Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor more popular than Mark Rutte with PVV voters

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Abouteleb is more popular among supporters of the anti-Islam PVV than current prime minister Mark Rutte, according to a new Maurice de Hond opinion poll.

The poll gave Aboutaleb, a Labour party member, a seven point lead over the VVD‘s Rutte among PVV voters when asked which of the two men they preferred as prime minister. Aboutaleb is also more popular among PVV voters than D66 leader Alexander Pechtold and Christian Democrat chief Sybrand Buma.

Even 7% of the VVD back Aboutaleb over the prime minister and their own party leader. Aboutaleb, a Muslim, is known for his outspoken stance on radical Islam. In November he broke with the Labour party line and said Dutch nationals who have decided they want to travel to Syria to join Islamic militias should be allowed to go but should be banned from coming back to the Netherlands. [DutchNews] Read more

Claims of extremist views in Cardiff classroom

A former teacher has told a national newspaper that they encountered extremist views in a Cardiff classroom.

In an article on the 'Mail on Sunday', the teacher writes that some of the students thought those behind the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris and the murder of Lee Rigby, were heroes. Whilst the teacher adds that the majority of students were 'lovely' and 'respectful', they claim the school failed to respond effectively to those showing extreme views.

In a statement to ITV News, the school says that is not the case:

"Anyone who knows Fitzalan would not recognise the picture of the school that is being painted here. In a recent peer review, visiting teachers recognised how positive the atmosphere is at the school.

"Fitzalan is a very popular and over-subscribed school, serving a diverse community. The school population is made up of children and young people from 40 different nationalities and a number of religions. [ITV] Read more

Rights activist Khurram Zaki killed in Karachi gun attack

Unknown assailants gunned down social media campaigner and civil society activist Khurram Zaki on Saturday night in Karachi.

Central District SSP, Muqadas Haider told Dawn.com that four suspects riding on two motorcycles opened fire on Zaki while he was eating dinner at a restaurant in Sector-11B of North Karachi. The activist was killed, and two others – journalist Rao Khalid and bystander Aslam – were critically wounded in the attack.

A former journalist, Zaki was an active campaigner for human rights and was the editor of the website and Facebook page Let Us Build Pakistan (LUBP) which claimed to "spread liberal religious views and condemned extremism in all forms".

According to his Twitter profile, Zaki was the former head of current affairs for TV Channel News One, where he looked after Infotainment and religious programming. [Dawn.com] Read more

Bangladesh: Sufi Muslim murdered by suspected extremists

A Sufi Muslim leader has been hacked to death near the north Bangladeshi town of Rajshahi in what police say may be another attack by Islamic extremists.

The body of Mohammad Shahidullah, 65, was found by villagers in a pool of blood in a mango grove, police say.

His murder comes amid rising concern over the rise in violence against religious minorities.

A wide range of people have been attacked in recent years including secularists, bloggers and academics.

Among more than 20 people killed by Islamic militant groups are members of religious minorities, although this is believed to be the first attack on a Sufi Muslim. [BBC] Read more

Bangladeshi prof under 24-hour armed guard after asking woman to remove veil

After a Dhaka University professor asked a woman to remove her veil during his class, Muslim extremists called for his death, posting his personal details online along with tips on how to kill.

Now he remains under constant guard by armed police, stays mostly at home and bars his front door.

Azizur Rahman is among a growing number of political moderates and intellectuals seeking protection in Bangladesh, where at least 15 writers, activists, religious minorities and foreign aid workers have been killed in targeted attacks since the start of 2015. Islamic extremists have claimed responsibility for the killings, which have prompted some Bangladeshis to go into hiding, and others to seek asylum in the United States and Europe. [The Scotsman] Read more

Sadiq Khan’s victory won’t end Islamophobia, but it offers hope

What a relief. For the past few months it’s been hard to get my head out of my hands long enough to watch the news. And it’s not just the celebrity deaths that have depressed me: 2016 has not been kind to British Muslims. Channel 4 painted us as polygamous, sexist homophobes in its documentary What British Muslims Really Think.

Donald Trump told us we would be banned from the US – and went on to clean up in the primaries. And through it all there was the steady drip of poison from Zac Goldsmith’s London mayoral campaign. So the news that Sadiq Khan has become London’s first Muslim and first ethnic minority mayor couldn’t come at a better time.

Khan spins it as a political fairytale to give Dick Whittington a run for his money: the son of a bus driver and seamstress who grew up on a council estate and became mayor of the capital.

