London: Ahmadiyya youth raise money for British Legion

London: Ahmadiyya youth raise money for British Legion

(photo)

Amsterdam: Police looking for youth who threatened to kill a man for not fasting on Ramadan

Amsterdam: Police looking for youth who threatened to kill a man for not fasting on Ramadan

Amsterdam: MP tells Kurds to denounce PKK

Amsterdam: MP tells Kurds to denounce PKK

Via AT5 (Dutch):

PvdA (Labour) MP Achmed Marcouch visited the Kurdish community of Amsterdam yesterday.

He called on the Kurds to enter into a debate with the Turks and denounce the PKK. Marcouch also said that Kurds should be able to feel safe in Amsterdam.

The MP further said that 'imported battles from Turkey and other countries in the Middle East in the shouldn't be fought out in the Netherlands with violence".

France: Dunkirk Islamic Council tells Muslims to pass on Eid sacrifice

France: Dunkirk Islamic Council tells Muslims to pass on Eid sacrifice


Altinisik and Sahraoui

Sweden: The Immigration Debate

Sweden: The Immigration Debate

Via FoxNews, article here:

Amsterdam: Moroccan, Jewish youth to clean up cemetery together

Amsterdam: Moroccan, Jewish youth to clean up cemetery together

Gothenburg: Court bans niqab-wearing women

Gothenburg: Court bans niqab-wearing women

Bern: 'Jewish-star' anti-Islamophobia protest

Bern: 'Jewish-star' anti-Islamophobia protest

Jewish-star protest, photo by ICCS

Serbia: 17 arrested after attack on US embassy in Bosnia

Serbia: 17 arrested after attack on US embassy in Bosnia

shooter Mevlid Jasarevic

Denmark: Students visit London to learn about Islam

Denmark: Students visit London to learn about Islam

UK: Britain should become more Christian, says Muslim minister

UK: Britain should become more Christian, says Muslim minister

France: Court backs nursery for firing veil-wearing employee

France: Court backs nursery for firing veil-wearing employee

Via AFP:

A French appeals court ruled Thursday that a kindergarten had acted legally by firing a female employee who refused to remove an Islamic headscarf, the nursery's lawyer said.

The Versailles Appeals Court said the Baby-Loup nursery in nearby Chanteloup-les-Vignes had acted within a law allowing privately-owned kindergartens to forbid the wearing of religious symbols when it fired the employee in 2008, lawyer Richard Malka said.

(source)

UK: Double tragedy as girl dies after leaping into canal to save secret love

UK: Double tragedy as girl dies after leaping into canal to save secret love

Germany: Turks 'are a part of German culture itself'

Germany: Turks 'are a part of German culture itself'

(logo by the Turkish Presidency of Turks Abroad)

Marseille: Court cancels permit for mega-mosque

Marseille: Court cancels permit for mega-mosque

Norway: 25% think there are too many Muslims

Norway: 25% think there are too many Muslims

Netherlands: Kurds ask for protection from Turks

Netherlands: Kurds ask for protection from Turks

Via Telegraaf (Dutch):

About 40 Kurdish organizations asked the Turkish community Thursday to respect them. They also ask the authorities to proetc the Kurdish population and to take judicial steps against "any form of aggression by Turkish rioters".

"We respect the Dutch state and its legal system, and ask the Turkish community and the Turkish organizations in the Netherlands to respect the fundamental rights of association, assembly and freedom of expression of every citizen, as well as the Kurds in the Netherlands."

Ever since the Kurdish separatist movement PKK cilled 24 Turkish soldiers last week, tensions increased also between Kurds and Turks in the Netherlands. An anti-PKK demonstration in Amsterdam Sunday got out of hand when a group of Turks - ultra-nationalists according to insiders - attacked a Kurdish center, resulting in injured and vandalism.

Manchester: White man subjected to race attack by gang of yobs

Manchester: White man subjected to race attack by gang of yobs

Via the Telegraph:

Andrew Goodram, 31, suffered a punctured lung and two broken ribs after the gang of four yobs shouted: "white bastard" at him before subjecting him to a vicious assault.

During the beating Mr Goodram, a labourer, was repeatedly kicked in the head, face and body.

One of his attackers then stood over him and stamped on his chest causing was police described as "significant injuries."

