Islam in Europe Weekly Overview

Attacks

The week started off with a couple of attacks: A Jewish boy was seriously injured in Paris, possibly as part of ongoing rivalry between Jewish and immigrant groups, while in Marseilles three Romanians were almost lynched by a mob, who suspected the Romanians of abducting children for body parts.  In both cases it is understood that the attackers were Muslim.


Roma

Roma and/or Romanians featured in several other stories.  In Rotterdam Romanian and Bulgarian pickpockets are dressing up as Muslim women to avoid detection.

While in Italy, where the Roma have been under attack in recent weeks, a Muslim leader called to protect foreign minors.


Euro 2008

The German and Turkish teams faced off in the Euro 2008 half-finals, putting Turkish-Germans in a bit of a quandary.  Germany won, through Turkey acquitted itself honorably, enabling everybody to breath a sigh of relief.  The game was followed by several anti-Turkish attacks.


Muhammed cartoons/Fitna

The Danish Muslim groups suing Jyllands-Posten for the (original) printing of the Muhammed cartoons have decided to turn to the EU court.  The court case in Denmark was financed by a Saudi group.

The "Dutch Mohammed cartoons" (ie, Fitna) made the headlines in the Netherlands, where two Dutch companies gave in to the Jordanian threats of a boycott.  The companies deny they did so as it was actually their Jordanian partners who published ads of apology, but they don't really deny they agree that the Netherlands should apologize.  The effects of the Arab boycott on the Dutch economy are meanwhile close to null.


Radicalism

Hizb ut-Tahrir in Germany has turned to the EU court in order to overturn the ban against it.  That did not stop Germany from announcing the banning of a Kurdish-Danish TV station this week on charges of terrorism.  The station denies it is involved in any such thing.


Immigration

The Constitutional Court in Belgium annulled a couple of articles in the alien law of 2006, making it easier for parents of refugee minors and for children of polygamous parents to immigrate through family reunification. 

The Spanish government, meanwhile, plans to restrict immigration.  This follows a major cooperative effort in Europe against people smugglers: 75 people were arrested in ten countries, most of whom were part of an Iraqi network.


The Honor Culture

Switzerland saw its first conviction of parents on charges of female genital mutilation.  With Denmark and Norway recently having their first arrests, its seems that Europe has decides to stop the practice.

Another aspect of the 'honor culture' are virginity restoration operations (ie, hymenoplasty).  Newspapers in Denmark wrote about the topic extensively this week.  The operations are much more common in the summer, when girls go back to their homeland for marriage.  It was also revealed that municipalities and regions in Denmark foot the bill for these operations, if there's a suspicion the girl might be in danger.

This danger is not theoretical.  A Moroccan girl in Liege, Belgium plunged to her death as she was trying to escape her home through the window.  Though police found no signs that she was pushed, she was apparently trying to escape an arranged marriage. 


Miscellaneous

* In France a Muslim man insisted on a cross being removed in a Catholic clinic where his daughter was being treated

* Norway discovered the money it was sending for mosque renovations in Afghanistan had been misued by the imams.

* In Cornwall an Islamic Center being built is facing attacks.

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