For London’s 44% BAME population it’s a particularly powerful message of aspiration – no matter your race, religion or class, you too could become the most powerful, directly elected politician in the country. And it’s a kick in the teeth to polls last year that suggested that a third of Londoners would be “uncomfortable” with a Muslim mayor. [The Guardian] Read more

Mosques ban Muslim women from wearing trousers, leaving the house without their husband’s permission and order them to close Facebook accounts

Muslim women should not wear trousers, leave the house without their husband's permission or use Facebook, according to controversial rules published by British mosques.

The Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham said that women were not allowed to wear trousers, even in front of their husbands, while the Central Masjid of Blackburn called Facebook a 'sin' and an 'evil'.

One Islamic organisation also stated that Muslim women must not leave the house without their husband's permission.

The controversial ruling was published this week by the Blackburn Muslim Association, an affiliate member of the MCB, telling women that they should not travel more than 48 miles without a male chaperone. A document written by a mufti at the Croydon Mosque and Islamic Centre, entitled 'Advice for the husband and wife', also stated: 'A woman should seek her husband's permission when leaving the house and should not do so without his knowledge.'

In another article, the mosque calls abortion 'a great sin' and describes acting and modelling as 'immoral acts'. [618 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 2060 votes] Ladies, the sky is not going to fall in if you wear trousers, log on to Facebook or go out without telling your husband. You now live in the West where you have equality and freedom. Don't let these men control you any more. You do not belong to them, they cannot tell you what to do.

[2ND 1660] This is against British Law! If they want to live by Sharia law, then they should be forced out of this country to live in a muslim country of choice!

[3RD 1279] Since when did the government let outside parties set new laws?

[4TH 1158] Any such ideas should be nipped in the bud! British law always above any other crazy secular or religious ideas of this type. In Europe men and women are equal, if you don't like it, simply leave!

[5TH 1050] Absolutely sick of this. Enough is enough. [Daily Mail] Read more

Mosques ban trousers, travel and Facebook

Muslim women must not leave the house without their husband’s permission, should avoid wearing trousers and should even delete their Facebook accounts, according to rulings published by mosques and Islamic associations around Britain.

The statements provoked anger among anti-extremism campaigners and moderate Muslims, who have spoken out against “outdated and patriarchal” attitudes. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is facing calls to demand that affiliated institutions remove online advice that curtails the freedom of women.

Controversy was triggered this week by a ruling published by the Blackburn Muslim Association, which told women that they must not travel more than 48 miles without a male chaperone. The association is an affiliate member of the MCB, an umbrella body representing hundreds of mosques, schools and other organisations. Research by The Times found that other MCB members had published similar statements. [270 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 227 votes] Islam has become a poison in Western democracies-above all in countriea like France and especially in the UK. Western democracies are secular and its the responsibity of our politicians to actively defend our democratic values and not surrender to an alien and medieval religion like Islam. Nowhere in the world you'll find Islam and democracy cohabitating. As a matter of fact Islamic countries are all in the bottom third on the Democracy Index. It's time for our elected leaders to draw a definite line against a medieval Islam. They could start by putting a stop to the practisr of Sharia courts, FGM and for ed marriages. If Muslims cannot embrace Western values they should leave.

[2ND 186] When is the Government of this country going to take some active steps to curb these people, they are just toeing the water to see just how far they can get away with their medievil practices, we passed the thin end of the wedge some time ago, if something isn't done soon I fear for our future. Any Mosque promoting anything alien to the culture of this country should be shut down.

[3RD 144] There is no place for these kinds of edict in British society. Shame on them!

[4TH 133] They don't live in British society, they have created a parallel society. When you import as many as Labour have, it is impossible to have a national society. Ethnicities stick together, that's how countries came to exist, and shy Britain will break apart.

[5TH 105] Facebook I avoid but this edict is preposterous and leaves those who issue it open to scorn. But I suspect those same people don't give two figs for the views of those who view this as unacceptable, and therein lies the problem. This cult is alien and I marvel that our politicians cannot see it. Truly to speak of Londonistan is neither an exaggeration nor nonsense. When taking the measure of something I look to its fruits and this example alone should raise serious questions about Islam and its place in this country. [The Times (£)] Read more

Muslim women 'banned' from Facebook

Muslim women should delete their Facebook accounts, not wear trousers or leave the house without their husband's permission under controversial rules published by British Islamic associations.

Online advice on the conduct of Muslim women has been published by the Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham which says women should not wear trousers as they "show off the detail of their bodies", even in front of their husbands, according to the Times.

It comes after the Blackburn Muslim Association, which is an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain, stated women should not be able to travel further than 48 miles without a male chaperone.

Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, criticised the advice from Blackburn Muslim Association as "disgraceful" and said that such views had "no place" in modern Britain. [The Telegraph] Read more

Muslim schoolgirl is sent home because her long skirt is deemed 'ostentatiously religious' by French teachers

A teenage girl has been banned from her school in France after arriving in a long skirt that the headmistress decided appeared too religious.

The 16-year-old, who converted to Islam a year ago, arrived at her school outside of Paris on May 2 and, like each day, took off her veil.

However the skirt she was wearing that day, which reached below her knees and nearly to her shoes, was quickly spotted by the headmistress who allegedly decided it was too obviously religious, the Nouvel Obs reported

The day after, the student had a meeting with the headmistress in which she said she was told she could not come in to school in a long skirt, Islamophobie reported.

France passed a law in 2004 which applies to state schools and workplaces which bans the wearing of religious items such a veils, kippas and large Christian crosses.

Though 'discreet religious symbols' are allowed, the teenager's black H&M skirt was not viewed to be subtle enough.

According to Islamophobie, however, a long skirt alone is not enough to warrant a student being barred from a school on grounds of the 2004 law. [Daily Mail] Read more

British Muslim group tells women not to travel more than 48 miles without male escort

A British Muslim group in the UK has advised women not to go on long journeys without a male chaperon.

Blackburn Muslim Association gave instructions that it is “not permissible” for a woman to go more than 48 miles – deemed to be the equivalent of three days walk – without her husband or a close male relative. The ruling also stipulates that men must grow beards and advises women to cover their faces.

Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, condemned the advice as ‘disgraceful’ and said such views had ‘no place’ in modern Britain. [The Express Tribune] Read more

French Muslim sent home from school over long skirt

A teenage Muslim girl was barred from entering her school grounds for wearing a long black skirt seen as too openly religious.

The 16-year-old was sent home this week after her headmaster took a dislike to her skirt.

The skirt - popular among some Muslim women who cover their whole body - reportedly reached beyond her knees and down to her sneakers, reported the Nouvel Obs newspaper.

The headmaster of the Seine-et-Marne school, in the outer suburbs of Paris, reportedly deemed that the skirt "conspicuously" showed religious affiliation, which is banned in schools by France's strict secularity laws.

According to the 2004 law that governs secularity in schools, veils, the Jewish kippa or large Christian crosses are all banned in educational establishments, but "discreet religious signs" are allowed.

The mother of the teenage girl has since returned to the school to complain. After a chat with the headmaster, the school has promised to discuss the matter further with the family on Monday. [The Local] Read more

Urth Caffe owner hires lawyer to fight Muslim women's discrimination allegations

The owner of Urth Caffe has hired a law firm to counter allegations by a group of Muslim women that they were thrown out of his Laguna Beach restaurant because of discrimination.

Shallom Berkman confirmed Wednesday he retained the American Freedom Law Center after a civil rights lawsuit was filed by seven women this week in Orange County Superior Court. He did not offer details, referring questions to his attorneys. The law center has previously represented private businesses that have sought to create so-called “Muslim-free” zones.

David Yerushalmi, the law center’s co-founder and senior counsel, called the women’s lawsuit “a fraud and a hoax.” He said the cafe’s owners plans to countersue.

“The claim that these women were asked to leave the cafe because they were wearing hijabs is laughable,” Yerushalmi said. “That night, as every Friday night, a large number of young people, including a majority who are Muslim and of Arab descent, make up the base of Urth Caffe’s customers. Not surprisingly, many of these customers are women wearing hijabs. None of these other Muslim women were asked to leave.” [Los Angeles Times] Read more

'Muslims - but not Islam - part of Germany,' says senior conservative lawmaker Kauder

Volker Kauder, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Islam had not influenced Germany historically or culturally. But he warned against excluding Muslims from German society as desired by some populists.

Kauder told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" in an interview published on Thursday that he considered a statement by former German President Christian Wulff saying that Islam was part of Germany to have been "well-meant," but imprecise.

"But just so there is no misunderstanding: The Muslims themselves are a part of Germany, no question about it," he said.

Kauder, who heads the parliamentary group of the union comprised of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), said he had several reasons for not sharing Wulff's opinion.

Among other things, he said, Islam had not shaped Germany "historically and culturally." He also argued that the religion of Islam was not based on a homogeneous set of teachings.

