31 October 2011 In advance of parliamentary elections in Morocco on 25 November, in which the king will transfer his governmental authority to a prime minister, Dutch organizations have created an online ‘Vote Compass’ for the country. The Compass, available in French and Arabic, enables participants to respond to a series of questions, indicating which…
10 October 2011 The Dutch Physicians’ Association and women’s groups have responded to a lawyer whose doctoral thesis urged legalization of a ‘minor form of female circumcision. The thesis, presented at Erasmus University, suggested that “cultural freedom should take precedence”, while a speaker for the Gynaecoloigcal Patients Association responded that “circumcision is torture, plain and…
The Federation of Swiss Islamic Organizations (FIDS) and the Coordination of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland (KIOS) announced recently their intention to merge and create a “religious parliament” in order to represent the Muslims of Switzerland and receive official recognition from the state. Andreas Tunger-Zanetti, specialist of Islam and coordinator of the Center for Religious Studies…
13 March 2011 Two of Switzerland’s largest Muslim federations have announced their plans to found a new religious organization with the goal of representing all Muslims in Switzerland. According to the president of the Federation of Swiss Islamic Organizations (FIDS) Hisham Maizar, the new organization is to be called the “Swiss Umma,” and will be…
This article chronicles a suburban community organization, Zy’va (slang for vas y or “go”) in a Paris suburb and the difficulties encountered in finding continued financing. Zy’va has assisted more than 550 young people – mostly Muslims of North-African origin – in schoolwork and as an after-school drop in center since 1994. The organization recently…
