News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America
Faced with a choice of presidential hopefuls that many Muslims fear are not very sympathetic to their issues, American Muslims are stepping up their activism in hopes to influence the next administration. The efforts stem from the difficulties felt by many Arab and Muslim Americans who have found themselves on the defensive facing unprecedented skepticism
French parliamentary elections failed to provide the hoped-for boost in the number of black and Arab lawmakers, with voters returning just one minority candidate from the mainland. President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party had 12 minority candidates running for election, mostly in the Paris region, and the opposition Socialists had 20
The French Council of the Islamic Faith (CFCM) is taking water on all sides. Its president, Dalil Boubakeur, is starting the creation of a separate structure, which would be baptized Conf_d_ration of the Moslems of France. In addition to the Mosque of Paris, where Boubakeur is the vice-chancellor, a nebula of associations could would form