Cultural & social affairs Department

OIC islamophobia Observatory

Monthly Bulletin – January 2014

I. Manifestations of Islamophobia:

1. : Swastikas scrawled on – The doors to the central Stockholm mosque were covered in Nazi graffiti in the night of 1st January, the first time vandalism had taken the shape of swastikas, representatives said.

The swastikas, which covered the men’s entrance to the mosque on Sodermalm island in Stockholm, were discovered in the following morning. The mosque was vandalized in December 2013, but the damage was not overtly political. Mosque administrators reported the vandalism to the police, which were documenting the damage. An anti-fascist tag with an accompanying anarchist symbol were also scrawled on the mosque’s façade. In: http://www.thelocal.se/20140102/swastikas-scrawled-on-central-stockholm-mosque, retrieved on 03.01.2014

2. UK: Islamophobia Increases in Schools – A growing number of British Muslim children reported facing racist and xenophobic bullying in their schools, a UK charity group revealed, warning that far-right agenda on immigration was being taken into classrooms. Sue Minto, head of ChildLine, told The Independent on 8 December 2013: “There’s so much more of a focus in the news at the moment about immigrants... it’s a real discussion topic and children aren’t immune to the conversations that happen around them. Some children are being told, even if they’re UK born, to pack your bags and go back where you belong. It is very worrying, it’s a big increase. This past year, it really seems to be something children and young people are suffering with.”

The figures, release by ChildLine, revealed that more than 1400 children and young people contacted the helpline in 2013 to report racist bullying. Marking 69% increase, the charity asserted that Islamophobia was a particular issue in schools, with young Muslims reporting that they were being called “terrorists” and “bombers” by classmates. James Kingett, of the charity Show Racism The Red Card (SRTRC) which seeks to combat racism, said: “We work with around 50,000 young people every year and issues around Islamophobia have been very prevalent over the past 12 to 18 months. That idea that all Muslims are terrorists or bombers is a particular problem. We’re getting that from kids with no Muslim classmates through to those in diverse schools with many Muslims. We are doing work on the impact of far-right groups such as the English Defence League on children’s attitudes. Often children are picking up language at home and from parents and taking that to be fact. The rhetoric at the moment around immigration is

1 incredibly pervasive. The prominence of the immigration debate may have had a knock-on effect, filtering down in classrooms.”

Making things worse, many children said that reporting bullying problems to their teachers were unhelpful and ineffective. Others who were encouraged to speak out in assembly said that the problem was advertised, leading to more abusive behavior.

At the time of this news, Britain was home to a sizable Muslim minority, estimated at nearly 2.5 million. There were 400,000 Muslim students in British schools, according to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). There were nearly 90,000 Muslim students studying in higher education institutions in the European country. In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/467871-islamophobia-increases-in-uk-schools.html, retrieved on 09.01.2014

3. Russia: Probe Launched Into Koran-Burning Video – Investigations were launched in Moscow into a video showing Russian men burning the Koran and humiliating an injured young man on the subway. Moscow police said on 9 January that a special investigative unit was established to identify those behind the video. The clip, which appeared on YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet on 5 January, showed at least two men burning a Russian translation of the Koran while cursing the Muslim holy book. The men’s faces were not seen.

The same voices were heard later in the video demanding that a frightened young man on a Moscow subway train “denounce Allah”. The man was nursing a head injury and appeared to have just been beaten. The last part of the video showed pictures of men with soccer scarves and a Russian nationalist flag while an anti-Chechen song was played. In: http://www.rferl.org/content/koran-burning-video-russia/25224838.html, retrieved on 10.01.2014

4. UK: Redbridge Muslim school targeted by far right – Under the headline “‘Pandemonium’ takes over meeting about Muslim Apex Primary School expansion”, the Ilford Recorder reported that Mohammed Asif, chairman of the Federation of Redbridge Muslim Organisations, was concerned about the way Apex Primary School was being treated, following a council planning meeting which refused to allow discussion of a retrospective application for an additional 64 places at the school.

Mohammed Asif also referred to what the report described “as a load of Islamophobic comments on a website”. Which one was not specified, but it seemed a fair bet that the reference was to the website of Britain First, a far-right group that originated in a split from the British National Party and was led by former BNP councillor Paul Golding. Although only a small group, Britain First had ambitions to contest the European parliamentary elections in May 2014, and had been attempting to win a wider base of support by targeting the Muslim community. Britain First’s reported on Apex Primary School’s planning application provoked comments from its supporters such as: “If you want a muslim school, go to a country that has already been ruined by muslims, don’t bring their prehistoric ways to Britain”, “Get retro permission to kick all out and they can be taught the hatred in a diff country”, “Pack the whole lot off back to Pakistan. YOU KNOW THEY MEAN TO TAKE OVER DON’T YOU”, and so on. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/redbridge-muslim-school-targeted-by-far-right/, retrieved on 12.01.2014

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5. Australia: Group rallies against mosque proposal – As of 14 January, The Stop the Mosque in Bendigo page on Facebook had attracted more than 1700 likes since being created on Saturday (11 January). The administrators of the group did not respond to a request for comment and made a post saying they did not want to deal with the inevitable backlash.

The page said the media was “aligned with the left and will not give a true and correct report”, and the “about” section said it was not a forum for debate as “It is for those who don’t not want a mosque in Bendigo for their own reasons…We live in a democracy and we are exercising our right to say 'no' to what happens in our country. Please like, share and ask the City of Greater Bendigo to show some leadership on behalf of our great country.”

Melbourne was listed as the most popular city for users with the page most popular with people aged 25 to 34 years-old. A post said the administrators had to remove pages with inappropriate language and called for users to refrain from using hate speech.

In another post, it said: “We are entitled to our views and request that the City of Greater Bendigo stops the mosque based on historical evidence that not one community in the world has benefited in a positive way from a mosque and Muslims setting up camp in a community.”

But Bendigo mayor Barry Lyons said councillors would consider the application on planning grounds, and Councillors had unanimously said they are not opposed to the mosque on religious or cultural grounds. In: http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/2023064/group-rallies-against-mosque-proposal/?cs=12#slide=1, retrieved on 15.01.2014, emphasis added.

6. US: Study: Muslim Bias Still Strong in Calif. Classrooms – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) unveiled their new survey on bullying and harassment of Muslim youth in California called “Growing in Faith: California Muslim Youth Experiences with Bullying, Harassment and Religious Accommodation in Schools,” which polled nearly 500 youth ages 11 to 18 who attended public schools in 21 counties in the state. The survey was conducted in October and November of 2012.