France: Court confirms acquittal of man who burned Koran

France: Court confirms acquittal of man who burned Koran

Amsterdam: Fears of Turkish-Kurdish riots

Amsterdam: Fears of Turkish-Kurdish riots

(arson attempt at mosque in Arnhem)

Russia: Daughters switched at birth

Russia: Daughters switched at birth

Austria: Forced marriage law extension likely

Austria: Forced marriage law extension likely

Via the Austrian Times:

People’s Party (ÖVP) State Secretary Sebastian Kurz has called for a reform of Austria’s anti-forced marriage law.

Forced marriages are not a criminal offence under the current regulations if carried out abroad. Austrians and people living in Austria are facing legal consequences for such actions only if this kind of marriage occurs within the country’s borders.

Kurz – who took office as Austria’s first state secretary for integration in April – said yesterday (Sun): "Forced marriages are criminal acts and must not be tolerated." The ÖVP Vienna boss told Die Presse and radio station Ö1 he was optimistic about coming to an agreement with ÖVP Justice Minister Beatrix Karl.

(source)

Oslo: Palestinian refugee camp to stay

Oslo: Palestinian refugee camp to stay

Cyprus: Turkish Cypriots agree to repel ban on homosexuality

Cyprus: Turkish Cypriots agree to repel ban on homosexuality

Via the Parliament (h/t Turkish Digest):

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has agreed to repeal a ban on homosexuality in the northern part of Cyprus.

It comes after an outcry over the arrest of three men accused of "conspiring to have a sexual intercourse against the order of nature".

(source)

EU: Tunisian Islamist party wins 50% of European vote

EU: Tunisian Islamist party wins 50% of European vote

Najoua Bennaceur, a French-Tunisian who ran for the North-France district

London: Hairdresser sued for refusing to hire Muslim woman in a headscarf

London: Hairdresser sued for refusing to hire Muslim woman in a headscarf

Update: As pointed out in the comments, this is an old case which ended with Noah getting 4000 pounds compensation.

Via the Daily Mail:

The owner of a hair salon is being sued for religious discrimination for refusing to hire a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf.

Sarah Desrosiers, 32, says she turned down Bushra Noah as a junior stylist to maintain the image of her salon, which specialises in "urban, funky" cuts.

She told Miss Noah, 19, she needed her staff to display their hairstyles to the public.

But the devout Muslim insisted that wearing her headscarf was essential to her beliefs.

(source)

Switzerland: Far-right rise capped as greens advance

Switzerland: Far-right rise capped as greens advance

Projected 2011 results (red) vs. 2007 results (blue)

Sweden: Asylum seekers used as car wash 'slaves'

Sweden: Asylum seekers used as car wash 'slaves'

Via the Local:

Asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants are being treated like slaves and paid far less than the legal minimum wage at car washes around the country, according to the police.

An investigation by Sveriges Radio (SR) has revealed that the trend of using people without official papers in Sweden is becoming more and more widespread across the country. These people are being paid very low wages and are subjected to appalling conditions, according to the report.

"This is a new phenomenon,” Jerk Wiberg, head of the border Police in Stockholm, told the “Kaliber” programme.

(source)

Finland: 'Create model society of gays and Somalis in Åland' suggests True Finns MP

Finland: 'Create model society of gays and Somalis in Åland' suggests True Finns MP

Amsterdam: Anti-PKK protest turns violent

Amsterdam: Anti-PKK protest turns violent

UK: Child abuse claims at madrassas 'tip of iceberg'

UK: Child abuse claims at madrassas 'tip of iceberg'

Via the BBC (h/t EuropeNews):

Britain's madrassas have faced more than 400 allegations of physical abuse in the past three years, a BBC investigation has discovered.

But only a tiny number have led to successful prosecutions.

The revelation has led to calls for formal regulation of the schools, attended by more than 250,000 Muslim children every day for Koran lessons.

The chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board said he would treat the issue as a matter of urgency.

Leading Muslim figures said families often faced pressure not to go to court or even to make a formal complaint.

A senior prosecutor told the BBC its figures were likely to represent the tip of an iceberg.

(source)

Sweden: Imam's on-air death threat 'not hate speech'

Sweden: Imam's on-air death threat 'not hate speech'

Via the Local:

It was not hate speech when Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) featured a programme in which a Somali imam called for all converts from Islam to be killed, the Swedish Chancellor of Justice (Justitiekanslern, JK) has ruled.

The motivation for the decision not to open up an investigation into the matter was that the presenter protested against what the imam said immediately following the controversial statement.

The decision said that ”the programme features opinions that could be taken as a threat aginst those who have converted from Islam”.

