Update: Haitham al-Haddad Participates in Amsterdam Debate

18 February 2012   Islamic scholar Haitham al-Haddad participated in a public debate in Amsterdam cultural center De Balie following the decision by Amsterdam’s Vrij Universiteit (VU) to cancel his planned appearance. The controversial cleric had been invited to the VU by the Islamic Students’ Association, but the event was cancelled following protests from MPs….

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Amsterdam’s Free University Cancels Debate with Controversial Islamic Scholar

16 February 2012 Amsterdam’s Free University (VU) has cancelled a debate organized by the Islamic Student Union of Amsterdam, which was to see Haitham al-Haddad, a controversial Saudi-born scholar living in London, in conversation with Yasser Ellethy of the Centre for Islamic Theology. The subject of the debate was the role of the Muslim scholar…

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Debate about the acceptability of Islamic finance in Canada

Macleans – January 16, 2012 Canada, with its 1.3 million Muslims, has lagged behind countries like the U.K. and the U.S. in embracing sharia-compliant financial products. None of the country’s big banks currently offer sharia-compliant services, though some smaller players do. Toronto-based UM Financial Inc., which issued home mortgages conforming to Islamic law, filed for bankruptcy…

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German State of Hesse Re-Ignites Burqa-Debate

12.01.2012 The Christian Democrats (CDU) in the German state of Hesse have reignited the debate about a burqa ban in Germany. CDU-politician Alexander Bauer presented the main ideas of the CDU’s integration policy on Thursday; while the party acknowledges Germany’s immigration reality and the diversity amongst Germany’s population, they are also inclined to impose a…

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Room for Debate: Is Americans’ Religious Freedom Under Threat?

Companies have pulled their ads from a TV show that portrays Muslims as benign. Religious groups may be required to offer insurance that covers drugs that can induce abortions. A federal judge rejected a ballot initiative on same-sex marriage partly because of its religious arguments. Are these just bubbles in the American melting pot, or…

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