In recent years, civil society-led efforts to prevent Muslim youths’ turn to Salafism have intensified. Often described in terms of ‘preventing violent extremism’ (PVE) or ‘preventing radicalisation’, many of these projects have attracted generous funding by state agencies. Germany is perhaps the paradigmatic case of this development: through successive government funding initiatives, the country has…
On November 1, the Dutch Parliament adopted a motion that children visiting mosques as part of school outings must not be compelled to pray according to Muslim rite. The motion, which the government must now implement in law, came after the emergence of video material showing blonde Dutch pupils kneeling and bowing according to Islamic…
Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has announced she has converted to Islam on twitter, and had changed her name to Shuhada’. The news has lead to mainly congratulatory responses from Muslims. A press release by the Islamic Centre of Ireland, where she proclaimed the testimony of Islamic faith, stated that her embrace of the religion was…
The mass shooting incident at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, which left eleven people dead and six people wounded on Saturday, has lead to a flurry of Muslim-driven initiatives expressing solidarity and providing support. A statement by the Islamic Center of Pittburgh extended their “deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims, their families,…
The United Nations Human Rights Council has said France’s face veil ban is a violation of women’s rights, as it called for a review of the “sweeping” legislation. The body found that the French law, passed in 2010, violated the rights of two French women, who were fined in 2012 for concealing their faces in…