(source)

Copenhagen: Group calls for Shariah zones

Copenhagen: Group calls for Shariah zones

"Do you want to take part in establishing Shariah in Denmark,
or do you want to stand by? The choice is yours!"
(from the group's Shariah4DK video)

Sweden: Ice mosque planned for Lapland

Sweden: Ice mosque planned for Lapland

Via the Daily Telegraph:

Sweden's Muslims are planning to build an 'Ice Mosque' in Jukkasjärvi, the Lapland home of the country's famous Ice Hotel.

Imam Mahmoud Aldebe, head of the Swedish Muslim Association, said that the mosque would be an opportunity to tell tourists about Islam.

"It would be a new way of seeking dialogue between different cultures and religions," he told Norrländska Socialdemokraten, a local paper.

"It's not actually such a controversial idea. It has been received well with everyone we have spoken to."

(source)

Admin: Gone Fishing

Admin: Gone Fishing

(via Charlie's Tribe)

I'll be back in about a week.

Switzerland: Thousands sign petition for illegal immigrants

Switzerland: Thousands sign petition for illegal immigrants

Via the Local:

The Swiss government has received a petition calling for it to regularize the status of undocumented foreigners living in the country.

A coalition of more than 100 non-governmental organisations is behind the campaign, with the petition -- signed by 20,000 people -- presented to the government on Thursday. Led by the Sans Papiers movement, the campaign has been underway since last May and also includes trade unions, and centre-left parties such as the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party.

Headlined ‘Stop hypocrisy’, the petition calls for an end to forced expulsions and for undocumented migrants to be given legal status and issued work permits.

(source)

EU: Norway killer says 80 militant cells in Europe

EU: Norway killer says 80 militant cells in Europe

Via Reuters:

Anders Behring Breivik, who has confessed to the bomb and shooting attacks that killed 77 people in Norway in July, says there are up to 80 cells in Europe with militant anti-Islamic ideals like his own, Norwegian investigators said on Thursday.

Norwegian police said previously that Breivik had said there were two or three cells in Norway, apart from himself, and "several" elsewhere in Europe that shared his plans to stop what they saw as an Islamic invasion of Europe.

"It's more like three in Norway and 80 around Europe," police prosecutor Christian Hatlo told Reuters, adding that Breivik had made the allegation since shortly after his arrest on July 22.

Hatlo added: "We have not uncovered a single one of them."

(source)

Vienna: Saudi Arabia to set up interreligious centre

Vienna: Saudi Arabia to set up interreligious centre

Foreign Ministers Prince Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Michael Spindelegger of Austria and Trinidad Jimenez of Spain, from left, pose after signing the agreement for the establishment of the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, KAICID, in Vienna, Austria, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

Austria: Court clears politician over mosque game

Austria: Court clears politician over mosque game

Copenhagen: Jewish woman attacked by boy who's been told to 'kill all Jews'

Copenhagen: Jewish woman attacked by boy who's been told to 'kill all Jews'

(The Jewish Cemetery in Copenhagen)

Finland: New textbooks for Islam class in public schools

Finland: New textbooks for Islam class in public schools

France: Starbucks removes controversial poster

France: Starbucks removes controversial poster

Cambridge: Muslim shopkeeper in Chancellor race

Cambridge: Muslim shopkeeper in Chancellor race

Finland: Racial tensions heighten between Finns, Somalis in small town

Finland: Racial tensions heighten between Finns, Somalis in small town

Yorkshire: Program in mosques against crime, drugs and gangs

Yorkshire: Program in mosques against crime, drugs and gangs

Russia: Patriarch Kirill worried Europe is perceived as a Christian aggressor in the Arab world

Russia: Patriarch Kirill worried Europe is perceived as a Christian aggressor in the Arab world

Via Interfax:

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is worried that, as he sees it, many people in the Middle East perceive the events that have happened there of late as a conflict between the Christians and the Muslims.

"It is absolutely unacceptable if Europe is perceived as an aggressor in the Arab world's eyes. This must be prevented by any means, because, although Europe today is, excuse me, godless and secular and does not associate itself too much with Christianity, the deeply religious Islamic population still sees Europe as Christians," Patriarch Kirill said in an interview with Moldovan and Romanian TV channels and the Russian news TV channel Rossiya-24 in Chisinau.

Therefore, "at the market and street level, many see Europe's engagement in the problems of the Arab world - not only political but also military - as some combat between Christians and Muslims," he said.

It is important to prevent "an inter-religious and inter-civilizational factor, because this all can backfire very painfully in the globalizing world, and not only in the Middle East, but also in European counties," he said.

