In other news

Asylum seekers’ fight at Fribourg station leaves 1 in critical condition

2012-05-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

FRIBOURG, SWITZERLAND – A fight that broke out at the Fribourg train station at 20.20 Tuesday 15 May has left one man, a 26-year-old Tunisian asylum seeker, in critical condition, say Fribourg police. Five men, all African asylum seekers, were arrested, but a sixth man fled the scene. Police are trying to identify the missing person and to piece together details of the incident. The cause of the fight has not been made public.

(Geneva Lunch)

Pregnant woman 'was smothered to death by family before they claimed she was killed by an evil spirit'

2012-05-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

At Birmingham Crown Court today, prosecutor Christopher Hotten said the cultural context in which Mrs Mumtaz met her death on July 8, 2009 was of importance, as were the religious beliefs of the defendants, described as a ‘traditional Muslim family with an emphasis on religious observance’.

(Daily Mail h/t Jawa Report)

‘A forced marriage is a form of slavery...it’s time to say no’ Says Baroness Warsi

2012-05-25T10:00:00.001-07:00

David Cameron is to act to halt the misery inflicted on up to 8,000 young British women every year.

(The Sun)

Lawyers ‘told doctors to exaggerate crash injuries’

2012-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Claim Time was established in 2005 by Yousaf Khan and Rizwan Shabir, who had been partners in a firm called Claim Today Solicitors before starting their own business.

The Birmingham-based firm promotes its services with television advertisements in English and Urdu featuring British-Asian models and actresses. Its volume of business is such that one NHS doctor was paid £300,000 in two years to assess Claim Time’s clients

(The Telegraph)

Report: Sweden's population is "skyrocketing" because of Muslim immigration.

2012-05-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sweden's population grew from 9 million to 9.5 million in the years 2004-2012, mainly due to immigration from "countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia". 16 percent of all newborns have mothers born in non-Western countries. Employment rate among immigrants: 54 percent. Price per young unaccompanied asylum seeker: up to 2,300 USD per day. 175,000 new asylum seekers and family reunifications are expected in 2012-2013, which is an extremely high number when compared to the size of the country's population. Magazines and newspapers remove the ability to comment on internet articles related to immigration.

(JihadWatch)

Afghan arrested for honor violence in Denmark

2012-05-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

An Afghan man (32) was arrested for attacking his sister (21). The sister was beaten with an unknown tool on every part of her body besides the face. The North Jutland police are convinced honor was the main motive for the attack.

The sister was admitted to a hospital in late April, and the hospital reported the case to the police. The man is charged for the beating and for intimidating witnesses. He threatened both the girl and his parents not to report the attack. The man pleaded not guilty in court.

(Berlingske)

More than 87,000 racist incidents recorded in UK schools

2012-05-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

"We are seeing a real increase in racism in some areas which is down to factors like a growth of Islamaphobia in society which is filtering into classrooms," said Ms Soyei.

(BBC)

Hunger striking asylum seekers seek shelter in Danish church

2012-05-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

Ten Iranian asylum seekers have taken shelter in a church in Nørrebro. Their asylum request has been rejected and they fear for their lives if they return to Iran. Several are Christians.
Over 60 Iranians and Syrians in several asylum centers are on hunger strike in protest against their long stay in the centers. The Nørrebro Iranians are also participating in the hunger strike.

(Kristeligt Dagblad)

Asylum seeker 'abused' in Hungary

2012-05-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

They say they came to Hungary to escape brutality, war or the threat of being put to death in their home countries. Instead, they are serving untold months behind bars without ever being convicted of a crime.

Migrants who arrive from violence-ridden countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan or Somalia are spending up to a year languishing in detention centres.

(News24)

Nationalism on the rise in southeastern Europe

2012-05-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Populism and nationalism offer dangerously simple answers to complicated issues and win voters' support in economically trying times. Recent polls in Greece as well as across southeast Europe are examples of the trend.

(DW)

Refugee camp eviction was 'disproportional', says judge

2012-05-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

Local officials who used emergency powers to break up an impromptu camp by failed asylum seekers went too far in doing so, a court in Groningen ruled on Thursday.

(DutchNews)

Swedish school reported over 'holy' yoga lessons

2012-05-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

The "om" chant featured in yoga lessons at a Stockholm school has prompted a complaint calling for the lessons to be banned because of the term's ties to the Hindu religion.

