The French government launched on February 5 2022, a new governing body for Islam: the Forum of Islam in France (FORIF), which replaces the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) as the official interlocutor between the government and the Muslim community. [1] It will address strategic issues such as: security of places of worship,…
For decades now, the hijab has become a symbol of the tensions between Islam and secular European cultures [1]. Out of the 27 EU member states and the United Kingdom, 9 countries currently enforce some type of restriction on religious dress for Muslim women. Some of these are national bans (Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands)…
In a study published in December 2021, nine of ten schools surveyed in Berlin’s migrant-rich Neukölln district reported regular incidents of religiously motivated bullying or oppression of girls (Source). The recently re-elected government of Berlin consisting of Social Democrats (SPD), Green Party and the far-left Die Linke party, has had Greens and Linke members speak…
The death toll during the COVID-19 pandemic has been alarming across Europe, and all over the world, since early 2020. In this context, burying loved ones has become a difficult task for many Muslim communities in Europe, as it has added a further challenge to an already precarious situation. For years now, Muslim communities have…
On December 8 2021, Germany swore in a new chancellor, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats (SPD), ending the 16-year reign of Angela Merkel. Scholz will oversee a three-party coalition, which includes the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats (FDP) as junior partners. Long-time Green Party member and former head of the party, Cem Özdemir,…