(source)

Denmark: Supreme Court rules to deport immigrant drug dealer

Denmark: Supreme Court rules to deport immigrant drug dealer

Fez Fez will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Via the Copenhagen Post:

Convicted drug dealer and gang member Mahmoud Khalil Salem, otherwise known as 'Fez Fez', has been expelled from Denmark by the Supreme Court.

Earlier this year, in an evenly split decision, the Western High Court ruled that the 41-year-old from Odense, who has lived in Denmark for nearly 20 years and is currently serving a six-year prison sentence, could not be deported out of consideration for his wife and eight children who reside in Denmark.

The Supreme Court today overturned that lower court ruling, with six judges ruling for deportation and the seventh recommending a so-called ‘suspended deportation’.

Belgium: "No more cash for asylum seekers"

Belgium: "No more cash for asylum seekers"

Via VRT:

A commission of the Chamber of Representatives has decided to tighten up rules regarding the care and support that must be given to asylum seekers in Belgium. In future asylum seekers will only receive benefits in kind and no cash and from citizens of other EU countries it will become increasingly difficult to secure the 'living wage' benefit from local social services.

UK: Supreme Court outlaws Government ban on marriage-immigrants under 21

UK: Supreme Court outlaws Government ban on marriage-immigrants under 21

Via the Daily Mail:

Banning foreign spouses aged between 18 and 21 from entering the UK is not a lawful way of dealing with the problem of forced marriages, the Supreme Court ruled today.

(...)

Today the highest court in the land rejected the appeal by Home Secretary Theresa May and ruled that the ban on 18 to 21-year-old foreign spouses coming into the country was 'arbitrary and disruptive'.

It comes as Prime Minister David Cameron promises to make forced marriages a criminal offence for the first time as he condemned them as 'little more than slavery'.

(source)

Vienna: Life-threatening injuries after headscarf caught in mixer

Vienna: Life-threatening injuries after headscarf caught in mixer

Via the Austrian Times:

A woman almost got strangled when her headscarf got caught in a dough mixer.

The 21-year-old woman worked a dough mixing machine in a tent at a party in Vienna's Krieau on Saturday night when her headscarf was caught in the running machine, strangling her by the throat.

(source)

Netherlands: PVV proposes to punish Morocco for not accepting deported Moroccans

Netherlands: PVV proposes to punish Morocco for not accepting deported Moroccans

Via De Telegraaf (Dutch):

PVV parliamentarian Sietse Fritsma suggested to Minister Gerd Leers (Immigration and asylum) that if Morocco continues to refuse to accept illegal Moroccans deported from the Netherlands, the Netherlands should not let Moroccan ships and planes into the country.

The problem with deporting rejected asylum seekers is that their country of origin often refuses to cooperate in their return. Asylum seekers without a passport need new travel papers.

Tatarstan: Controversy over Muslim festival award to former porn star

Tatarstan: Controversy over Muslim festival award to former porn star

Via RT:

The 7th Muslim Film Festival that took place in the Russian city of Kazan in September has ended in a sex scandal. The issue related to a former porn actress who was awarded at the festival.

Rewarding of German actress with Turkish roots Sibel Kekilli known for criticizing Islam and having starred in several porn films in the past caused major disappointment in the Islamic community. The scandal emerged at the suggestion of the Tatarstan Muslims spiritual leader Ildus Faizov.

The local Culture Ministry, represented by Deputy Minister Guzel Nigmatullina, stated that the representatives of the Islamic Council of the republic under Ildus Faizov himself consulted the selective committee of the festival on religious matters.

(source)

UK: Muslims criticize attack on creationism

UK: Muslims criticize attack on creationism

Via OnIslam (h/t Islam in Britain):

Muslim groups in Britain have sharply criticized an atheist professor who attacked Muslim faith schools for teaching creationsim for their students.

"Faith schools are by and large established to enforce the religious teachings of our lives, and the theory of creation is one of the cornerstones of our faith,” Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, from the Muslim Council of Britain, told the BBC.

"To expect faith schools not to teach this kind of religious teaching is unreasonable, but I also think it is important for faith schools to teach science to children as well so they are aware of modern day findings and can use the information to ask further questions and strengthen their faith.

"I don't believe any religious teaching prevents people from being creative and independent in their thinking."

(source)

Netherlands: Mass immigration was rightwing policy, says Labour MP

Netherlands: Mass immigration was rightwing policy, says Labour MP

Via NIS News:

The mass immigration of Turks and Moroccans was the result of rightwing policy, and it is also the rightwing parties that are now responsible an influx of badly-integrated East Europeans, declares Labour (PvdA) MP Martijn van Dam.

