Islam in Europe Weekly Overview

Sadly, this week was marked by several stories of (alleged) 'honor' crimes.

* Tahira Bibi, a Danish-Pakistani woman living in Pakistan, was shot dead by her brother in law.  The woman's family accuses the husband, who lives in Denmark, of instigating the murder.  A close friend, however, says the couple had a good relationship and spoke several times a day.  She also says Tahira kept up with Danish news on the net  The police in Pakistan concur and say that they don't believe the brother in law's 'excuse' of honor murder.  They would like to interrogate the father, but he is currently not planning to travel there. 

Tahira had taken her two daughters to Pakistan in order to get to know their family there.  They will now be returned to the father. (see more here in Danish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Danish right-wingers as well as the Muslim Council of Denmark want the government to research the problem of 'honor' murders and see what can be done.

'Honor' murders were discusses extensively on the news.  Though this was not the case here, there are apparently  Danish women being held abroad against their will.

* In Norway a father and son are charged with killing Vian Bakir Fatah (31), ex-wife and mother.  Vian Bakir Fatah, who had converted to Christianity and had a Norwegian boyfriend, had shown up for a reconciliation meeting with her ex-husband after which he killed her.

* In Norway, a father and his brother in law were sentenced for the abduction and forced marriage of a daughter, who was 14 at the time.  In Italy a 15 year old jumped out of her parent's balcony to escape a forced marriage.  The girl survived and told interviewers she wanted to be Italian.  This story followed that of last week, where a girl from Liege was killed in the same circumstances.  In both cases, the question is: were they trying to commit suicide, or were they trying to run away and couldn't leave through the door? 

* Police in the UK say that women fleeing forced marriage and 'honor'-related are betrayed by doctors, public servants and police.  This can sometimes happen unwittingly, when people are not aware of the grave dangers these girls face, but in some case, the girls are betrayed by people who know exactly what they're doing.


Mosques

* In the Czech Republic the Muslim community is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its first mosque.  Meanwhile, the plans for the Grand Mosque of Marseilles were unveiled this week. 

* In Rotterdam, a dispute between mosque members and the administration over building financing has led to an appeal to the municipality to intervene.  A protest outside the mosque on Friday developed into scuffles and disturbances (NL), as well as an attack on the car of the person responsible for the building.  The protest ended with a prayer outside.

* Ahmed Marcouch, mayor of Slotervaart (Amsterdam), says that mosque 'Sunday schools' practice corporal punishment and teach their students to hate the West.  To combat the problem he wants to investigate the mosque schools, and to make bring Islam teaching into public schools. 


Terrorism

* The war against terrorism was hit twice this week: The American group Human Rights Watch accused French anti-terrorism measures of being illegal.  In Sweden an acquitted terrorism rendition deportee was awarded millions in damages.

* In Switzerland terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists are the greatest security threat.

* Members of Italy's Muslim community met in Rome to discuss ways of combating Islamic extremism.


Sharia

* The public prosecution in Amsterdam decided not to prosecute Geert Wilders while the Jordanian court accepted the lawsuit against him, leaving Wilders with a possible international arrest warrant.  His troubles in the Netherlands are not over either.

* The British Lord Chief Justice said in a lecture at London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel that he supports Sharia arbitration, though he rejects Sharia courts.  His comments came in support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had earlier this year that adoption of some aspects of Sharia law in Britain was 'unavoidable'.


Miscellaneous

* In Lancashire a Muslim female councillor says she's been subjected to a hate campaign by Muslim men.  In Oslo a local politician who looks like an immigrant also attracts unwanted attention from Muslim men, who in the best case, feel they can tell her what to do.

* Muslims participated in Oslo's gay parade for the first time.

* The application of an asylum seeker who had converted to Christianity in Norway was rejected.  Authorities strongly suggest he convert back to Islam.

* The father who removed a crucifix at a French Catholic clinic came to apologize, after his imam and community leaders did so.

* A local Muslim politician in Scotland complained about a police ad featuring a black puppy, leading the police to apologize.  The dog, Rebel, had been used by the police for a few months in order to encourage contact with the public.  Scottish Muslim groups denied the ad caused any offense.  Meanwhile, British police are to take extra precautions when using search dogs in Muslim houses.


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This article was cross-posted to Islam in Europe and to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS