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…
The Bulgarian government approved a draft bill banning hijab and other religious symbols in schools. “We express our disagreement and bitterness with this decision,” said Hussein Hafazov, of the Chief Mufti office. Hafazov also said that the move would increase community tensions in Bulgaria, citing arson attacks on mosques and other Muslim buildings, and growing…
The inclusion of Islamic symbols in nativity scenes has angered right-wing politicians in Italy. Priests in some northern cities placed mosques and minarets in the cribs and stables in their nativity scenes. Local branches of the northern league called the moves “the act of a fool” and Deputy Mario Borghezio added that “the only thing…
The headstones of Muslim soldiers killed in the first World War have been vandalized in the North-western Slovenian Log pod Mangartom. The tombstones were sprayed with Serbian nationalistic symbols. Community Secretary Nizet Poric reacted angrily to the act of defacement, saying that the incidents are “first-class vandalism (and were) right out of order.” The local…
Religion has found its way back into German society. Yet though church and state are kept separate, many Germans are asking themselves how much religious symbolism should influence their daily lives. The renaissance of religion is a phenomenon currently growing across the globe. In Germany, this development has raised many difficult questions, for example to…