"Fifty years after the wave of 'guest-workers', a flood of East Europeans is currently underway. Contrary to what people came to believe, the migration wave of the 1960s was not leftwing but actually rightwing policy," Van Dam wrote yesterday in an opinion article in De Volkskrant newspaper.

"Fifty years later, the rightwing shows it has learned nothing. Once again, the right wants to encourage immigration on the underside of the labour market, without wanting to invest in integration. It is shocking how history repeats itself."

(source)

Yorkshire: Protest over Muslim racism fears at school

Yorkshire: Protest over Muslim racism fears at school

Via Dewsbury Reporter (h/t Islamophobia Watch):

RESIDENTS held a candle-lit protest at a school’s open evening alleging racism amongst pupils.

But the headteacher of Thornhill Community Science College, Jonny Mitchell, said the claims were unsubstantiated.

Around 12 protesters met outside the school in Valley Drive as it held an open evening.

Organiser Shaun Maddox said: “There is no community cohesion here at all. There seems to be a barrier between the white community and the Muslim community.”

Netherlands: School board resigns over immigrant quota plan

Netherlands: School board resigns over immigrant quota plan

Via RNW:

A school board in the town of Ede resigned after its plan to strictly limit the number of migrant children admitted to one of its primary schools sparked a public outcry.

The Proominent Foundation, which runs 13 public primary schools in the Ede municipality, argued that restricting the number of migrant children would make the school more representative of the surrounding neighbourhood.

(source)

Serbia: Muslims to boycott census

Serbia: Muslims to boycott census

Via Eurasia Review:

In a bid to end longstanding “discrimination and state terror against Bosniaks”, the Sandzak and Bosniak national councils called on the Bosniaks not to participate in the current census in Serbia — which runs through October 15th.

The Islamic Community Mufti in Serbia, Muamer Zukorlic, claims that the census number of Muslims [in Serbia] will be falsified, or the number will be less than the actual.

“It happened during all earlier censuses, our community was marginalized and we were denied the rights we have been asking for for decades,” Zukorlic told SETimes.

(source)

Netherlands: Lawyer proposes legalizing 'symbolic' female circumcision

Netherlands: Lawyer proposes legalizing 'symbolic' female circumcision

Via AD (Dutch):

Wouter Limborgh, a criminal lawyer, proposes in his doctoral thesis to legalize a minor or symbolic female circumcision under medical supervision. The consequences for the girl in such a procedure are so minor, he says, that cultural freedom should take precedence. Limborgh writes that this will meet the wish of people to be who they are. Their quality of life will increase and it will prevent people from going ahead with procedures which aren't visible.

Limborgh says this won't be a slippery slope and that it could improve the position of women. If the procedure won't lead to drastic and lasting harmful effects for the girl, there's insufficient reason for punishment.

The idea was criticized by The Dutch Physicians Association and women's organizations.

Syria: Mufti threatens Europe with suicide attacks

Syria: Mufti threatens Europe with suicide attacks

Finland: First terrorism case expands to include Finnish citizen

Finland: First terrorism case expands to include Finnish citizen

Via YLE:

Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) says it now suspects four individuals of engaging in the recruitment and financing of terrorists through the Somali militant group al-Shabab.

NBI inspector Jaakko Christensen says all four suspects are Somalis, though the latest one also has Finnish citizenship.

(source)

Netherlands: Turks to claim back integration course costs

Netherlands: Turks to claim back integration course costs

Via DutchNews:

Thousands of Turkish nationals are set to claim back the cost of integration courses from the Dutch state, now that the compulsory classes have been ruled illegal, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday.

Lawyer Bilal Coskun told the paper some 30,000 Turks have been forced to take the courses, many of them in Turkey itself.

He has now set up a foundation to represent them in claiming back an average €5,000 per person.

(source)

Bosnia: Radical Tunisian Muslim deported as 'security threat'

Bosnia: Radical Tunisian Muslim deported as 'security threat'

Germany: Turks dissatisfied with their children's education

Germany: Turks dissatisfied with their children's education

Via the Local:

Most parents of ethnically Turkish children in Germany say they are dissatisfied with the way their kids are being educated, according to a survey seen by Der Spiegel magazine.

The survey of 1,256 parents of children between 3 and 18 years old by the Allenbach Institute and commissioned by the Vodafone Foundation found 59 percent believed their kids were not given the same opportunities as ethnically German children. A full 63 percent said they believed teachers had pre-existing prejudices against children from minority backgrounds, the magazine reported.