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It found that 50% of students said they were subjected to mean comments by their peers because of their religion, and one in five girls who wore a hijab, reported being bullied. The study revealed that harassment of Muslim youth by teachers was a bigger problem than expected.

Zahra Billoo, executive director of CAIR in the Bay Area, said: “One of the things that we learned was incredibly frightening and I would say even shocking for the staff was the experience of teacher harassment in the classrooms.”

About a fifth (18%) of those polled said they felt uncomfortable during class discussions concerning and Muslim majority countries. Almost the same number (19%) said they felt that their teacher did not respect their religion.

The project, the first of its kind for young Muslims, reached out to the community to encourage parents to contact CAIR if their children faced any problems at school due to peer-to-peer bullying, teacher misrepresentation of Islam or accommodation issues (such as absences to observe religious holidays) so CAIR could provide the right resources to handle the situation. In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2014/01/11/study-muslim-bias-still-strong-in-calif-classrooms/, retrieved on 15.01.2014

7. UK: Tory MP slams BNP leafleting in Enfield North – An MP slammed the “scaremongering” tactics of a far-right political party who have been canvassing the borough’s residents. After he was shown a British National Party leaflet that was posted through the letterbox of one of his Enfield North constituents earlier in January 2014 Nick de Bois reacted angrily accusing the right-wing party of “attempting to create tension for political gain”.

The Advertiser had been shown one of the leaflets distributed to households in the borough. It asked residents: “Alarmed by the threat of Islam to your British Identity?” And went on to refer to scenarios where pubs were converted into which, they claimed, would “threaten British identity”. However the Conservative MP was furious that the leaflets had been distributed anywhere in the borough. Speaking to the Advertiser he said: “This type of ‘copy and paste’ literature – which doesn’t even try to focus on problems in Enfield – is just scaremongering. This type of leaflet is designed to stir up racial tension for the purposes of political gain. It is reprehensible and people in Enfield will see straight through it.”

But the BNP were unabashed about their aims and a spokesman claimed they were campaigning in the borough because London was “being turned into a foreign country” by Muslims. Insisting that Mr de Bois was in a “state of denial” he added: “The fact is we are looking at the wholesale repression of the British and English population.” Referring to the claims made in the leaflet that the BNP was fighting for animal rights by opposing halal meat which they described as “ritual slaughter” he added: “Halal food is barbaric. It belongs somewhere 5,000 years ago. If people want to do that I would suggest they go and do it in another country as it is completely unnecessary.” In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/tory-mp-slams-bnp-leafleting-in-enfield-north/#more-27950, retrieved on 15.01.2014

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8. Poland: Anti-Islamic group patrols clubs to ‘protect’ Polish women – The far-right Polish Defence League (PLO) launched “patriotic patrols” in Poland’s bars and nightclubs in a bid, it said, to protect Polish women from being chatted up by Muslims. The Polish Defence League, which described itself as “showing the true face of Islam and acting against the Islamisation of Europe,” started the operation in December 2013 in cities including Warsaw, Poznan and Krakow.

The league stated on its official web site: “We are there to observe how Muslims behave and to intervene. In the space of one evening, in hundreds of places across the country, incidents occur involving the seduction of our female compatriots. This is a fight for the future of our country and our women. Because one of these girls, unwittingly charmed by an exotic prince could, along with her offspring, end up very badly in the Islamic world, which is advancing on us with great strides.” According to the PLO, which by the time of this news item had 3600 fans on its Facebook page, Polish women were warned during the patrols about the “threats” of getting involved with Muslim men, the Gazeta Wyborcza daily reports.

The Polish Defence League modeled itself on the far-right English Defence League (EDL) which was founded in Luton, southern England, in 2009 - though the organisation, with 25,000 members in the UK, had been in some disarray after the resignation of its founder members Tommy Robinson and Kevin Carroll. In post on an international anti-Islamist web site, the PLO warned Muslims, in English: “In Poland, there will be NO law. NO headbanging or shouting Allahu Akbar in the streets. NO insulting our religion and our culture. NO burning cars like in France. NO burning down police stations. NO imposing your ways on us. NO calling us the sons of apes and pigs. If you do, we will be the ones waging …on YOU!” In: http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/158678,AntiIslamic-group-patrols-clubs-to-protect-Polish-women, retrieved on 16.01.2014

9. US: Coalition calls on Michigan Republican Party to condemn anti-Muslim comments by National Committeeman – On 15 January, a coalition of American Muslim and Arab-American organizations based in Michigan called on the Michigan Republican Party to condemn recent hostile comments made about American Muslims by Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema, who recently posted on his Facebook account: “Have you ever been to a Muslim hospital? Have you heard a Muslim orchestra? Have you seen a Muslim band march in a parade? Have you witnessed a Muslim charity? Have you seen Muslims shaking hands with a Muslim Girl Scouts (sic)? Have you seen a Muslim Candy striper? Have you ever seen a Muslim do anything that contributes positively to the American way of life?”

Agema, who previously served as a Michigan State Representative from Grandville, had a prolific history of introducing anti-Muslim legislation and making racist and xenophobic comments. Agema introduced anti-Islam legislation under the guise of an anti-foreign laws bill and an Arizona style immigration bill claiming that Dearborn has “sleeper cells.”

In a joint statement, Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), the Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) and the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) said:

Muslims positively contribute to American society as all other religious groups including serving in the military and law enforcement to operating free health clinics, soup kitchens and social service centers. Agema’s attempt to marginalize American Muslims is deplorable and should be denounced by the leadership of the party of Abraham Lincoln.

We call on the MI GOP to condemn recent anti-Muslim comments of Agema, which are inaccurate, divisive and unrepresentative of the official values articulated by the Party. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/coalition-calls-on-michigan-republican-party-to-condemn-anti-muslim-comments-by-national- committeeman/#more-28007, retrieved on 16.01.2014 5

10. UK: Fan arrested over Koran incident – Local police said that man was arrested after pages were torn from the Koran and thrown during a football match between Birmingham City and Middlesbrough. The incident, which happened during the game at St Andrew’s on 7 December 2013, was reported to police by a match steward. A 25-year-old man from Bicton Heath in Shrewsbury was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred on 21 December 2013. He had since been bailed pending further inquiries and banned from attending any football matches or from visiting the St Andrew’s ground. He must also not visit any city where Middlesbrough FC are playing. In: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/general-news/fan-arrested-over-koran-incident-1-6381560, retrieved on 19.01.2014

11. US: Possibility of Islamic Cemetery in Danville Causes Controversy – The Danville Masjid and Islamic Center wanted to form a cemetery at the end of Kingoff Drive, next to the Danville Expressway. But some folks were not happy. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to allow the cemetery’s plans to move forward, but that did not mean it was in the clear yet. A local Muslim man, Kalil Khan, spoke in favor of the cemetery. He explained that the closest Islamic Cemetery was over an hour away in North Carolina. But in their religion, they bury the deceased within 24 hours. Being so far away, it really made it difficult. Khan said they would follow all laws and procedures, including using a casket and burying 6 feet underground. In fact, they wouldn’t even use a headstone or markings.

