Following the Swiss referendum to ban minarets, a motion in the Dutch parliament called for more “discretion” over the placement of visible satellite dishes, the visibility of urban mosques, and the sound of calls to prayer. The motion was subsequently rejected by most MPs. The motion was initially tabled by the fundamentalist Christian SGP party,…
So far there is only the one purpose-built mosque in Finland, the Järvenpää Mosque, which was erected in the 1940s. The timber-framed building also includes a small minaret, but as in most non-Muslim countries, the call for prayer from the minaret is not permitted. The Järvenpää Mosque belongs to the Islamic congregation of Finland’s Tatars,…
Conservative Muslim Peer Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury has criticized a group of Islamic extremists who pelted her with eggs and shouted abuse at her during a visit in Luton. The shadow minister for community cohesion and social action had been meeting local businesses with Tory candidates when she was attacked in the street. Up to…
Le Figaro interviews CFCM, French Council of the Muslim Faith, president Mohammed Moussaoui on the Swiss minaret ban. Moussaoui explains his surprise and regret with the decision. He claims that unwarranted fear led to the majority vote, and to an extremist vote. He reminds that in France fewer than 2 percent of mosques have minarets….
The minaret ban in Switzerland has had a continentwide response. Even as European human-rights courts began attempts to block the Swiss amendment, extremist politicians across Europe were examining their countries’ laws to see if a similar referendum could be accomplished. Far-right leaders have emerged from the woodwork in places like the Netherlands to push for…
