An Islamic punk rock scene is emerging as another dimension of life for Muslims in America. “In this so-called war of civilizations, we’re giving the finger to both sides,” says the ‘godfather’ of the Muslim punk movement, Michael Muhammad Knight. “Given punk’s history and values, Muslim punk makes sense,” says the Pakistani-Canadian director of Taqwacore:…
A recruiting campaign by the Dutch government aimed at attracting young workers will picture a veiled Muslim woman with the slogan “working for the government, if you think ahead”. The image is juxtaposed with a photo of a woman with a lip piercing, alongside a series of other supposedly contrasting images including a construction site…
“This is a society that has doubts about itself,” Tariq Ramadan told a French parliamentary panel mulling a burqa ban. “For me, this commission is born of a real self-doubt, and suddenly they’re looking at one element, at the most extreme slice. The problem won’t be solved like that.” Ramadan claims that the larger problem…
British architects have slammed the Swiss vote of blocking the construction of minarets. Ali Mangera, of Mangera Yvars Architects, who masterminded the original London super-mosque proposals, said: “Decisions like this should be placed on architectural factors, not a pretext against Islam. This is more to do with the emasculation of a group of people –…
According to a new poll by Ifop, 41 percent of French people are opposed to new construction of mosques compared to 22 percent in 2001. In 1989, 38 percent of the French did not like to see a mosque near their residence; the percentage of those holding anti-mosque positions therefore appears to have fluctuated substantially…