Still, several neighbors said they were very against the cemetery. They said that they were concerned about the burial procedures, the disruption of having funerals in their neighborhood, and the noise. In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2014/01/20/possibility-of-islamic-cemetery-in-danville-causes-controversy/, retrieved on 21.01.2014

12. Canada’s Muslim Women Targeted in Latest Example of Islamophobia – Sama Al-Obaidy was heading home on the Montreal Metro when the woman came up to her and began pulling at one end of her headscarf, trying to pull it off several times while saying: “It doesn’t belong here.” It was not until Al- Obaidy brushed the woman’s hand away that the woman stopped harassing her, and instead began yelling that Al-Obaidy was violent, just as all Muslims were violent.

Her encounter mirrored the plethora of religious and headscarf-related assaults that had taken place in the last few months. The instances had been directly prompted by the announcement of a proposed secular charter by the Parti Quebecois that would prohibit public employees from wearing overt religious symbols to work. The minister in charge of the charter, Bernard Drainville, announced that if the charter were adopted by legislature, the wearing of kippas, turbans, burqas, hijabs and “large” crosses would be banned. However, elected members of the national assembly would not be subjected to the regulations. Given that the Muslim population in Canada was growing at a rate that exceeded even the number of Canadians identifying as having no religion, this posed a serious issue. Al-Obaidy said in an exclusive conversation with PolicyMic: “I know lots of people who would lose their jobs if [this charter] were put in motion, and they are afraid for their safety.”

The harassment jarred Al-Obaidy, not so much for the actual harassment, but because of the reactions of those present during the event. As it happened, Al-Obaidy looked around at those watching in the crowded metro station and saw nothing but apathy in the young people surrounding the two women. “People can’t be bothered to react,” she realized, after another incident when a man beside her on the train told her, “So, is this when you’re going to blow yourself up,” after seeing her reading the Quran on her phone. The incident revealed that the man, along with many Canadians, just did not know much about Muslims, thus prompting the fear and ignorance from which the proposed charter was then benefiting.

With that realization, she and two other women, her sister Yusr Al-Obaidy and Nariman El-Doraini, set out to launch Support Another, a campaign that promoted mutual understanding and respect through experience and dialogue. The group explains on their Facebook page: “Since the discussions of the charter

6 of values have surfaced, there have been hundreds of reported cases of verbal and physical assaults against visible minorities, wearing religious symbols, in our own streets of Quebec.” In response to the harassment, the campaign had worked to help Canadians against the charter put themselves in the shoes of visible minorities, letting them feel the looks and better understand misconceptions and experiences that can only truly be understood experientially. In: http://www.policymic.com/articles/79507/canada-s-muslim-women-targeted-in-latest-example-of-islamophobia, retrieved on 22.01.2014

13. US: Republican Congressman regrets that religious freedom allows Muslims to build cemetery – Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) is “deeply concerned” about a newly approved plan to build a cemetery for Muslim residents of the central Tennessee city of Murfreesboro. Desjarlais, a doctor who won his seat in 2010 in part because of his outspoken opposition to abortion rights, is best-known nationally for the 2012 revelation that he had urged one of his patients to get an abortion after he impregnated her. He expressed his anxiety about the cemetery project in a post on his Facebook page Friday afternoon (18 January). The comment was first noted by the Nashville Scene.

DesJarlais wrote: “Unfortunately the Tennessee Religious Freedom Act, passed by the TN General Assembly, may have played a key role in allowing this cemetery to be approved. There is a difference between legislation that would protect our religious freedoms and legislation that would allow for the circumvention of laws that other organizations comply with on a daily basis.”

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, which had been building the cemetery, had been a lightning rod for criticism from religious conservatives (including GOP Rep. Diane Black, who represents Murfreesboro), who have accused its members of plotting a stealth jihad against fellow American citizens. In 2010, opponents of a mosque expansion project filed a lawsuit to block it, arguing that the Islamic center was not protected by the First Amendment because Islam is not a real religion. According to the plaintiff’s lawyer, the Islamic center would by default promote spousal abuse and pedophilia, which he considered to be core tenets of Islam. The building site was damaged by arson in 2010 before finally opening in 2012. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/republican-congressman-regrets-that-religious-freedom-allows-muslims-to-build-cemetery/#more- 28282, retrieved on 26.01.2014

14. UK: Six teens charged with race attacks at Sandwell mosque – Six teenagers as young as 14 had been charged after mosque worshippers including pensioners and a schoolboy were slapped and kicked. Members of the Cradley Heath Mosque & Islamic Centre were targeted, sparking an investigation from officers.

On 28 JanuaryToday, West Midlands Police revealed a sales assistant aged 17 had been charged with three counts of racially-aggravated assault. He was accused of punching and kicking men aged 68 and 70 in attacks on 16-17 October 2013, and slapping an eight-year-old boy outside the mosque on 24 of the same month. Two 16-year-olds, two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old, all boys from Cradley Heath, had also been

7 charged with racially-aggravated harassment and criminal damage to a motor vehicle. Sgt Mandy Morgan said: “We pride ourselves on the close working relationship we have with our local community and will always to seek prosecute people suspected of committing crimes of this nature. It is totally unacceptable. Officers have been working closely with the local Mosque and continue to offer reassurance to local residents.” In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/six-teens-charged-with-race-attacks-at-sandwell-mosque/#more-28356, retrieved on 29.01.2014

15. Japan: Court: Police can gather personal information on Muslims – The Tokyo District Court on 15 January awarded damages in a lawsuit over leaked personal data but said police were allowed to collect such information on individuals if they are Muslim. The plaintiffs’ personal information, including nationalities, portraits, place of employment, family composition and places frequented, was leaked in 2010 when the contents of 114 documents related to international terrorism were posted on the Internet. The court ruled that the plaintiffs, all Muslims, should receive about 90 million yen in compensation, pointing to the insufficient management of information by Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department.

However, the court also said police could gather information on individuals just because they were Muslim, citing the terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic radicals around the world. The ruling said: “There is a sufficient danger that such acts could also occur in Japan.” According to the ruling, police needed to gather information to understand the activities of Muslims for the early discovery of terrorists and to prevent international terrorism. The court also tacitly condoned such police action as monitoring areas around mosques and even entering the places of worship to investigate. It said the gathering of information by police would not affect the religious activities of those being investigated.

