Row over students’ prayers highlights questions of Islam’s visibility in the German educational sector

“Provocative” and “conspicuous” praying A secondary school in the Western German city of Wuppertal has caused a stir by prohibiting its Muslim pupils from “conspicuous praying”. In an internal memo directed at the teaching staff, the administration of the Johannes-Rau-Gymnasium encourages its instructors to prevent “provocative” praying activities. For the administration, this includes the performance…

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At FBI, 876 pages of agent training material related to Muslims found offensive or inaccurate

WASHINGTON — An FBI review of agent training material critical of Islam uncovered 876 offensive or inaccurate pages that had been used in 392 presentations, including a PowerPoint slide that said the bureau can sometimes bend or suspend the law. The bureau has not released the material, but Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois described…

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Younger White Evangelicals Express Comfort With Muslim Religion, Culture

Americans are closely divided over how comfortable they feel with public religious expression by Muslims. Like so many other issues, however, comfort with these aspects of Muslim culture and religious expression are strongly correlated with age, not only in the general population but also in more conservative circles that register higher overall levels of discomfort….

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No Religious Symbols for Dutch Police

13 July 2011   A spokesperson for the Dutch Minister of Justice has clarified that in line with a 2008 ‘police lifestyle neutrality’ code of conduct, officers may not wear flashy accessories or religious symbols. In addition to signs of religious expression such as a cross on a chain, visible tattoos, Mohawk hairstyles and ostentatious…

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A French fairy-veil, sans happy ending

Examining France’s decision to ban Muslim face veils Europeans are more sensitive than Americans when it comes to religious expression in public spaces. Many Europeans are averse to any public showing of religion. Nowhere is this more true than in France, where the lower house of parliament just made it illegal for Muslim women to…

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