Schools in Québec are now required to note the passage of holidays like Eid al-Adha, Hanukkah, Diwali and the birth of Sikh guru Nanak. These dates are part of a controversial new course on ethics and religious culture making its debut in classrooms this fall. One school, Loyola High School in Montreal, is going to…
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on American Muslims to exercise their civic responsibility by taking part in the November presidential elections. CAIR is asking Muslim voters to utilize its ‘Civic Participation Guide’ offering step-by-step advice for working with candidates, elected officials, organizing voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives. With large numbers of Muslims in…
France has denied citizenship to a veiled Moroccan woman on the grounds that her “radical” practice of Islam is incompatible with French values, particularly with mixité (the equality of the sexes). Le Monde daily newspaper claims it was the first time a Muslim applicant has been rejected because of his/her personal religious practice, particularly her…
A 15-year old Pakitani girl jumped from a balcony in the northern Italian town of Alessandria. The act was reportedly connected to her refusal of an arranged marriage with her cousin, a 16-year old Pakistani boy. “My parents had already been in touch with his and told me I would be marrying him. I have…
A proposal that teenagers of school leaving age in Britain should swear an oath of allegiance to promote a sense of citizenship sparked instant controversy Tuesday, with teachers organizations and Muslim groups rejecting it as an “empty gesture”. The recommendations, contained in a report commissioned by the government, are part of current efforts by Prime…