The plaintiffs blasted the ruling. Lawyer Ueyanagi raised concerns about the effects of the ruling in light of the enactment in 2013 of the state secrets protection law, which defined information related to terrorism as being subject to classification as a state secret. Ueyanagi said: “The gathering of information itself will become a secret and there would be no brakes applied on investigations conducted by those in public security.”

The information that was leaked was apparently compiled by the Third Foreign Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Security Bureau. The police had never admitted that the information originated with them. No suspect had been identified for leaking the information, and the statute of limitations in the case expired in October 2013. The court’s decision to award compensation was based on the lack of an overall system to manage information held by the police. The court in particular criticized the lack of records on who used external memory devices on computers in the police section where the information originated from. In: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201401160063, retrieved on 29.01.2014

16. Germany: Muslims outraged at archbishop’s comments – Muslims in Germany criticized comments by a senior Roman Catholic archbishop that suggested they were worth less than Catholics. Cardinal Joachim Meisner told members of the conservative Catholic group Neocatechumenal Way: “I always say one of your families replaces three Muslim families.”

The lay group, founded in Spain in the 1960s, celebrated unique liturgies and emphasizes missionary evangelization. The head of the Turkish Community in Germany, Kenan Kolat, said Wednesday (30 January) that the comment strained Muslim-Christian relations in Germany. Meisner responded by saying he had not mean to denigrate the beliefs of Muslims, but acknowledged that his “choice of words was perhaps unfortunate in this case.” The 80-year-old archbishop of Cologne recently re-submitted his request to retire after the pope initially turned him down. In: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/29/4784051/german-muslims-outraged-at-archbishops.html, retrieved on 30.01.2014

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17. France sees rise in Islamophobia – Anti-Muslim assaults were said to be on the rise in France as 226 attacks on Muslims were reported in 2013, including women wearing headscarves, meaning an increase by 11.3 percent in 2013, compared to the previous year, according to the National Observatory of Islamophobia.

Two hundred and twenty six Muslims were attacked in 2013, according to France’s police and military records, of which 164 reported cases were threats against Muslims and 62 were actions against Muslims. Chief of the Islamophobia Observatory, Abdallah Zekri said that the rise of attacks on women wearing headscarves, was especially ‘’disturbing’’. Fifteen women in Paris have filed a lawsuit against the assaults. National Observatory of Islamophobia said that since the French anti-immigration and nationalist party, National Front (FN) won 17.9 percent of the votes in the 2012 presidential elections, an emergence of Islamophobic tendencies had arisen in France. In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/muslim-world/127890/france-sees-rise-in-islamophobia, retrieved on 30.01.2014

18. UK: Man Held of Alleged Bomb Threat – Nigel Flanaghan, a 52-year-old man, had been remanded in custody after he allegedly threatened to bomb a mosque. He had been accused of telling the police that there was an explosive device in a Harlow place of worship on 8 January. Mr Flanaghan was also accused of causing religious aggravated fear or provocation of violence through words or behaviour, motivated towards Muslims. In: http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/10974599.Man_held_over_alleged_mosque_bomb_threats/, retrieved on 31.01.204

19. UK: Fury at protest group’s legal bid to stop planned £17.5m mosque in Cambridge in which they claimed it could be “front for terrorism” – A protest group was criticized for a legal application to stop a £17.5 million mosque being built in Cambridge, in which they claimed it could be “a front for terrorism”. Stephen Gash, of Stop Islamisation Of Europe (SOIE), and Sareeta Webra, founder of Sikhs Against Sharia (SAS), made an application for a Cambridge County Court injunction to prevent the mosque in Mill Road being built. The application called for a “court injunction to be served against the Muslim Academic Trust for construction of a mega-mosque”. The campaigners claimed the planning consultation was not conducted “lawfully”, adding: “It is well documented that many so-called Muslim charities are fronts for Islamic terrorism and that several of those cited are based in the United Kingdom.”

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert said such views had “no place in this city”. He told the News: “It both infuriates and saddens me that anyone would make such unpleasant and inaccurate allegations, attacking people just because of their religious beliefs. It is this type of naïvety and sweeping generalisation that stirs up intolerance and racial hatred. It has no place in this city. It’s a shame that these people who are so quick to condemn this project don’t put aside their prejudices and talk to people from the Muslim community and others who live near the existing Cambridge Mosque – they would discover that their claims are baseless. Cambridge is a richer place for its vibrant mix of nationalities which make our communities lively and interesting. Our new mosque will be a place where everyone is welcome regardless of their religious beliefs and I hope many will take the opportunity to visit. It looks like a beautiful building and will be a credit to Cambridge.” In: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge/Fury-at-protest-groups-legal-bid-to-stop-planned-175m-mosque-in-Cambridge-claiming- it-could-be-front-for-terrorism-20140129060229.htm#ixzz2rp0Q1HiW, retrieved on 31.01.2014

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20. : Dansk Folkeparti leaders divided over whether to restrict Muslim immigration or ban it completely – Senior members of Dansk Folkeparti espoused the opinion that there were enough Muslims in Denmark and border controls should be established to stop more from entering the country.

DF’s defence spokesperson [pictured] wrote in a blog for Berlingske newspaper that the time had come to completely halt Muslim immigration, as “We should limit the size of the Muslim minority in Denmark.” Anders Vistisen, number two on DF’s list of candidates for the European Parliament, agreed that the number of Muslims in Denmark should be limited. DF’s citizenship spokesperson, Christian Langballe, couldn’t see how a total ban against Muslims could be put into place. “It is impractical to call a complete halt, but I think that Muslim immigration must be limited.”

The call for a complete ban to Muslim immigration did not exactly jibe with official DF policy. Deputy party head Søren Espersen called calls by Holger Gorm Petersen, a local DF politician in Vejle to turn Muslims around at the border “silly and stupid”. Espersen did say that he felt many Danes, especially those who lived in the country away from the major cities, were uneasy with the amount of Muslims coming into Denmark. “They look at Sweden, France, England and Germany and do not like what they see,” he said. Espersen said that he had no problems with Islam as a religion, but was vehemently opposed to it as a political system.

