Debating ‘neutrality’: Conflict surrounding Berlin’s controversial law on religious symbols enters new round

In flashy advert campaigns, Berlin, Germany’s capital city, vaunts itself as the world’s “capital of freedom” defined by the coexistence of the widest possible array of diverse lifestyles.1 On a more mundane level, however, successive city administrations have struggled to come to terms with the implications of ethnic and religious diversity. Berlin’s ‘laic exceptionalism’ Unsurprisingly,…

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Islamophobia as an Integral Part of the Political Platform

The general mood in the United States has grown increasingly intolerant towards Muslims. Charlotte Wiedemann was in New York and spoke with Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid, Afro-American and President of the Islamic Leadership Council, on the mood in this election year and about his criticism of some Muslims for what he sees as opportunism Imam, you…

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Central Council of Jews in Germany Calls for more Tolerance towards Muslims

11.05.2011 The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dieter Graumann, called for more religious tolerance towards Islam in Germany. Graumann argued it was wrong to treat all Muslims as members of a suspect community, as the large majority was living peacefully with people of different faiths. According to Graumann, the idea of…

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The World is Watching

America’s reputation for religious tolerance and decency has taken a terrible hit with this brouhaha over the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. It is a self-inflicted wound, aided in no small part by the Tea Party and the fear-mongers at Fox News who never miss an opportunity to summon the darker aspects of our nature…

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Russia: Muslims oppose ringing of church bells in Nizhny Novgorod neighborhood

Muslims in Russia’s neighborhood of Nizhny Novgorod are opposing plans to include ringing church bells in a propose new regional anthem. The Muslim community warns that the ringing of church bells will alienate other ethnic and religious groups. “There should be no political or religious themes in the anthem. It should be something that uplifts…

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