(The Local)

Roma continue to face discrimination in Europe, report finds

2012-05-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

The Roma minority continues to face hardship and discrimination in Europe, according to a report from European Union and United Nations agencies that underscores ongoing marginalization of the group, including forced evictions and violent attacks.

Four out of 10 Roma surveyed said someone in their household had to go hungry at least once in the past month because money was short. Nine out of 10 Roma, who also are known as Gypsies, live below the poverty line. And roughly half said they had been discriminated against as Roma in the past year, the report found.

(LA Times)

Dutch teacher fired for anti-Islam tweets

2012-05-25T05:03:00.000-07:00

A teacher from Leiden was fired for anti-Islam tweets. The teacher, Anand Soekhoe, who's also a councilor for Leefbar Leiden tweeted that "Islam is not a religion, but a barbaric backwardness". Earlier in the week he called upon leftist voters to think of their grandchildren. "Otherwise the next generations will speak Arabic! And Islam will be the state religion. Don't do that to you children.!" Soekhoe had meanwhie removed the tweets.

(De Telegraaf, Leidsch Dagblad h/t NRP)

Iranians seek return of singer from Germany

2012-05-25T03:56:00.001-07:00

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's official news agency says protesters in front of the German Embassy in Tehran are seeking return of an Iranian-born singer who went into hiding after receiving death threats.

(AP)

Terror suspect extradition halted pending new psychiatric probe

2012-05-25T03:55:00.001-07:00

Justice minister Ivo Opstelten has ordered an independent investigation into the mental health of a Dutch-Pakistani man due to be extradited to the US on terror charges, the Volkskrant reports on Friday.

(DutchNews)

4 Russian bikers detained in Iraq

2012-05-24T12:30:00.001-07:00

The bikers have been severely beaten, accused of espionage and visa forgery, and threatened with the death penalty, said Alexander Orlov, a member of the Moscow-based motorcycle club RAMCC, who said he is in continual contact with the men and a Russian diplomat in Iraq.

(The Moscow Times)

Belgian Minister slams ‘fundamentalist’ Orthodox Israeli colleague for refusing to shake hands with her

2012-05-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Onkelinx reacted to the event by posting news of it on her official Facebook page, under the heading “My hands are clean!” In the text that followed, she described how it was her second such “profoundly troubling” experience, the first being when she met an Iranian official:

“This kind of fundamentalist attitude, connected to a certain perception of religion and women, profoundly troubles me”, the statement went on to say.

(EJP)

The Role of the Father: Honor Killing Verdict Has Prosecutors Wanting More

2012-05-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

A German court last week convicted and sentenced five siblings in the kidnapping and murder of their younger sister Arzu. Prosecutors, however, are still not satisfied. They believe that the family's father ordered the honor killing and are hoping to find enough evidence to put him behind bars.

(Spiegel)

Afghan kidnappers demand ransom for Medair staff

2012-05-24T11:13:00.001-07:00

Kidnappers have demanded ransom for five aid workers with Swiss organization Medair.

(WRS)

Krekar agrees to remain in prison

2012-05-24T11:00:00.001-07:00

Mullah Krekar, the Islamic cleric who’s been under Norwegian protection for more than 20 years, has agreed to remain in prison for at least another eight weeks pending appeal of his recent conviction for making death threats. He’s using the time to write a book.

(Views and News from Norway)

Amnesty criticizes Swiss asylum practice

2012-05-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Amnesty International cited a forced deportation of 19 Nigerian men last year, during which one was “brutally beaten” without a subsequent independent investigation.

(WRS)

Guards accused of abusing Macedonia murder suspects

2012-05-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

Three Bitolj prison guards will be suspended on suspicion that they physically abused suspects for the murder of five Macedonians near Skopje in April.

(B92)

Swedish rapper reported for Twitter death threat

2012-05-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

Sweden Democrat party leader Jimmie Åkesson received a death threat from a Swedish rapper through Twitter, prompting to the political party leader to report the matter to police.

(The Local)

West to freeze policing of disputed Bosnia district

2012-05-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

A Western envoy said on Wednesday he would suspend his authority over a disputed Bosnian district sandwiched between two feuding regions, in the latest attempt to slowly scale down international involvement in the strife-torn country.
(Reuters)