Karina Lorentzen, the integration spokesperson for government coalition party Socialistisk Folkeparti, showed no such restraint and compared the opinions expressed by the DF members to Nazism, adding: “It is a sick mindset to identify all Muslims as a problem simply because they are Muslims…It is reminiscent of Hitler, who identified Jews as a problem simply because of their religion.” Lorentzen said she “was not surprised” by the statements, as “What is more surprising is that DF has been able to put a lid on these discriminatory attitudes that are now becoming visible.” In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/dansk-folkeparti-leaders-divided-over-whether-to-restrict-muslim-immigration-or-ban-it- completely/#more-28440, retrieved on 31.01.2014

I.I. On Islamophobic Behavior by US Military & Police:

1. Afghans protest rumored desecration of Koran by NATO troops – Some 400 people protested on 06 January in the central Afghan province of Wardak the alleged desecration of a Koran by members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The police spokesman in Wardak, Wali Norzai, said that demonstrators blocked the highway linking the cities of Kabul and Kandahar for two hours demanding that the people who had reportedly damaged or desecrated Islam’s holy book be brought to justice. The protest came after the rumor spread that ISAF troops had profaned a Koran the previous night in the area of Shash Gaw in the district of Saidabad. The ISAF said that it had no proof of any protest. In: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/agencia-efe/140107/afghans-protest-rumored-desecration-koran-nato-troops, retrieved on 09.01.2014

2. Judge Orders NYPD to Begin Turning over Muslim Spying Documents – A federal judge ordered New York City to begin a process to hand over investigative documents from the New York Police Department’s surveillance of Muslims as part of a long-running lawsuit. In an order issued Thursday (30 January), U.S. District Judge Charles Haight, Jr. said there was a “manifest” need for further legal discovery, which could bolster the plaintiffs’ claim that the NYPD engaged in discriminatory surveillance of Muslims.

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Haight found: “The Muslim community is concerned about the attentions being paid to it by the NYPD. That concern is natural and reasonable.” Haight’s order came as part of a still-open lawsuit launched in 1971 against the NYPD’s investigation of anti-Vietnam War activists and Black Panthers. Eventually the police department agreed to abide by guidelines prohibiting it from investigating people's political activities without suspicion of a crime. The original lawyers involved in those place now say those guidelines are being violated against Muslims, and they want Haight to order an end to religiously motivated surveillance altogether.

The city, for its part, has argued that the NYPD’s Intelligence Division was abiding by the guidelines and only followed leads in an effort to prevent terrorism perpetrated by “Islamists radicalized to violence”. It had claimed in a separate lawsuit against the NYPD Muslim surveillance program that there was no Muslim surveillance program. Another district judge had ordered the city to produce documents in that lawsuit.

Haight’s order, meanwhile, did not spell out exactly how New York City must produce the documents, or how many it must turn over. He said it “may become necessary” for him to review many of them on his own if the city and the plaintiffs cannot come to an agreement by a 14 March 2014 deadline. In: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/30/nypd-muslim-spying-lawsuit_n_4697043.html, retrieved on 31.01.2014

I.II. On Offences to (PBUH):

1. UK Islamic group condemns website featuring cartoons of Prophet Mohamed and – One of the most influential Islamic organisations in the UK slammed a website that published cartoons featuring Prophet Mohamed and Jesus. The website, Jesus and Mo, featured a weekly comic strip in which the two debated and joked about the central tenets of Islam and .

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) published a statement saying that the images were “extremely offensive to believers” of the two faiths and “potentially inflammatory,” and urged the website’s operators to take down the comics at once. The MAB added that the depiction of the two prophets was “as insulting as those published in Denmark,” referring to the 12 editorial cartoons depicting Prophet Mohamed that were printed in a Danish newspaper in 2005, sparking widespread anger and protests. Insisting that it respected freedom of speech and artistic expression, the MAB however questioned “the wisdom of any individual or organization that places at risk the dignity and values of anyone else, even if they might not hold those values.”

The site’s most-recent comic, from 15 January, showed Prophet Mohamed and Jesus in bed together, with Prophet Mohamed reading the Bible and grilling Jesus over the believability of the resurrection. The website’s operators have refused to remove the cartoons. In: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/92083/World/International/UK-Islamic-group-condemns-website-featuring-cartoo.aspx, retrieved on 23.01.2014

II. Positive Developments:

1. US: Judge rules in favor of Muslim woman on no-fly list – A Muslim woman living in Malaysia struck a blow to the U.S. government’s “no-fly list” when a federal judge ruled on 14 January that the government violated her due process rights by putting her on the list without telling her why.Muslims and civil rights advocates said the no-fly list disproportionately targeted Muslims, and they hoped the ruling would force the government to become more transparent about the highly secretive program. Elizabeth Pipkin, a lawyer representing Rahinah Ibrahim, said in a

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Ibrahim, 48, a mother of four with a doctorate from Stanford University, was waiting to board a flight from San Francisco to Hawaii en route to Malaysia in 2005 but was told she was on the no-fly list. She was eventually cleared to fly to Malaysia, but her visa was revoked soon afterward and she could not return to Stanford. She was never told why she was put on the list, and in 2006 she sued the government to find out. Government lawyers argued that Ibrahim, as a Malaysian citizen, had no standing in U.S. courts and that no-fly list information must be kept secret for security reasons. The government also asked U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California to seal his ruling. Instead, Alsup ruled that Ibrahim did have the right to sue and ordered the government to tell Ibrahim whether she was still on the list. The judge agreed to keep the full ruling sealed until 15 April 2014, pending a review of the government’s request for secrecy, but he did issue a summary of the ruling.

Ibrahim’s case was the oldest of three lawsuits brought by Muslims challenging the no-fly list. Some media reports estimated that 20,000 people were on the list, which had been blamed for delaying many innocent travelers. Zahra Billoo, executive director of the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations: “Each year our offices hear from hundreds of individuals who are visited by the FBI and face related travel issues. Many have lost hope about clearing their names, but this case will renew our collective desire to continue forward with the courts on our side.” According to the ACLU, under the guidelines, people who had been stopped from boarding flights may file an inquiry with the Department of Homeland Security, but responses did not include information about whether the person was on the no-fly list. The only way to find out whether a person has been removed from the no-fly list is to buy a ticket and try to board a flight. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/judge-rules-in-favor-of-muslim-woman-on-no-fly-list/#more-28033, retrieved on 17.01.2014

2. Australia: Almost two Sydney women a week are converting to Islam – More than 100 people – most of them women – were converting to Islam in Sydney each year. The Australian New Muslim Association estimated two-thirds of the converts they saw each year were female, with more than 60 per cent converting because of their husbands or partners. In: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/almost-two-sydney-women-a-week-are-converting-to-islam/story-fnii5s3y-1226804853598, retrieved on 20.01.2014

III. On Muslims in US and Americas:

1. Another victory for Islamic Center of Murfreesboro – On 08 January, the Rutherford County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a cemetery on the Veals Road property of the Murfreesboro Islamic Center. Mosque leadership appeared before the board in December 2013 seeking permission to bury their dead on the land. But on a three-to-two vote board members postponed making a decision. Some members expressed concerns about traffic congestion at the site and about possible environmental impacts.

