A Test of Tolerance: Doors Open at Eastern Germany’s First Mosque

After two years of construction and recurrent protest from locals, Eastern Germany’s first mosque celebrated its official opening in Berlin. Crowds of some 150 people turned up to protest — fewer than expected. Eastern Germany finally got its first Muslim house of worship, almost two decades after reunification, on Thursday with the official opening of…

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Arrests during nationwide anti-terror raids

Spanish police arrested 13 men accused of harboring Islamic extremists, including several suspected of having connections to the 2004 Madrid bombings, and helping them flee Spain. The arrests were made in areas near Barcelona, Madrid, and Algeciras. The recent arrests stemmed from an operation three years ago, in 2005, in which Spanish police broke up…

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Moroccan-born politician becomes first-ever Muslim mayor in Holland

Social Affairs State Secretary Ahmed Aboutaleb will succeed Ivo Opstelten as the mayor of Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. Aboutaleb is a member of the Labour party, and has been nominated by the local council to seat the position. He has both Moroccan and Dutch nationality, and is known for combining his…

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Separate classes for immigrant pupils ‘discriminatory’ says MP

Italian MP Souad Sbai condemned a newly approved government measure that will allow schools to hold separate classes for immigrant children who fail admissions tests in Italian state schools. “I say no to such classes because I consider them discriminatory towards immigrant children,” said Sbai. According to the Northern League, the separate classes will be…

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A Turk at the Top

Politician Cem Özdemir is set to soon become Germany’s first national party leader of Turkish descent. As head of the Green Party, he will break through a glass ceiling that still persists for most of the country’s estimated 2.5 million ethnic Turks. Cem Özdemir raises his vodka-orange and winks. “Serefe.” He seems to relax. There…

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