion and integration.

(source)

Dagestan: Religious extremism a form of youth rebellion

2012-02-21T08:18:00.000-08:00

Dagestan: Religious extremism a form of youth rebellion

Via the Boston Globe:

Alisa Ganieva, 26, wrote about her native Dagestan, a mountainous region rocked by Islamist insurgency. She told me that religious extremism has become a form of rebellion among the youth, as fashionable as a trendy nightclub.

“In the 1990s, religion became popular in Russia,’’ she said. After the fall of communism, “people finally got an opportunity to pray. Young people went to Egypt to study Islam. When they returned to the motherland, they started teaching their parents. Now girls my age want to wear the hijab and their mothers don’t allow it, so they hide their hijab in their bags.’’
(source)

UK: Muslim hate crime phone line aims to help victims

2012-02-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

UK: Muslim hate crime phone line aims to help victims

Via the BBC:

A first UK helpline for victims of Islamophobia is being set up amid concerns that incidents are not being reported or properly categorised.

Last year 2,000 hate crimes were recorded against different faiths in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Police say it is unclear how many were against Muslims as separate figures were not recorded.

(source)

2012-02-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

Italy: Anti-terrorism police arrest Turkish Hezbollah suspects

Via ANSA:

Italian anti-terrorism police on Tuesday arrested several members of a cell they believe belongs to the militant Sunni Islamic group Turkish Hezbollah.

The people arrested in the central city of Terni are suspected of being involved in smuggling Kurdish and Palestinian migrants into Italy with false documents.
(source)