"There is certainly not just the one Islam, as this statement suggests," he said, adding that Islam also took on forms "that we can never accept in Germany." [Deutsche Welle] Read more

Why Canadian Muslims seem happier than British ones

OVER the past few weeks, reports have been published in both Canada and Britain about the state of Muslim citizens' opinion on a broad range of topics. The Canadian poll results were generally hailed as a pleasant surprise, while the British investigation was seen as fresh, depressing evidence that followers of Islam were ultra-conservative in their social attitudes and ambivalent towards violence.

Does that point to a huge gap, sociological or even theological, between Canadian and British Muslims? That seems unlikely. What the polls do indicate, though, is a big difference of political atmosphere.

Let's have a look at the two surveys and the responses they generated. In Canada, it was noted that Muslims resemble their non-Muslims compatriots in seeing the economy and jobs as the country's biggest concerns. As you might expect, a majority of the Muslim respondents supported the right of Muslim students to pray in government schools, and of Muslim women to wear a niqab, or face veil, at citizenship ceremonies. But these rights (both the subject of recent public arguments) are also supported by a somewhat smaller majority of non-Muslims

Differences between Canada's 1m followers of Islam and their 33m compatriots did emerge. While nine in ten Muslims agreed with the statement that “taking care of home and kids is as much a man’s work as woman’s work", gaps opened up when the questioners probed deeper.

They found that four in ten Muslim respondents thought the father should be master in his own house, a view held by only two in ten non-Muslims. [The Economist] Read more

Long Beach police respond to lawsuit filed over removal of Muslim woman’s headscarf

A Muslim woman has filed a lawsuit against Police Chief Robert Luna and the city of Long Beach, alleging that an officer forcibly removed her religious headscarf while she was handcuffed after an arrest on an outstanding warrant.

The Greater Los Angeles Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed the lawsuit today in Los Angeles federal court on behalf of Kirsty Powell, who alleges that the incident occurred May 5, 2015 at the Long Beach police station.

Long Beach City Attorney Charles Parkin said his office has not yet been served with the lawsuit, and therefore had no comment.

In a statement late Monday, the police department said it removed Powell’s headscarf – as it does for other items such as belts, neckties and shoelaces – for the safety of the individual, staff and other prisoners.

“We respect the religious rights and beliefs of all people and understand the sensitivity of this matter,” said Chief Robert Luna said in a statement.” [Long Beach Press Telegram] Read more

Danish school bars Muslim students from wearing niqab

An adult education centre in the northern Copenhagen suburb of Lyngby has told six female students that they can no longer attend classes unless they remove their niqabs, a veil worn by some Muslim women that covers most of the face but leaves an opening for the eyes.

The school in question, VUC Lyngby, said that it changed its rules in the autumn to no longer allow students to cover their faces during class but the case only hit the media this week when a post on the school’s Facebook page led to a debate over its policies.

As the story picked up steam in the national press on Wednesday, the school went to Facebook to explain its decision.

“Free and unhindered communication requires that we can see each other’s faces. Therefore it is not allowed to cover the eyes, nose or month while participating in lessons,” a post read. [The Local] Read more

Is violent extremism on the rise in Bangladesh?

There has been growing international concern after a wave of brutal killings targeting secular bloggers, professors, foreigners and religious minorities.

Recently the country's most high-profile gay activist Xulhaz Mannan was hacked to death inside his home. Islamic militants linked to al-Qaeda and so-called Islamic State are said to be behind the violence.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder reports from Dhaka. [BBC] Read more

Women should not travel more than 48 miles without a male escort – Muslim group

Women should not be allowed to go on long journeys without a male chaperone a British Muslim group has advised followers.

Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, condemned the advice from Blackburn Muslim Association as “disgraceful” and said such views had “no place” in modern Britain.

Instructions from the association’s “Department of Theology” insist that it is “not permissible” for a woman to go more than 48 miles – deemed to be the equivalent of three days walk - without her husband or a close male relative.

It also stipulates that men must grow beards and advises women to cover their faces.

The rulings are contained in a question and answer section of the group’s site which offers offer “solutions and answers” to social, religious and financial matters from sharia teaching, accompanied by the catchphrase: “Allah knows best.” [The Telegraph] Read more

'Sharia police' who patrolled German city of Wuppertal in orange vests to face trial

Düsseldorf state court said on Tuesday that eight of the nine accused men can face trial on the grounds of "violating laws against wearing uniforms with political messages."

The decision overturned a ruling by Wuppertal district court last December, in which the judge said the behavior of accused Islamist preacher Sven Lau did not amount to a "criminal violation of the ban on uniforms." The decision sparked controversy in Germany and led to an appeal by prosecutors. The latest ruling by the Court of Appeal cannot be overturned.

