News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America
Religious Advocacy Groups in Washington, D.C. The number of organizations engaged in religious lobbying or religion-related advocacy in Washington, D.C., has increased roughly fivefold in the past four decades, from fewer than 40 in 1970 to more than 200 today. These groups collectively employ at least 1,000 people in the greater Washington area and spend
Leftwing Green (GroenLinks) leader Femke Halsema expressed criticism of Islam in an interview with newspaper De Pers, stating that the religion is “of course a problem”. The statement was a response to the newspaper’s suggestion that the ‘progressive’ GroenLinks does not campaign against orthodox Islam. Halsema reacted dismissively to the claim, citing her provocative 2006
The Dutch defense ministry and parliament clashed over the appointment of a Muslim imam as an army chaplain. The defense ministry appointed two imams of Turkish and Moroccan origin to serve as army chaplains, who were supposed to be sworn in on Thursday, but the swearing-in ceremony was postponed after the parliament objected the appointment
A Portuguese cardinal has warned Roman Catholic women against marrying Muslim men. “Be careful with love. Think twice before marrying a Muslim, think seriously because it brings loads of hassle – and even Allah can’t say where all that will end,” said Jose Policarpo, the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon. Policarpo stressed that there are significantly
Muslim leaders in Italy are apologizing to the Roman Catholic Church following a pro-Palestinian rally and prayer outside a cathedral in Milan. In Milan, Muslims planned to meet with the city’s Roman Catholic archbishop to apologize for the impromptu service, in which a number of Israeli flags were burned.