Demands for muslim cemeteries stirs debate

The president of the Coordination of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland, Farhad Afshar, has called for a legal solution on the federal level with respect to the question of separate burial grounds for Muslims. This comes following the rejection by authorities in Köniz, a suburb of Bern, to create separate cemetery plots for Muslims. Afshar has…

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Muslims treated better in Switzerland than in Europe

In an interview with two German-language newspapers (“Tages-Anzeiger” and “Bund”), Muslim intellectual and Oxford professor Tariq Ramadan stated that “most Muslims in Switzerland come from the Balkans, have been here for quite some time, and have integrated well into society.” According to him, despite the minaret ban the situation of Muslims in Switzerland is significantly…

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Swiss debate over a national representative body for Muslims

In the past few years, many European states have seen the establishment of a national body to represent their respective Muslim population. Unlike Christianity, Islam does not have a representative and organizational body like the church, which makes it difficult for political institutions to have a contact person for dialogue. Such national representative bodies are…

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Muslim Feminists Confront a World of Obstacles at Conference in Barcelona

The third gathering of the International Congress on Islamic Feminism held in Barcelona produced conflicting concerns over where debates are heading and how to address women’s issues. Arifa Mazhar, manager of gender issues for the Sungi Development Foundation working in Pakistan, said that she grew tired of talking about religion – suggesting conference attendees debate…

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Muslim feminists confront a world of obstacles at conference in Barcelona

The third gathering of the International Congress on Islamic Feminism held in Barcelona produced conflicting concerns over where debates are heading and how to address women’s issues. Arifa Mazhar, manager of gender issues for the Sungi Development Foundation working in Pakistan, said that she grew tired of talking about religion – suggesting conference attendees debate…

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