In Germany, dealing with potential Jihad fighters

After a conference the German Interior Minister, Thomas de Maizière, announced that radical Islamists should be hindered to travel to war zones in order to join Jihad. This should be achieved by substituting the original ID card with a document which does not allow for exit. Indirectly, the ministry is also addressing the issue of…

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Interview with Naika Foroutan on Germany’s Islam Conference

February 24, 2014   Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière has announced that the German Islam Conference will no longer concern itself with security issues. For sociologist Naika Foroutan of Berlin’s Humboldt University, this is a positive sign. At last, the conference will be able to concentrate on ensuring religious equality for Muslims in Germany….

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The management of security and religious affairs: the disappointing results of Interior Minister Manuel Valls in 2013

February 5, 2014   According to the recently released 2013 report by the National Observatory of Delinquency and Penal Action, France’s Interior Minister Manuel Valls has not brought down crime nor been active on the regulation of religious committees, contrary to popular perception. Enjoying successful poll ratings, Manuel Valls has been portrayed as the ‘strong…

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French ministers refuse to attend conference with Islamic scholar who teaches at Oxford University

Tariq Ramadan is an Islamic scholar who teaches at Oxford University and a former member of a working group on extremism set up by Tony Blair. Time magazine once described him as the “leading thinker” among Europe’s second and third-generation Muslim immigrants. Yet two French ministers have suddenly announced that they will not attend a…

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Two people arrested in Spain for presumed connection to Al-Qaeda

Two men have been arrested this morning in Zaragoza and Murcia for being allegedly linked to Al Qaeda, as part of an operation ordered by the National Court. The two suspected terrorists detained are Nou Mediouni, of Algerian origin, and held in Zaragoza, and Hassan El Jaaouani, of Moroccan origin, and arrested in Murcia. They…

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