France
Two suspected accomplices arrested in Merah shootings
France 24 – December 4, 2012 French police arrested two people in connection with the attacks by extremist gunman Mohamed Merah, whose shooting spree in and around the southern city of Toulouse this year left seven people dead. One man described by police as a member of the traveller community who converted to Islam was…
France’s first gay-friendly mosque sparks controversy
News agencies – December 2, 2012 A Muslim prayer centre, which has been dubbed Europe’s first gay-friendly mosque, opened in Paris. Its founder described it as the first step in breaking “prejudices in Islam”, but it has been criticised by religious leaders for going “against the spirit of Islam”. The new “mosque”, which opened…
French Muslim group likens gay marriage to bestiality
News Agencies – November 14, 2012 French government spokesperson Najat Vallaud-Belkacem has condemned the inflammatory language used by the Union of Islamic Organizations in France (UOIF) in opposing gay marriage , including equating same-sex marriage to bestiality. The UOIF also added that everyone should understand “the consequences that it could have on society, if this…
A plan to help blighted suburbs meets French resistance due to suspicions over benefactor
News Agencies –November 11, 2012 As Europe is engulfed in crisis, Qatar has been on a global spending spree, buying stakes in luxury brands, acquiring soccer club Paris St. Germain and financing London’s “Shard” — the EU’s tallest building. Now, to the consternation of the French, the emirate wants to make a major humanitarian…