Germany grapples with return of pro-Kurdish fighters from Syria

Much public concern and political squabbling in Europe has focused on returnees from the battlefields of Syria and Iraq. Above all, anxieties have been centred on the potential security risks posed by former fighters and supporters of the so-called Islamic State. Over 1,000 German citizens and residents had joined the self-declared caliphate in the Levant;…

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The creation of a degree to train French Muslim military Chaplains:

The chief military chaplain, Abdelkader Arbi, has revealed in December the project outlines of the first professional training for French Muslim military chaplains, which should be open in September 2020. For three years, aspirants (bachelor’s degree holder at least) would receive an intensive formation of 25 hours training per week, mainly based on a practical…

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As Germany recruits Jewish military chaplains Muslims remain side-lined

Just like the population at large, the German Bundeswehr has undergone a remarkable trajectory of religious pluralisation in recent years. As of 2012, over 48,000 Catholics and over 63,000 Protestants served in the armed forces. This would mean that just over half of Germany’s 180,000 soldiers identified as Christian; a figure that maps quite closely onto…

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U.S Air Force commissions its first Muslim Woman chaplain

The U.S Air Force has made history by commissioning its first Muslim woman chaplain candidate last month. Second lieutenant Saleha Jabeen received her Ecclesiastical Endorsement from the Islamic Society of North America and commissioned into the Air Force as a chaplain candidate, which, after she finishes training, will allow her to get a duty station…

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German army, intelligence agencies, and CDU party embroiled in far-right network

The elite KSK brigade of the German Army is a notoriously secretive military unit: composed of 1,000 hand-picked soldiers, it is tasked with conducting covert operations, hostage rescue abroad, and counter-terrorism interventions. In recent weeks, however, the KSK – the abbreviation stands for Kommando Spezialkräfte – has been dragged into the spotlight: after two soldiers…

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