Lau, who is widely regarded as a leading figure in the German Salafist scene, was also indicted by federal prosecutors last month on suspicion of supporting a terror group linked to the self-declared "Islamic State" (IS) in Syria.

The Salafists, who are all aged between 24 and 35, first made headlines in September 2014 after they patrolled the streets of Wuppertal, in Germany's western industrial Ruhr region, in an attempt to enforce a strict interpretation of Islam. [Deutsche Welle] Read more

Saudi Arabia gives women the right to a copy of their marriage contract

Saudi brides will now get a copy of their marriage contracts, a privilege that was previously exclusive to men in the ultra-conservative kingdom, the kingdom’s justice ministry has announced.

According to a directorate issued by the justice minister, Walid al-Samaani, clerics who register marriage contracts will now have to hand a copy to the bride “to ensure her awareness of her rights and the terms of the contract”.

The decision aims to “protect the rights of the woman and facilitate procedures for her”, the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

It said the decision took into consideration that a woman would need a copy of her marriage contract in case of a dispute with her husband and in court.

Women need the permission of their male guardians to get married under Saudi Arabia’s interpretations of Islamic law. They also need that permission to travel and work, in a country where they are not allowed to drive and have to cover from head to toe when in public. [The Guardian] Read more

French Mayor Christian Estrosi vows to penalise football clubs that allow Muslim prayers at games

The mayor of Nice has warned that funds will be cut from football teams that allow Muslim players to pray at games. In the latest crackdown on the Islamic religion in the wake of terror attacks and Europe's refugee crisis, right-wing Mayor Christian Estrosi has ordered clubs on the Riviera to obey a new "secularism charter" that forbids mixing religion with the sport, reports the Telegraph.

The charter, based on a centuries-old French law requiring the separation of church and state, was introduced after a dozen incidents of Riviera club players praying on or near the field or in locker rooms since October 2015. At least two players were suspended for two matches for praying, reports BFM TV.

In addition, there was a report that some male Muslim referees had refused to shake the hands of female players because of religious strictures. Club leaders support Estrosi's warning. [International Business Times] Read more

German intelligence chief: around 90 mosques 'under surveillance'

The head of Germany's internal intelligence agency has said that scores of mosques are being closely observed. The agency, the BfV, is holding a symposium analyzing the threat posed to Germany by the "Islamic State."

Currently, around 90 mosque communities in Germany are under surveillance and many of them are "predominately Arabic-speaking," the president of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) said in an interview on Monday.

"We are concerned that there are many Islamic mosques in Germany that we also need to examine," Hans-Georg Maassen told German public broadcaster ARD's "Morgenmagazin."

Maassen said that many of the mosques and communities in question were so-called "backyard mosques" where "self-proclaimed imams, self-proclaimed emirs" rally their followers to deliver "hate-speech" and where they also "incite jihad."

However, the intelligence chief strongly cautioned against "throwing Muslims and religious extremists into the same pot."

"What we need here in Germany is a coalition against extremism," Maassen said. "And for that, we need the Muslims in Germany - the moderates - who want to fight with us against extremism on the basis of our constitutional order." [Deutsche Welle] Read more

Hanson says the "Islamisation of Australia" must stop

.... Ms Hanson said one of the key issues her candidates would be campaigning on was immigration - especially surrounding of what she claims is the "Islamisation of Australia".

She said she would like to see Australia adopt a similar policy to that of US presidential candidate Donald Trump who said if elected he would ban all Muslims from entering the country.

"Muslims who come here have no intention of assimilating into our society," she said.

"They pose a very real risk to our way of life and the Islamisation of our country needs to stop.

"We have to face facts . . . we cannot keep our heads in the sand over this issue any more.

"Our politicians, of all persuasion, are not doing enough to address this issue.

"It is only through the excellent work of our security forces and police that we have not seen a Islamic terrorist attack in this nation.

"Only last week we saw a Muslim teen arrested for planning an attack on Anzac Day. [Queensland Times] Read more

German establishment rounds on anti-immigration party over Islam

German politicians from across the spectrum criticised the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Monday after the party declared Islam incompatible with the constitution.

The AfD, which has surged onto the political scene since its launch three years ago, backed a manifesto pledge at a congress on Sunday to ban on minarets and the burqa, the full face and body-covering gown worn by some Muslim women.

With concerns about Europe's migrant crisis fuelling the AfD's rise, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats led criticism of the party.

"What the AfD has decided on is an attack on almost all religions," Armin Laschet, deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told ARD television.

"They have identified Islam as a foreign body in Germany," he said. "That is divisive, and startling to a Christian Democratic party for which faith has meaning." [Reuters] Read more