Tag: Discriminatie

A rainbow shines above the minaret of the DITIB Mosque in Kehl, southwestern Germany 

BERLIN (REUTERS) – A mosque in northwest Germany may no longer broadcast its Friday midday call to prayer by loudspeaker for now after a local court upheld a challenge by a couple who live nearly 1km away.

The Gelsenkirchen administrative court found that the town of Oer-Erkenschwick had not assessed the local Muslim community’s request properly in 2013, but a court spokesman said on Friday (Feb 2) that this did not prevent the mosque making a new application for a permit for the prayer calls.

The local Christian couple had argued that the call to prayers violated their own religious rights.

Anti-Muslim sentiment and support for anti-immigration policies are growing in many parts of Germany after the influx of well over a million migrants from Iraq, Syria and other mostly Muslim countries, beginning in 2015.

Huseyin Turgut, a senior official with the affected mosque, said the court’s decision was disappointing.

“The call to prayer lasts for two minutes, just around 1pm, but only on Fridays,” he said. “We’ve never had any complaints and we have German neighbours who are much closer – just 10 metres away.”

The town’s administration could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Source / 04.02.2018)

The provision, part of a larger integration package, means those wearing the veil in public will be fined $166.

The provision is part of a larger ‘integration’ law

Austrian members of parliament have approved a new bill which bans garments that fully cover the face of women – the latest restriction for the country’s Muslim population.

The provision, adopted on Tuesday night, was backed by both ruling parties and means that people wearing full-face veils in public will be subject to 150-euro ($166) fines starting in October.

The measure was first announced by Austria’s coalition government in January as part of wider proposals aimed at countering the rise of the far-right, anti-Islam Freedom Party.

Farid Hafez, political scientist at the University of Salzburg and editor of The European Islamophobia Report, said the ban was just the latest move imposing restrictions on Muslims. In 2015, Austria, home to some 600,000 Muslims, passed a bill requiring imams to be able to speak German.

“This is another example of the far right becoming the hegemonic force in the public discourse,” he told Al Jazeera.

READ MORE: What the hijab means to me

The ban is part of a larger package which also forbids the distribution of the Quran and requires all migrants in Austria to participate in an “integration” year during which they take classes to learn German and ethics considered customary in Austria.

That measure is targeted at refugees and asylum seekers viewed as having a good chance of remaining in Austria.

“It will definitely empower people who have just arrived here to get acquainted with society more,” Hafez said.

“But at the end of the day, what is needed is access to the labour market. Austria has one of the most restrictive labour markets in Europe and this has not fundamentally been changed.

“So it sounds good, but the real improvement is still lacking,” he said.

Asylum seekers are also expected to perform unpaid public work under the new law – a proposal, supporters say, that is designed to make migrants better suited for the Austrian labour market.

Migrants refusing to take part in the integration courses or public work will see their welfare benefits cut.

The nationwide ban on full-face veils comes on the heels of a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in March, which stated that employers are entitled to ban staff from wearing visible religious symbols, a decision Muslims said was a direct attack on women wearing hijabs at work.

“The court could and should have seized the opportunity to put a halt to the multiple discriminations faced by Muslim women and protect their fundamental rights, but they chose not to,” Kim Lecoyer, president of Belgium-based Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera in reaction to the ECJ ruling.

(Source / 19.05.2017)

On Friday, hundreds of Italian Muslim prayed near Rome’s Colosseum to protest at the closure of mosques and other places of daily five-times prayers. The prayer demonstration was staged in protest to government’s closure of five make-shift prayer halls recently.

Rome-based Dhuumcatu Association which sponsored the protest said in a statement on its Facebook page: “We are sick of the criminalization of our places of worship. There are no relevant regulations, and we cannot invent solutions independently of the authorities.”

Many Italian Muslims suspect local authorities are responding to a climate of Islamophobia, created and fueled by Zionist groups especially after the recent Mossad false flag operations in France, Germany, and other European nations.

Jewish press and bloggers claimed it as another Zionist victory against Muslims for opposing the Zionist regime.