The Daily News Journal reported that, after hearing a presentation by a Mosque attorney highlighting on soil depths and traffic studies, the board approved the cemetery by a narrow 3 to 2 vote. Mosque spokesman Saleh Sbenaty said having the cemetery on the property would make it easier for members to practice their faith. He added that member burials had been taking place at a site north of Nashville, making interment unnecessarily difficult and expensive. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/another-victory-for-islamic-center-of-murfreesboro/#more-27883, retrieved on 12.01.2014

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2. Muslim Groups Petition White House to Recognize Islamic Holidays – Two groups of Muslims were petitioning the White House, calling for public schools to recognize Muslim holidays. One of the petitions was posted on the White House’s “We the People”. By the time of this news item, it had over 30,000 signatures.

The petition reads: “With the growing population of Muslims in the United States of America...we believe it is high time that Muslim holidays are recognized by schools throughout this nation. Muslim school children and staff deserve the same benefits afforded to the followers of other faiths. We call on President Obama to support this petition and advance the inclusiveness of our great nation.”

Islam has relatively few holidays, compared to most other religions. Traditionally, Muslims celebrate just two major festivals - Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. However, the idea was gaining traction in school districts in areas where there was a high Muslim population, such as in New York City. Muslim students already had days off from school in areas such as Dearborn, Michigan, near Detroit.

Critics said it was another attempt for Muslims to seek special privilege in America. Meanwhile, for a petition to get an official response, it must get 100,000 signatures about one month after being posted. The first of the two recent petitions was started by three middle-school students from Virginia in December 2013, but it failed to gain enough signatures. Several other previous attempts failed as well. In: http://illumemagazine.com/zine/articleDetail.php?Muslim-Groups-Petitioning-White-House-To-Recognize-Islamic-Holidays-14600, retrieved on 22.01.2014

3. Feds indict Klansman who designed radiation gun to kill Muslims – After nearly seven months, federal prosecutors had decided to move forward with charges against one of two men charged with conspiring to build a portable, remote-controlled device designed to deliver fatal doses of radiation to Muslims – or “medical waste,” as the plotters called their intended targets.

Glendon Scott Crawford, 49, [pictured] was charged in an indictment in mid-January 2014 with attempting to produce a radiological device, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and distribution of information related to weapons of mass destruction. Another suspect, Eric Feight, 54, was named in the original complaint but was not indicted. Both were arraigned in June 2013.

According to sources who spoke with the Times-Union of Albany, Feight and his lawyers were working on a plea agreement in exchange for testimony against Crawford. The case had been under investigation by a Joint Terrorism Task Force since at least April 2012, when Crawford went to a Schenectady synagogue, Congregation Gates of Heaven, and “asked to speak with a person who might be willing to help him with a type of technology that could be used by Israel to defeat its enemies while they slept.”

Crawford, with Feight’s help, had designed a device he described as “Horoshima on a light switch.” The device, he explained, was a “weaponized radiation device” that would deliver a deadly dose of radiation. “[T]he target(s) and those around them would not immediately be aware they had absorbed lethal doses of radiation and the harmful effects of that radiation would not become apparent until days after the exposure,” court documents say. Shortly after the pair began pitching their device, the FBI began monitoring and recording much of Crawford’s communications, including attempts to solicit financing from two Jewish organizations. Then, in August 2012, Crawford traveled by car from his home in Albany, N.Y., to North Carolina to meet and solicit funding from an unidentified “ranking member of the Ku

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Klux Klan,” specifically the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who cooperated when contacted by FBI agents. In early October of that year, Crawford traveled to Greensboro, N.C., to meet with a cooperating witness and two undercover FBI agents who posed as “Southern businessmen of means who were associated with the KKK.”

Crawford “described to the [undercover FBI agents] his radiation emitting device, his remote initiation device, mobilizing the radiation device and discussed operation security concerns,” a criminal complaint filed last June said. “Crawford again solicited money to finance his scheme (primarily to fund the purchase or acquisition of an industrial strength x-ray system).” While his attempts to sell the device to organizations with conflicting ideologies might be perplexing, Crawford identified himself in conversations recorded by the FBI as “a member of the Ku Klux Klan, specifically, the United Northern & Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan” and there was no mistaking what he intended to do with the device. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/feds-indict-klansman-who-designed-radiation-gun-to-kill-muslims/#more-28214, retrieved on 23.01.2014

4. Billboards Raise Islam Awareness in US – Gain Peace, a national American organization supported by the Islamic Circle of North America, launched a new campaign aimed at reaching Michigan residents through its multimedia campaign that will include disseminating Islam message through billboards, newspapers, Television, and Radio ads.

The billboard included two questions; “What Is Islam?” and “What Are The Muslims?” It also included a phone number for those interested in getting more information about Islam as well as a free copy of the Noble Qur’an. Prompted by the increasing Islamophopia after 9/11, the campaign aimed at defying misconceptions about Islam in a state that had one of the largest Muslim populations in US. In: http://www.islamicinvitationturkey.com/2014/01/31/billboards-raise-islam-awareness-in-us/, retrieved on 31.01.2014

IV. On Muslims in Europe:

1. Germany Integrating Islamic Lessons Into Public Schools - Tension had simmered just below the surface for decades in Germany’s Muslim community, but officials had begun an experiment to teach youth about Islam in schools. The move was twofold: it was meant to foster an understanding between native Germans and those who migrated there from Muslim countries over the decades, and to hopefully stave off a situation where state officials had discovered radicalized citizens traveling to war zones like Syria to fight jihad. The courses were also to be taught in the German language, which had been a problem in the country for years in terms of getting immigrants fluent in the country’s native tongue.

The program started in 2008, but responsibility for training teachers to have the proper credentials to teach fell on officials at the state level, and newly-introduced university courses meant it would take a few years before the first instructors would be ready to implement into the education system, according to a report earlier in January 2014 by Deutsche Welle, Germany’s largest international news broadcaster.

So now the first teachers of Islam were entering the primary education system. Some Muslim students were third, even fourth generation Germans, so they may have never been exposed to how Islam was practiced in whatever country their parents or grandparents emigrated from. And many Muslim youth in

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Germany attended Koranic classes in the afternoon, where it was possible lessons from their public school classes could be questioned or de-emphasized. So the thinking went, if Muslim youth were offered a basic introduction to Islam as early as possible — one that highlights tolerance and acceptance while also indicating the government’s acceptance of their faith — it would counter the more extremist viewpoints youth and adolescents may possibly encounter in their daily lives outside of the classroom, where many Muslims had arguably felt oppressed by their German hosts. Germans had been known to reject outside influences into their country through the years.

