Germany grapples with return of pro-Kurdish fighters from Syria

Much public concern and political squabbling in Europe has focused on returnees from the battlefields of Syria and Iraq. Above all, anxieties have been centred on the potential security risks posed by former fighters and supporters of the so-called Islamic State. Over 1,000 German citizens and residents had joined the self-declared caliphate in the Levant;…

Share Button
Read More

Streatham attack intensifies debate in the United Kingdom on how to deal with those convicted of terror offences

The United Kingdom experienced its second terrorist attack in three months, and the third at the hands of someone convicted of terrorism. On Sunday 2nd February, 20-year-old Sudesh Amman stabbed two people in a South London Borough, on Streatham High Street, after seen entering a shop where it is believed he stole the knife which…

Share Button
Read More

The creation of a degree to train French Muslim military Chaplains:

The chief military chaplain, Abdelkader Arbi, has revealed in December the project outlines of the first professional training for French Muslim military chaplains, which should be open in September 2020. For three years, aspirants (bachelor’s degree holder at least) would receive an intensive formation of 25 hours training per week, mainly based on a practical…

Share Button
Read More

As Germany recruits Jewish military chaplains Muslims remain side-lined

Just like the population at large, the German Bundeswehr has undergone a remarkable trajectory of religious pluralisation in recent years. As of 2012, over 48,000 Catholics and over 63,000 Protestants served in the armed forces. This would mean that just over half of Germany’s 180,000 soldiers identified as Christian; a figure that maps quite closely onto…

Share Button
Read More

Possibility of an expansion of Trump’s ‘Muslim’ Travel ban evokes reaction and opposition

An internal government document that has been circulating the White House, has revealed plans of the U.S. government to expand the so called “Muslim” Travel Ban, by including additional countries. The current ban as it stands includes restrictions on travel from five Muslim majority countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Venezuela and North Korea…

Share Button
Read More