Italy, like the US, UK, Germany and France, is also controlled by country’s powerful Jewish Lobby.

Islam is not recognized as a ‘religion’ in Catholic-majority Italy even though it’s the second most practiced faith with 2.2 million (3.7% of country’s total population) followers in the country. The Italian anti-Muslim hatred goes back to late 9th century when Muslims conquered most part of Sicily and ruled it until 1072 CE. This past history has been exploited by the Zionist controlled Vatican.

On May 3, 2016, European Islamophobia Report (EIR) was presented at the European Union (EU) parliament in Brussels. The aim of its authors, leading experts in the field from all over Europe, is to “analyze trends in the spread of Islamophobia in various European states.” For 2015, 25 states have been analyzed – the results prove the most of Europeans have returned to their medieval Dark Age.

Emran Feroz, an independent journalist based in Afghanistan says hating Muslims and Islam is a good politics in the West (here).

“Throwing a pork head, or sometimes even a grenade, on a mosque. Assaulting a Muslim woman who wears a head scarf. Demonstrating against the building of a mosque or against the local supermarket which sells Halal food. Incidents like these are happening on a daily basis in 21st century Europe,” he said.

According to PEW 2016 Spring Survey, anti-Muslim culture exist in almost every European nation with Hungary (72%) toping the list – followed by Italy (69%), Poland (66%), Greece (65%), Spain (50%), Netherlands (35%), Sweden (35%), France (29%), Germany (29%), and UK (28%).

Pakistan-born British socialist writer, author, and film-maker explains the Western Islamophobia below.

(Source / 25.10.2016)

Attacks on Muslims in the US have tripled in recent months. In Dearborn, Michigan, the large Arab-American community is pulling together

Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan

Hate crimes against Muslim Americans and mosques have tripled in the US since attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, with dozens in a month, according to an analysis for theNew York Times.

Muslims in the US’s largest Arab-American community say they have felt the rise in tension.

In Dearborn, Michigan, where 30 percent of the 95,000 population are Arab-American or of Arab descent, residents blame Donald Trump, a Republican presidential hopeful, and mainstream media for propagating the notion that Muslims are linked to terrorism.

Many Arab travellers also complain about unlawful detainment and enhanced screening upon their arrival by the US customs and border protection.

Mayor John B O’Reilly of Dearborn calls on Arab-Americans to stand together and insist on their rights as Americans.

MEE spoke to residents in the city.

(Source / 14.01.2016)

 

• Tasneem Kabir, 16, was knocked unconscious as she walked to college
• Her attacker, Michael Ayoade, was jailed for four years after pleading guilty
• It is an example of the Islamaphobic offences that are on the rise in London
• Around 60 per cent of victims are women who wear a headscarf or hijab

This shocking video shows the moment a 16-year-old girl wearing a hijab was struck in the head in an unprovoked attack on an east London street.

Tasneem Kabir suffered broken teeth and a smashed lip after she was hit by Michael Ayoade, 34, as she walked to college in Plaistow, Newham, on the afternoon of November 13, 2012.

He was arrested after police released CCTV footage of the horrific attack, which showed Ayoade jogging away from the scene as Miss Kabir lay unconscious on the ground.

Ayoade, who is originally from Nigeria, was jailed for four years in February 2013 after pleading guilty to two ‘vicious’ attacks on Tasneem and another young woman.

Miss Kabir’s assault is an example of the Islamaphobic attacks being investigated in Inside Out London Special, which will be aired on BBC London tonight.

It comes as police revealed there has been a sharp rise in the number of hate crimes against Muslims in the capital, with women who wear a headscarf or hijab accounting for some 60 per cent of victims.

The 13-second video of Miss Kabir’s attack shows the victim walking near the Black Lion pub in High Street, Plaistow, before Ayoade jogs up behind her and punches her in the head.

She immediately falls to the pavement, where she was left lying unconscious.

Ayoade had followed the teenager, who is 5ft 5in, for around 800 metres before he struck. The security camera also captures him fleeing the scene.

Islamaphobic attacks are becoming increasingly common in the capital, police figures reveal.