Islamic religious instruction became then a part of the curriculum at German schools, but in order to organize the lessons, the ministries of education in the states needed to find suitable contact partners in the Muslim community. However, Muslim authorities and associations in Germany were at loggerheads. Some are Sunni, Shi’ite, or even Salafist.

According to a report by the Christian Science Monitor, North Rhine Westphalia, where one-third of Germany’s Muslims lived, had done more than any other German state to integrate the courses. There, 150 public schools offered Islamic studies to 13,000 children in grades one through 10. About 200 schools nationally thought the courses, established by state governments and local Muslim groups.

The idea of giving Islamic religious instruction in Germany was based on the notion that this would knock the wind out of the sails of fundamentalist extremists and hate-mongering recruiting German youth to fight in far-flung jihadist wars. Advocates of this said religious instruction provided by the state would be the best way of preventing Islamist doctrine. In: http://www.mintpressnews.com/german-schools-islam/176487/, retrieved on 09.01.2014

2. Russia: Muftis demand Moscow retracts mosque warnings – A group of Moscow muftis was demanding that the city authorities officially retracted a warning about potential suicide bombers’ unusual behavior in mosques. Mufti Hazrat Gizatullin, the deputy head of the official Muslim organization for European Russia, said in an interview with Izvestia daily that representatives of his organization intended to send an official protest to the Moscow city Department Of Interethnic And Inter-Religious Cooperation. The move was prompted by several district councils posting a document on their websites in which they detailed signs that could indicate preparations for attacks. The warning read:

Suicide bombers can be distinguished in mosques by their more exalted behavior, close to meditation, by a deeper immersion into religious ecstasy. Besides, the mosques can be meeting places for members of terrorist cells. One can always stay for a night in a mosque or strike a deal with other persons unsuspecting about the real goals behind such contacts.

City officials explained that the text provided by the Federal Security Service was in line with the strategy developed at the session of the joint counter-terrorist workgroup that took place in late December 2013. By the agency’s request the text was also placed on billboards in public places. In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=127500, retrieved on 24.01.2014

3. Germany: Minister urges agenda change for German Islam Conference – Germany’s interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, criticized the German Islam Conference for focusing too much on Islamophobia, adding that the German Islam Conference should redefine its role after participants complained about the conference’s agenda.

De Maiziere said in an interview on 24 January with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that he did not think the conference should be repeated after criticizing the event. He said, instead of focusing on racism and Islamophobia, it should focus on security concerns and Islamist extremism. De

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Maiziere said he would invite Islamic organizations for a pre-interview, to discuss their expectation from the conference. He stated: “if we decide to display another conference, we don’t need to title it as “Islam Conference…We should discuss how we can get good outcome from the conference, not who is going to attend.”

The vice chairman of the Islamic community said he was pleased to hear that De Maiziere would take the Islamic organization’s opinion on the Islamic Conference. The German-Islam Conference was founded in 2006 by the German government and aimed to provide an official platform to discuss Muslim integration in the country such as poverty, unemployment and the poor academic performance of Muslim children. In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=127450, retrieved on 25.01.2014

4. Islamic University in Holland wins official recognition – The Islamic University of Rotterdam set itself the goal of creating a Muslim academic elite in the Netherlands. Rotterdam Islamic University founded by the Turkish entrepreneurs in the Netherlands won official recognition by the state after its successful negotiations. The first and only Turkish Islamic University had been functioning in Rotterdam city of the Netherlands since 1997 and it has succeeded to secure all accreditations. In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/islam/60879/islamic-university-in-holland-wins-official-recognition, retrieved on 29.01.2014

IV.I. On Muslims in the United Kingdom, Including Australia & New Zealand:

1. Revealed: Islam officially Manchester’s fastest growing religion, expanding more than twice as fast as Christianity – Mancunian Matters (MM) revealed that Islam was officially Manchester’s fastest growing religion and was expanding at more than double the rate of Christianity. University of Manchester data analysed by MM revealed that Islam was out-growing every other religion in the city. According to the data 12.5% of those identifying themselves as Muslim in the 2011 census were aged between 0-4. This was more than double the 5.6% of Christians aged 0-4 and significantly larger those of no religion at 6.8%

Ludi Simpson, Professor of population studies at the University of Manchester, said that while the stats did indicate a much faster growth they only told part of the story, as “Immigrants tend to be young adults and have children in the few years after they come to Britain, but don’t get old enough to die at the same rate for many decades. Of course it might also be that some adults are happy to say their children are brought up as religion X, and others are not. In Northern Ireland most children are catholic or protestant whether they like it or not!”

Dr Hassan Alkatib director Manchester Islamic Centre told MM that Muslim’s tended to bring up children within the religion which could differ from modern European ways of bringing up kids, adding: “Islam does not allow people to have sex outside marriage…So people get married into the religion and then their children are brought up in it. The size of Muslim families in general is double that of the European family and we have waves of Muslim immigrants coming to the UK.” This explanation was echoed by Professor Simpson: “Maybe Christian parents consider religion as something their children will choose later, while Muslim parents consider their religion as an identity of origin, that their children have without choice.”

According to Dr Alkatib the prospects available to immigrants in Manchester meant that the trend of rapid growth for Islam would continue as “Islam has a positive message and I think there is a duty on Muslims to promote the message which helps the religion to grow. There are more job opportunities in Manchester just like in London which makes it an appealing place to go to.” While Islam was rapidly growing the numbers of young Christians was, comparatively, rather small. Reverend Jane Barraclough, minister of Cross Street Chapel, believed that this was due to the fast-pace of city life that had diminished the power of religion. In: http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/090114054-revealed-islam-officially-manchesters-fastest-growing-religion-expanding-more-twic, retrieved on 10.01.2014

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2. Court upholds UK ban on Geller and Spencer – The article, entitled “The end of free speech in Britain”, revealed the welcome news that in mid-January 2014 a British court rejected Geller and Spencer’s appeal against the home secretary’s decision of June 2013 to ban them from entering the UK. The name of the author, Abhijit Pandya – described by Geller as “one of our British solicitors” – may be familiar. That’s because Pandya had established his own reputation for frothing-at-the-mouth Islamophobia. Back in 2011, when he stood as the UK Independence Party candidate in the Leicester South parliamentary by-election, Pandya wrote a blog post in which he described Islam as “morally flawed and degenerate” and declared his agreement with Geert Wilders’ view of the faith as a “retarded ideology”. He added: “Islamic culture inherently rejects the Western way of life, more specifically the Protestant work ethic that has successfully built the economies of the West.”

