Demand for US-born imams up as mosques struggle to retain new generation of American Muslims

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mustafa Umar, an imam in Southern California, is popular with the Muslim teenagers who attend his mosque. They pepper him with questions about sensitive topics like marijuana use, dating and pornography. Umar, 31, is a serious Islamic scholar who has studied the Quran in the Middle East, Europe and India — but…

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MoE launches its “Charter of Secularism”

Le Monde 09.09.2013 Just a year ago, Vincent Peillon, Minister of Education, has launched the idea of teaching “secular morals” beginning in French kindergartens up to high school level. The project was in the meanwhile enthusiastically received by the French public and  has been renamed “teaching moral and civic duties”. It’s due to be launched…

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Muslim group demands tougher response to mosque attacks

One of Britain’s largest Islamic groups has said a “dramatic escalation in violence” against British Muslims needs a much tougher response from the government. Farooq Murad, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said the bombings of three Midlands mosques marked “the crossing of a red line”.   The MCB said the murder…

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British government’s silence over attacks on Muslims is worrying, and divisive

Last week, a nail bomb partially exploded at a mosque in the West Midlands – the fourth attack in two months on mosques in Britain during Friday prayers. A suspect in one of those attacks is also being questioned in connection with the killing of Mohammed Saleem, a Muslim pensioner in Birmingham, who was stabbed…

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How to tackle the EDL

Those wondering how to respond to English Defence League marches this weekend can look to the example of tea and non-confrontation we set at York mosque   When we first heard about the English Defence League protest that was to take place outside our local mosque in York last Sunday, my colleagues and I sat…

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