Turkey’s Erdogan warns Muslims against birth control
Source: BBC Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Muslims to reject contraception and have more children. In a speech broadcast live on TV, he said “no Muslim family” […]
Amsterdam to pay local Jews $11m for Holocaust survivor taxes
Source: The Times of Israel The city of Amsterdam will give its Jewish community $11 million as compensation for taxes imposed on Holocaust survivors who returned home to the Dutch […]
Over 650 Migrants Saved by Italian, Irish and German Ships
Source: Time By Frances D’Demilio / AP The multi-national patrol has saved thousands this week. (ROME) — Italian coast guard and navy ships, aided by Irish and German vessels as well […]
President Erdogan knows that visa-free travel for Turkey could solve his ‘Kurdish problem’
Europe’s growing Kurdish diaspora would be vastly increased if the crushed and war-suffering masses of Diyarbakir could find their way to Germany, Denmark and Sweden Robert Fisk @indyvoices Just why […]
‘Disaster in the Making’: The Many Failures of the EU-Turkey Refugee Deal
AP Migrants standing behind a fence at a refugee camp in southeastern Turkey. Many viewed it with skepticism from the start and now, the Brussels-Ankara refugee deal is in danger of collapse. Refugees are being locked up in Turkey and it looks as though the best educated Syrians are not […]
German Protestant bishop wants Islam classes in all state schools
Source: Religion News Service By Francesco Canepa/Reuters BERLIN (Reuters) The head of the Protestant Church in Germany has called for Islam to be taught in state schools across the country […]
Why are women banned from Mount Athos?
Source: BBC By Who, What WhyThe Magazine answers the questions behind the news Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Mount Athos in Greece to mark the 1,000-year presence of Russian […]
Switzerland: Islam museum set to open amid rightwing criticism
Source: Swiss Info The controversies continue in the run-up to Friday’s opening of the Museum for Islamic Culture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, canton Neuchâtel. A related cross-party resolution, “No to the […]
Rescued migrants say ship sank off Italy with hundreds aboard – NGO
Reuters International MAY 29, 2016 Migrants sit in their boat during a rescue operation by Italian navy ship Grecale (unseen) off the coast of Sicily, Italy, in this handout picture courtesy of the Italian Marina Militare released on May 6 2016. Marina Militare/Handout via REUTERS ROME (Reuters) – Migrants rescued […]
Entering Switzerland: who needs a visa?
EASY VS COMPLEX Entering Switzerland: who needs a visa? By Stefania Summermatter MAY 27, 2016 – 11:00 Switzerland will likely join the EU in granting visa-free access to Turkish citizens as part of a controversial agreement on migration with Turkey. But travellers from many other countries need a visa to […]
The world is getting more religious, because the poor go for God
By Giles Fraser, South London priest. Guardian columnist and Editorial Board. Visiting Professor at the LSE. Guardian: The so-called “masters of suspicion”, Nietzsche, Marx and Freud, all thought that religion would […]
US counter-terrorism chief criticizes anti-Muslim political rhetoric
Source: The Guardian Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor One of the leading counter-terror chiefs in the US warned against the blanket political denigration of Muslims, saying the integration of American Muslims […]
Mosque construction continues with community support: Ahmadi Muslim leader
Source DW The chairman of 45,000 Ahmadi Muslims in Germany, Abdullah Uwe Wagishauser, told “Die Welt” newspaper Wednesday that “all democratic parties are on our side – except the AfD.” His remarks followed a verbal clash in the media on Monday between leaders of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) […]
Is Queen Elizabeth from the lineage of the Spanish-Muslim descendants of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)?
LONDON (Web Desk) – Queen Elizabeth-II of United Kingdom, the world’s oldest living monarch who marked her 90th birthday last month, has had a number of myths spring around her in […]
Church fights AfD for Muslim right to build new mosque
Photo: DPA Church fights AfD for Muslim right to build new mosque Published: 18 May 2016 12:23 GMT+02:00 Outside of Berlin there are only two mosques in the whole of the former East Germany. The populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) are trying to scupper plans for a new one in […]
Why Are So Many Muslim Refugees in Europe Suddenly Finding Jesus?
Source: The Daily Beast By NADETTE DE VISSER Whether out of conviction or convenience, thousands of migrants in Europe are converting to Christianity. AMSTERDAM — Hundreds of Pakistanis and Afghans […]
Brother of Belgian bomber wins gold in Switzerland
Mourad Laachraoui was left ‘devastated’ by his brother’s actions. Photo: Emmanual Dunand/AFP Published: 20 May 2016 15:28 GMT+02:00 Belgian Mourad Laachraoui, the younger brother of one of the Brussels airport bombers, has won gold in the European Taekwondo Championships and will compete in this summer’s Olympics. Switzerland condemns Brussels attacks […]
Swiss aid official upbeat after humanitarian summit
ISTANBUL CONFERENCE Swiss aid official upbeat after humanitarian summit MAY 25, 2016 – 16:39 United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, second left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, centre, pose at the closing ceremony of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul (Keystone) While there was disappointment that leaders of the […]
Are most asylum seekers economic migrants?
FACT CHECK By Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi with input from Duc-Quang Nguyen and Stefania Summermatter MAY 25, 2016 – 11:00 (Keystone) As voters prepare to vote on reforms to Switzerland’s asylum law on June 5, the conservative right Swiss People’s Party has insisted that most applicants arriving in the country […]
RELIGIOUS CONTROVERSY: Muslim pupils must shake teachers’ hands in Basel
By swissinfo.ch and agencies MAY 25, 2016 – 12:20 Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga at the traditional New Year’s reception of the diplomatic corps. Basel’s education body says shaking hands is important for one’s future career (Keystone) Students in canton Basel Country can no longer refuse to shake a teacher’s hand on religious […]