The local paper, the Leicester Mercury, published an editorial condemning Pandya’s blog post as “a wildly inflammatory rant which boiled down to a crass and nasty characterisation of Muslims as lazy, intolerant spongers who are a threat to the British way of life. It was not part of a reasoned debate about multiculturalism, but a series of sweeping, unsubstantiated generalisations which demonise the Muslim community.” So, clearly, Pandya was an entirely appropriate individual to act as Geller and Spencer’s legal representative in the UK. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/court-upholds-uk-ban-on-geller-and-spencer/, retrieved on 21.01.2014

V. On Burqah and Veil Related Issues:

1. US: Muslim women plan World Hijab Day – Muslim women had named 1st February as World Hijab Day, inviting all women — in the faith or not — to join with them by wearing head covering for a day. New Yorker Nazma Khan came up with the idea for a Hijab Day, the website said, “as a means to foster religious tolerance and understanding by inviting women (non-Hijabi Muslims/non-Muslims) to experience the hijab for one day.” Organizers said that outsiders saw the hijab as “a symbol of oppression and segregation,” and “By opening up new pathways to understanding, she hopes to counteract some of the controversies surrounding why Muslim women choose to wear the hijab.” Khan came to the U.S. from Bangladesh at age 11 and was the only hijabi in her middle school. She said on the site: “Growing up in the Bronx ... I experienced a great deal of discrimination due to my hijab…In middle school, I was ‘Batman’ or ‘ninja’. When I entered the university after 9/11, I was called Osama bin Laden or a terrorist. It was awful. I figured the only way to end discrimination is if we ask our fellow sisters to experience hijab themselves.” Khan’s goal was to have 1 million participants worldwide. In: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsfaithblog/57368414-180/hijab-women-mormon-muslim.html.csp, retrieved on 09.01.2014

2. Italy fines Tunisian woman for wearing Islamic veil in mosque way – A Tunisian woman was fined for wearing a face veil while walking to a mosque in northern Italy, increasing the fear about spreading discrimination against Muslim comunity across Europe. Police in the city of Novara, a stronghold of Italy’s anti-immigration Northern League, stopped the Muslim woman on Friday (24 January) while she was walking with her husband to prayers wearing a black niqab that covered her face but left her eyes exposed. Police handed her a 500-euro fine under a bylaw introduced in January 2014 by the mayor of Novara which banned clothing in public that prevented identification by police. In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/islam/58038/muslims-in-russia-mark-100th-anniversary-of-st-petersburg-mosque-photo, retrieved on 29.01.2014

3. Germany rejects calls for Islamic veil ban – Leipziger Volkszeitung, a German newspaper, reported that Germany’s interior minister rejected calls for a ban on a full Islamic face veil in public, days after Belgium’s parliament voted in favour of one in a sign the spreading Islamaphobic policies across Europe. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), ruling in coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), told the daily that talk of a ban in Germany was “inappropriate and therefore unnecessary”. A senior lawmaker of the FDP in the European parliament voiced support for a ban in the preceding weekend. In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/islam/58035/muslims-in-russia-mark-100th-anniversary-of-st-petersburg-mosque-photo, retrieved on 29.01.2014

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VI. On Dialogue among Civilizations:

1. US: Jews and Muslims in Charlotte begin a dialogue for understanding – While most of the world focused on the differences between Islam and Judaism, some people in Charlotte was discussing how the religions were alike.

Historian Amadou Shakur told a group at Temple Beth El: “We’ll realize how important we are to each other, how much we have in common, and how much in the future can be worked out if we just sit down and talk.” Dialogue “is the most critical idea that we can have for the 21st century.” Beth El senior rabbi Judy Schindler told the group her “dream checklist” included starting an Islamic-Jewish dialogue. Schindler started a Jewish-Muslim dialogue in 2007, she said, but it only lasted a few sessions, but she was “…excited about in the prospect of … finding partners in study is that we can go deeper…not just have these statements about what Jews believe and what Muslims believe, but that we can really study each other’s texts.”

Schindler and Shakur described their holy books and examined the presentation of , prayer and judgment in the Torah and the Quran. The Torah comprises the five books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. “Torah” can also refer to the Tanakh – all the writings of the Hebrew Bible, including psalms and prophetic writings. The last four of those five books chronicle the deeds of Moses, known in Arabic as Musa. In the Torah, Moses leads the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, receives the Jewish law on Mount Sinai, and uniquely knows God “face to face,” according to Deuteronomy 34. Islam also honors Moses, recognizing him as the only person to speak directly to God, said Shakur. The Quran devotes a “very long” portion of its 116 chapters (known as suras) to the prophet’s deeds – about “30 verses.”

Schindler said that Temple Beth El’s community had a “passion for dialogue”. The Comparative Religions series, as of 2014 was in its 17th year, offering speakers from Jewish and Christian traditions, Baha’i and Islam. Marshall Lindner, 76, a retired dentist and Beth El member, said: “I hope this is the start of a good dialogue for the future…There’s so much religious ignorance and hatred in the world, and this is a wonderful chance to learn and to heal wounds.” In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2014/01/13/jews-and-muslims-in-charlotte-begin-a-dialogue-for-understanding/, retrieved on 15.01.2014

2. Norway: Oslo Church hosts conference on Prophet Muhammad – A conference about the prophet of Islam, in a church! The conference “Prophet Muhammad and Compassion” was organized by Shia Muslim organizations of Oslo. The speakers were Shia, Sunni and Christian scholars from Norway, UK and Iran. Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad’s message is a continuation of Jesus’ message. Dr. Bahmanpour from UK said that the two prophets had compassion as a common value. Professor Shojaeefard from Iran focused on Prophet Muhammad’s compassion towards the youth. And the Norwegian Professor Leirvik gave a historical analysis of Muslims’ relations with Christians and Jews. This was not the first inter-faith harmony event in Oslo. But what made it unique was that a church was its host; and its aim was not only bridge-building between Muslims and Christians but also enhancing ties between Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims. The organizers believed the best occasion for that was the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. Muhammad Iqbal Fani, a Sunni scholar from Oslo called for harmony among Muslims and strongly denounced terrorism and Takfirism. In: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/25/347581/oslo-church-hosts-conference-on-prophet-muhammad/, retrieved on 26.01.2014

Compiled by: Abdula Manafi Mutualo, Secretary of the Observatory Culture & Social Affairs Department Email: [email protected]

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