Last week the Belgian Constitutional Court rejected a claim to annul the ban on face coverings, better known as “burqa ban”. This ban prohibits the wearing of clothing that covers the face, or a large part of it, in the public space. The Constitutional Court concluded that the ban does not violate fundamental rights such as the right to freedom of religion, the right to freedom of expression and the right to private life, provided that the ban is not interpreted in such a way that it also covers places of worship.
Support for Muslim centre in Oswestry
Residents have written in support of plans for a new Muslim centre in Oswestry – defying calls from the British National Party.
Nearly 30 people have given their support to the plans for the conversion of the 19th century former Presbyterian Church in the town, with just five objections received.
The BNP had urged people to write to Shropshire Council to object to the plans for the building, which is currently occupied by a furniture business.
The Oswestry Muslim Society has applied for planning permission to change the use of the building for prayer meetings.
Supporter Iris Gordijn wrote: “It’s a very good thing that at long last Muslims will get their own religious and social centre in Oswestry. I fully support this application.”
Another supporter, Andrew Meredith, added: “Bringing an unused building back into use can only be good thing for the town. The fact that it is to be used as a Muslim Centre is immaterial.”
Threatening letter sent to vandalised French mosque
Fait-religieux reports that an Ahmadiyya mosque at Épernay in northern France which was vandalised by fascists last month has received a letter filled with racist slurs and abuse. It calls for “bougnoules” (wogs) to be thrown out of France just like the French were thrown out of Algeria and threatens to return to Épernay for a further attack on the mosque.
Leicestershire: No sanction possible against ex-BNP councillor censured over anti-Muslim leaflet
County Hall says it is powerless to compel a councillor do training he was told to undertake for sending out a leaflet criticising Muslims.
Councillor Graham Partner was censured “in the strongest possible terms” by Leicestershire County Council’s standards committee this summer for undermining good race relations and told he would have to have equality training.
However, since the standards hearing on June 27, Coun Partner, who represents Coalville as an independent, has declined to do the training.
EDL planning another march in Cambridge
The English Defence League (EDL) is planning another march in Cambridge, according to campaigners. A “massive” counter demonstration has already been planned by Cambridge Unite Against Fascism (CUAF).
More than 670 officers policed an EDL march in the city in July, 2011.
Richard Rose, of CUAF, said: “Our head office has information that has been confirmed by the EDL that they will march in Cambridge on February 23. We have organised a counter demo opposing the EDL and what it stands for.”
Police search for man who threatened worshippers at California mosque
Members of a Fremont mosque were shaken after a man entered the building Wednesday then threatened everyone inside.
Police said a man walked into the Ibrahim Khalillullah Islamic Center on Osgood Road Wednesday during afternoon prayer and said he had a gun and threatened to kill everyone inside. The people inside asked him to leave and he left peacefully, but he remains on the run.
The center’s leaders told KTVU they’ve never had anything like that happen before. “We are a little worried because of the situation that happened in Oregon,” said Fareed Wardak, a board of director’s member. “We don’t want the same thing to happen.”
See also NBC Bay Area, 13 December 2012
Muslim man from Oklahoma seeks justice department inquiry
A Muslim man is seeking answers from federal law enforcement agencies about what he describes as their harassment of him and his family since his return to Oklahoma from the Middle East.
Saadiq Long, a U.S. Air Force veteran and McAlester native, said Thursday he and his sister have been followed by the FBI and have had several unexpected and unwanted encounters with agents of the federal agency since he arrived in Oklahoma from Qatar on Nov. 19.
National ‘MyJihad’ campaign launched with Chicago bus ads
On Friday, December 14, the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) will announce the launch of the “MyJihad” educational campaign at a press conference in the morning and at a community party in the afternoon.
MyJihad is an independent national initiative that seeks to share the proper meaning of Jihad as believed and practiced by the majority of Muslims. Jihad is a central tenet of the Islamic creed, which means struggling uphill in order to get to a better place.
German Muslims call for ‘denazification’ of state
An umbrella organisation representing Muslims in Germany has called for a “denazification” of German state authorities, and demanded they refrain from using the terms “Islamism” and “Islamist” to describe radical Muslims.
The German Muslim coordination council (KRM) presented a dossier on Wednesday on the botched investigation into the National Socialist Underground (NSU) terrorist cell.
German Muslims say the debacle – in which authorities failed to prevent the murders of nine immigrants and one police woman over a decade – was no accident, wrote the Frankfurter Rundschau on Thursday.
Australian broadcaster ordered to read on-air apology to Muslims
Controversial broadcaster Alan Jones has been ordered to apologise for comments he made in 2005 describing Lebanese Muslims as “vermin” and “mongrels”.
The Administrative Decisions Tribunal (ADT) ordered Jones to apologise on his 2GB radio show between 8am and 8.30am any day next week over the comments he made on-air in April 2005.