(source)

Sweden: Work permit rules 'misused'

Sweden: Work permit rules 'misused'

Via the Local:

The Swedish law on labour migration is being used as a means to access other EU labour markets with hundreds of migrants recently travelling onwards within the Schengen area without even passing customs at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

Some 200 Bangladeshi migrants have recently arrived in Sweden, holding work permits from a Swedish firm to enable them to work as berry pickers but they never worked in the country, and instead flew straight out of Arlanda Airport, according to a report in the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) daily.

“The government’s position is clear - it is absolutely intolerable if the rules are being misused,” Migration minister Tobias Billström told The Local on Monday.

(source)

Netherlands: Many Dutch asylum seekers jobless

Netherlands: Many Dutch asylum seekers jobless

Via RNW:

Figures from the Dutch CBS statistics office show that 22 percent of asylum seekers are officially registered as unemployed and looking for work.

This is far higher than the percentage of people in a similar position from the native Dutch community (three percent) and the non-Western immigrant community (nine percent).

(source)

UK: Forced marriages could become a criminal offence

UK: Forced marriages could become a criminal offence

Via the Daily Telegraph:

Forcing someone to marry against their will could become a criminal offence under plans set out by Prime Minister David Cameron today.

Mr Cameron announced he was making it a criminal offence to breach an order issued by the courts to prevent a forced marriage and he has asked Home Secretary Theresa May to consult on whether the practice should be made an offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

(source)

Madrid: Girl kicked out of exam for wearing headscarf

Madrid: Girl kicked out of exam for wearing headscarf

The teacher refused (ES) to let her take the test since her headscarf covered her ears, which could be used to cheat as it could hide electronic equipment.

Via Bikya Masr (h/t Islamophobia Watch):

A 14-year-old Muslim girl in Spain was kicked out of an exam in her Madrid secondary school after she refused to take off her headscarf, local Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos reported on Tuesday night.

Eivan Khemins Eibar, the girl’s lawyer and a specialist on discrimination cases, sent a report to the school manager saying the student did not do anything wrong in wearing the higab.

(source)

Belgium: Turks sentenced for wedding procession wild ride

Belgium: Turks sentenced for wedding procession wild ride

Via nieuwsblad (Dutch):

Six Turks from Ghent lost their cars and got a five year driving ban after going wild during a wedding procession on the highway.

The Turks drove on the E40 from Ghent to Sint-Jans-Molenbeek (Brussels) April of last year.

The Dendermonde magistrate said it was 'incredible'. They raced on the highway at 180 km/h, slaloming between cars, and even drove in the wrong direction on the shoulder, endangering other motorists. In Wetteren they blocked the highway and drove around in circles, leading to a traffic jam from Aalter to Wetteren (~35 km), and serious financial losses.

Warsaw: Legia 'Jihad' at Europa League match

Warsaw: Legia 'Jihad' at Europa League match

Jihad banner displayed by the non-Muslim fans of Legia Warszawa

Berlin: Demonstrators storm Syrian embassy

Berlin: Demonstrators storm Syrian embassy

Richard Dawkins attacks Muslim schools for stuffing children's minds with 'alien rubbish'

Richard Dawkins attacks Muslim schools for stuffing children's minds with 'alien rubbish'

Switzerland: Mayor resigns over threats after praising immigration

Switzerland: Mayor resigns over threats after praising immigration

Via the Local:

The mayor of a small town in northern Switzerland has left office after positive comments he made about immigrants were met with insults and threats directed at his family.

Josef Bütler, the mayor of Spreitenbach, made the decision after he discovered that defending the integration of immigrants in Switzerland can turn into a nightmare. More than half of the town's 11,000 inhabitants are of foreign origin.

On August 24th, Bütler participated on the TV show Schweiz Aktuell. Asked about the high proportion of foreigners in Spreitenbach, the Christian Democract praised the coexistence of Swiss and foreigners and said that for him immigration represented a “challenging enrichment.”

(source)

Netherlands: 'Migration enriches our society', says Immigration Minister

Netherlands: 'Migration enriches our society', says Immigration Minister

Via RNW:

Immigration Minister Gerd Leers argues that “Migration enriches our society.”

The minister made his statement in an article published in magazine of the Christian democratic CDA’s scientific institute.

(...)

Minister Leers states that a society which tries to curb immigration is “on the wrong track.” He says he wants to dispel negative ideas about immigration and emphasise a positive image.' He regrets that the political and social debate of the past few years has put immigration in a bad light.

