The Spanish Ministry of Justice, Mariano Fern_ndez Bermejo, has announced the creation of a Watch Group for Cultural and Religious Pluralism following the mark of the National Plan for the Alliance of Civilizations. The goal is to certify the principle of equality between all religions and to build constructive relations among those religions in accordance…
A Muslim man has successfully requested the removal of a crucifix from the room where his daughter was being cared for in a Catholic clinic in Bourgoin-Jallieu (Isère). The director of the Saint-Vincent de Paul Clinic, Marie-Thérèse Besson, staed “When people choose to be cared for in our establishment . . . they know they’re…
Though polygamous marriages are illegal in Italy, they are reportedly on the rise. While few Italian Muslims admit such unions, Muslim scholars put the number between 15,000-20,000 nationwide. Opinions in Italy are divided over the practice – “It’s a statistically irrelevant phenomenon that affects very few families, within which the presence of more than one…
The provincial government of Carinthia, a southern Austrian province, on Tuesday passed a law effectively banning the construction of mosques or minarets. The controversial legislation, passed with the votes of the Conservative People’s party and the right-wing Alliance for Austria’s Future was a sign against the “advancement of Islam”, provincial governor Joerg Haider said. The…
Spanish government and UN leaders plan to hold the first Alliance of Civilizations forum in mid-January. The conference, which will take place in Madrid, will foster dialogue on such topics like terrorism and cultural clashes. The alliance was created after the September 11th, 2001 attacks to foster an understanding between Islam and the West, and…
