Ramadan:
* Local politicians in Odense have decided to ban fasting in schools. Schools in Denmark see increased religious pressure on kids to conform with the Muslim fasting requirements during Ramadan.
* In France a Muslim charity opened a soup kitchen for those breaking the fast. Muslims are apparently not the only ones fasting.
Terrorism:
* The seventh anniversary of 9/11 was occasion for European terrorism experts to consider the threat to Europe. The French Minister of the Interior was also interviewed, giving a breakdown of the situation in France. Fifty five suspected terrorists were arrested in France in 2008, five more were arrested this week.
* A study by a British researchers (in India) claims that faith schools help foster terrorists.
* A forum discussion on a jihadi website discusses how to poison Danish and British water supplies.
Miscellaneous:
* Dutch education minister proposes ban on burkas in schools.
* A new Muslim organization in Scotland wants to get involved in civil life.
* A study of Muslims in Brussels and Detroit asks for more tolerance for Belgian Muslims.
* European food producers are making halal food for the global market and even small businesses are getting their production lines halal compliant.
* A Turkish charity stands trial for fraud in Frankfurt.
* Computer game urging massacre of Muslims is condemned.
* Ten thousand converts joined the Spanish Muslim community in the past five years.
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This article was cross-posted to Islam in Europe and to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS.
* Local politicians in Odense have decided to ban fasting in schools. Schools in Denmark see increased religious pressure on kids to conform with the Muslim fasting requirements during Ramadan.
* In France a Muslim charity opened a soup kitchen for those breaking the fast. Muslims are apparently not the only ones fasting.
Terrorism:
* The seventh anniversary of 9/11 was occasion for European terrorism experts to consider the threat to Europe. The French Minister of the Interior was also interviewed, giving a breakdown of the situation in France. Fifty five suspected terrorists were arrested in France in 2008, five more were arrested this week.
* A study by a British researchers (in India) claims that faith schools help foster terrorists.
* A forum discussion on a jihadi website discusses how to poison Danish and British water supplies.
Miscellaneous:
* Dutch education minister proposes ban on burkas in schools.
* A new Muslim organization in Scotland wants to get involved in civil life.
* A study of Muslims in Brussels and Detroit asks for more tolerance for Belgian Muslims.
* European food producers are making halal food for the global market and even small businesses are getting their production lines halal compliant.
* A Turkish charity stands trial for fraud in Frankfurt.
* Computer game urging massacre of Muslims is condemned.
* Ten thousand converts joined the Spanish Muslim community in the past five years.
-----
This article was cross-posted to Islam in Europe and to THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS.
1 comment:
Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist because they have been mis-educated and de-educated by the British schooling. Muslim children are confused because they are being educated in a wrong place at a wrong time in state schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers. They face lots of problems of growing up in two distinctive cultural traditions and value systems, which may come into conflict over issues such as the role of women in the society, and adherence to religious and cultural traditions. The conflicting demands made by home and schools on behaviour, loyalties and obligations can be a source of psychological conflict and tension in Muslim youngsters. There are also the issues of racial prejudice and discrimination to deal with, in education and employment. They have been victim of racism and bullying in all walks of life. According to DCSF, 56% of Pakistanis and 54% of Bangladeshi children has been victims of bullies. The first wave of Muslim migrants were happy to send their children to state schools, thinking their children would get a much better education. Than little by little, the overt and covert discrimination in the system turned them off. There are fifteen areas where Muslim parents find themselves offended by state schools.
The right to education in one’s own comfort zone is a fundamental and inalienable human right that should be available to all people irrespective of their ethnicity or religious background. Schools do not belong to state, they belong to parents. It is the parents’ choice to have faith schools for their children. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim teacher or a child in a Muslim school. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. An ICM Poll of British Muslims showed that nearly half wanted their children to attend Muslim schools. There are only 143 Muslim schools. A state funded Muslim school in Birmingham has 220 pupils and more than 1000 applicants chasing just 60.
Majority of anti-Muslim stories are not about terrorism but about Muslim culture--the hijab, Muslim schools, family life and religiosity. Muslims in the west ought to be recognised as a western community, not as an alien culture.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
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