(source)

Malmö: Mayor proposes 'temporary' citizenship, deporting criminal immigrants

Malmö: Mayor proposes 'temporary' citizenship, deporting criminal immigrants

Catalonia: Muslims accused of dog-poisoning

Catalonia: Muslims accused of dog-poisoning

Via Hudson New York:

Spanish authorities are investigating the recent deaths by poisoning of more than a dozen dogs in Lérida, a city in the northeastern region of Catalonia that has become ground zero in an intensifying debate over the role of Islam in Spain.

All of the dogs were poisoned in September (local media reports here, here, here, here and here) in Lérida's working class neighbourhoods of Cappont and La Bordeta, districts that are heavily populated by Muslim immigrants and where many dogs have been killed in recent years.

Local residents say Muslim immigrants killed the dogs because according to Islamic teaching dogs are "unclean" animals.

(source)

Switzerland: SVP launches new foreign criminals plan

Switzerland: SVP launches new foreign criminals plan

Leuven: Muslim students open college academic year

Leuven: Muslim students open college academic year

(photo)

Belgium: School hires teacher who doesn't speak Dutch to teach Turkish kids

Belgium: School hires teacher who doesn't speak Dutch to teach Turkish kids

Via HLN (Dutch):

A Catholic school in Lommel hired a Turkish-speaking teacher to teach all the Turkish pre-schoolers. "This way the children who haven't learned a word of Dutch at home feel safer," says director Danny Huijsmans. Professors for language development and Flemish minister of Education Pascal Smet encourage the approach.

France: Suburbs turn away from state and towards Islam

France: Suburbs turn away from state and towards Islam

Via al-Arabiya:

Local communities in France’s immigrant suburbs increasingly organize themselves on Islamic lines rather than following the values of the secular republic, according to a major new sociological study.

Respected political scientist Gilles Kepel, a specialist in the Muslim world, led a team of researchers in a year-long project in Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil, two Paris suburbs that exploded in riots in 2005.

Helsinki: Police wish to attract more immigrant officers

Helsinki: Police wish to attract more immigrant officers

Via YLE:

Efforts are underway in Helsinki to attract more people of immigrant background into the ranks of police and firemen. Only a handful of non-ethnic Finns currently serve in Finnish law enforcement.

A three-month course is being held in Helsinki to encourage immigrants to apply to training programmes for police, firemen and security guards.

Few Finns of immigrant background seek careers in law enforcement, despite efforts to attract multicultural recruits, says Somali-born Said Aden who is coordinating the project.

(source)

Belgium: Asylum centres unable to cope with influx of new asylum-seekers

Belgium: Asylum centres unable to cope with influx of new asylum-seekers

Via VRT:

The Federal Asylum Agency Fedasil has enlisted the help of several estate agents to find private rented properties near to existing asylum centres. However, not all local municipalities are happy with the move.

Fedasil is currently looking for a solution to the shortage of places and overcrowding at its existing asylum centres.

The centres are unable to cope with the influx of new asylum-seekers and there have been well-documented cases of asylum-seekers being put up in hotels and army camps due to a lack of available accommodation at asylum centres.

(source)

Paris: Egyptian arrested in Indian hero's metro death

Paris: Egyptian arrested in Indian hero's metro death

(photo of the suspect)

Belgium: 40% of partner-migrants come from Morocco, Turkey

Belgium: 40% of partner-migrants come from Morocco, Turkey

Via HLN (Dutch):

There were 30,000 registered partner migrations in Flanders and Brussels between 2008 and mid-2011. Partner migrations are people from outside Europe who marry or live together with a resident of Flanders or Brussels. In 40% of the cases, the partner came from Morocco or Turkey, according to a study by the University of Ghent for the Flemish Minsiter of Integration Geert Bourgeois.

33% came from Morocco (10,000), and 11% (3,200) from Turkey. This is often follow-up migration, and the resident is also Moroccan or Turkish.

Denmark: New Integration Minister to change tone towards foreigners

Denmark: New Integration Minister to change tone towards foreigners

(photo)

Amnesty: Syrians abroad are "systematically harassed" for anti-government activism

Amnesty: Syrians abroad are "systematically harassed" for anti-government activism

Via M&C:

Syrians living in exile from Sweden to Chile are being closely monitored and 'systematically harassed' by Syrian embassy officials who retaliate against anti-government activism by targeting relatives at home, Amnesty International said in a report released Monday.

The briefing paper, released simultaneously in London and Doha, lists more than 30 cases of activists in eight countries: Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Britain and the United States.

