News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America
The UK general election in 2024 saw a landslide victory for the Labour Party, which won 412 seats and Keir Starmer became the Prime Minister. This election also saw the impact of Muslim voters in an unexpected way, with an increase in the number of Muslim MPs, independent candidates and Muslim women in the House
Politics surrounding Germany’s armed forces – the Bundeswehr – is fiercely contested: politically, some (not least the U.S. President) are demanding a reversal of decades of cutbacks, while others view such plans with scepticism and distrust. Operationally, the forces have been much affected by severe staff and materiel shortages, as well as by corruption scandals
Recent claims that Islamophobia does not exist has prompted questioning over whether the term, which some argue conflates the anti-Muslim and the anti-Islam, is a useful one to use.
Shaimaa Khalil discusses the rising trend in the UK of primary school girls wearing the hijab, whether there is a need for concern about this, and who, if anyone, has the right to decide what young girls wear.
Nick Cohen discusses how the British left-wing fail to support, and sometimes undermine, liberal progressive Muslims who are fighting inequalities endorsed by culture and religion in their community. But his argument fails to appreciate the nuances of the current debates surrounding British Muslim communities.