During Ramadan, 45 Moroccan imams will come to the Netherlands to promote a ‘healthy islam’. Contact Body Muslims and Government (CMO) hopes that radicalization among youth will be prevented this way. Spokesperson Yasin el-Forkani says that the imams are interpreting Islam in a moderate Malikiti tradition – an interpretation that can change according time and…
Islam is at the center of the debate in Nicolas Sarkozy’s party under its new name “The Republicans.” So what is “tchip”? It’s a term used “In black cultures: among Africans, those from the Caribbean, or African-Americans,” explains Yaotcha d’Almedia, author of the TV show Karambolage d’Arte. Tchip is a non-verbal act of disapproval or…
It will be the fourth of its kind to come under state contract in France. The first private school in Marseille will soon be recognized by the State. And while the debate concerning secularism rages, the government’s willingness to increase the number of religious schools remains a highly sensitive topic. At the beginning of the…
Bernard Cazeneuve called for ‘transparency’ regarding the funding of religious activities related to Islam – mosques, imam training, ritual slaughter- and hopes that future “dialogue” will help. The minister of religion hosted thirty media personalities active in the Muslim community (Saphir News, Oumma.com, Zaman…) for, as he said, “a moment of meaningful exchange,” in the…
He learned warfare in an al-Qaida training camp, did time at Guantánamo and more time in a French prison. With such a resumé, Mourad Benchellali may seem an unlikely youth counselor – but he is telling his story to young Europeans, warning them against the lure of jihad. The 33-year-old Frenchman is one of a…