The Syrian expatriates report that they have faced intimidation from embassy officials and others and that their relatives in Syria have, as a result, apparently been exposed to harassment, detention and even torture, according to Amnesty.

(source)

UNHCR: Multiculturalism good and inevitable

UNHCR: Multiculturalism good and inevitable

(photo)

Switzerland: Study highlights poor health of immigrants

Switzerland: Study highlights poor health of immigrants

Via SwissInfo:

Immigrants are less healthy than the average Swiss but many do not seek proper treatment using Switzerland’s health care system, a study has found.

Around 3,000 immigrants from Turkey, Portugal, Serbia, Kosovo, Somalia and Sri Lanka were interviewed about the state of their health, their need for medical care and general health know-how.

Paris: Interior minister decries illegal immigration after 6 die in fire

Paris: Interior minister decries illegal immigration after 6 die in fire

Paris: Incident between Jews and Muslims

Paris: Incident between Jews and Muslims

Via Maville, CRIF (French, h/t Philosemetism):

An incident between Jews and Muslims in the Paris suburb of Vigneux-sur-Seine this past Saturday ended with three injured and mutual complaints to the police.

According to a police source, a group of three young women (aged 17 to 22) approached a family of five about 500 meters from the local synagogue. One of the girls said "they're Arabs like us", at which point the Jewish family answered "we aren't Arabs, we're Jews! What do you have against Jews?"

Antwerp: City to offer stunning for Eid al-Adha sacrifice

Antwerp: City to offer stunning for Eid al-Adha sacrifice

Via HLN (Dutch):

During Eid al-Adha, the city of Antwerp will, as in recent years, open up temporary slaughterhouses for Muslims to slaughter their sheep sacrifice. This is per request of the Flemish and federal authorities. For the first time, however, the city will also offer an option to stun the sheep before slaughter. The city intended to offer this option last year, but didn't due to an administrative error. The city council is encouraging the city's Muslim residents to donate money instead, or get their meat from a butcher.

Oslo:Ahmadiyyas inaugurate largest mosque in Scandinavia

Oslo:Ahmadiyyas inaugurate largest mosque in Scandinavia

(The controversial mosque overlooks the main highway to Oslo)

Austria: 45% think conflict potential with Muslims is very high

Austria: 45% think conflict potential with Muslims is very high

Via the Austrian Times:

A new survey has revealed a significant potential for conflicts between Austrians and foreigners.

A poll by the Centre for Future Studies of Salzburg’s FH higher education college shows that 53 per cent of Austrians considered the change that existing difficulties in the coexistence of themselves and immigrants could worsen as "very high".

Around 45 per cent of interviewed Austrians said the same considering Christians and Muslims while 31 per cent were of the same opinion as far as the situation between rich and poor was regarded.

(source)

Germany: Four Muslims suspected of preparing to attack reunification festivities (UPDATE: Suspects released)

Germany: Four Muslims suspected of preparing to attack reunification festivities

Update: the suspects were released.

The four, aged 22-27, were all born in Germany.

Via AP:

Police say they have arrested four men suspected of illegally procuring weapons ahead of festivities marking the anniversary of German reunification.

Cologne police spokesman Carsten Moellers says three of the men were arrested Saturday in the Bonn area and the fourth in Offenbach, near Frankfurt.

(source)

Switzerland: Lower house approves burka ban

Switzerland: Lower house approves burka ban

Via FaithWorld:

The lower house of Switzerland’s parliament has taken a first step towards banning full-face veils, voting in favour of a measure brought by the political party that spearheaded the 2009 campaign against building new minarets. The motion “Down with the masks”, proposed by SVP representative Oskar Freysinger, comes at a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment in Switzerland, which holds national polls on Oct. 23.

It was approved on Wednesday by 101 parliamentarians to 77 with nine abstentions on Wednesday and now has to pass Swiss parliament’s upper chamber. If both houses approve the proposal, full-face veils, including Muslim burqas, could eventually be banned from government buildings or public transport.

(source)

Netherlands: Dutch law takes precedence over Sharia

Netherlands: Dutch law takes precedence over Sharia

Via RNW:

Dutch courts sometimes conform to the legal rules of other countries, but they are always watching for violations of the Dutch legal system and of human rights. Dutch laws always take precedence, Deputy Justice Minister Fred Teeven said on Thursday.

Mr Teeven spoke in response to questions from Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party about the influence of Islamic law or Sharia on sentences passed in the Netherlands. According to the deputy minister, the relationship between the two is “negligible.”

(source)