There was a 70 per cent increase in the number of attacks recorded between July 2014 and July this year compared with the previous 12 months, according to the Metropolitan Police.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3225020/Shocking-moment-hijab-wearing-woman-attacked-knocked-floor-unconscious-police-reveal-huge-rise-hate-crimes-against-Muslims.html#v-4468338239001

But some London boroughs saw figures more than double. Merton witnessed the biggest increase, rising 262 per cent from eight to 29.

Meanwhile, nine crimes were reported in Richmond-upon-Thames, compared to just one in the previous year.

Fiyaz Mughal, from Tell Mama, an organisation with monitors Islamophobic incidents, said around 60 per cent of victims are women who wear a headscarf or hijab.

He told the BBC: ‘We also realised quite early on that women who wear niqab, the face veil, suffered more aggressive incidents – there was something about the face veil that in a way brought out the worst in the perpetrator.’

The Metropolitan Police attributed the increase part to a willingness of victims to report crime and an awareness of police staff in being able to identify those particular offences.

The force said events around the world and holy days can also ‘influence a rise in hate crime incidents’ as more officers are on patrol and victims may be more likely to report crime.

Commander Mak Chishty said: ‘We will not tolerate hate crime and take positive action to investigate all allegations, support victims and arrest offenders.

‘Victims of hate crime must be assured that they will be taken seriously by the police.

‘We have more than 900 specialist officers across London working in our community safety units who are dedicated to investigating hate crime.

‘We are always seeking ways to increase reporting and work with a number of third party reporting sites so that victims who feel unable to approach police direct can report crime to non-police organisations and individuals.

‘Victims of hate crime can in addition now report online on the Met’s website. No one should suffer in silence, so please report hate crime to us as soon as possible so we can act.’

(Source / 07.09.2015)

 

‘Racist attack’: the woman was allegedly set upon in south London (file image)

(Source / 05.06.2015)

The White House had invited Tahera Ahmad during last March’s Women’s History Month

An American Muslim woman says she is the victim of religious discrimination after a United Airline flight attendant denied her an unopened can of Diet Coke because it could be used as a “weapon.”  

In a post on her Facebook account on Saturday, Tahera Ahmad, a Muslim chaplain and director of interfaith engagement at Chicago’s Northwestern University, described how she was denied an unopened can for security reasons, while another passenger sitting next to her was freely handed one.

“She then brought the man sitting next to me a can of unopened beer,” wrote Ahmad, adding “so I asked her again why she refused to give me an unopened can of Diet Coke?”

“We are unauthorized to give unopened cans to people because they may use it as a weapon on the plane,” Ahmad recalled the flight attendant answering her.

“So I told her that she was clearly discriminating against me because she gave the man next to me an unopened can of beer.”

According to the 31-year-old woman, asking passengers to come into her defense bear no fruit and she was even told to “shut the f*** up” by a passenger.

A United Airlines plane

Meanwhile, the US firm has stated that the matter was a “misunderstanding.”

“The in-flight crew met with Ms. Ahmad after the flight arrived in Washington to provide assistance and further discuss the matter,” a United Airline spokesman said on Sunday.

“Additionally, we spoke with Ms. Ahmad this afternoon to get a better understanding of what occurred and to apologize for not delivering the service our customers expect when traveling with us. We look forward to having the opportunity to welcome Ms. Ahmad back.”

According to a Northwestern University news release, Ahmad has been invited to a Ramadan meal by US President Barack Obama.

The White House had invited her during last March’s Women’s History Month and recognized her achievements.

(Source / 31.05.2015)

Three Moroccan women are reported to have been insulted and assaulted by a Romanian national inside a Barcelona metro train in an alleged Islamophobic attack.

According to Spanish newspaper El Periodico, the incident took place last week when Hoda Bourrouhou (19-year-old), Safaa Esamsi (19) and Ferdaus Oulad (20), originally from the city of Tetouan, northern Morocco, were the victims of a racist attack by a Romanian woman inside a metro train in Barcelona.

The Romanian woman, believed to be in her 40s, reportedly insulted the three Moroccan young women by calling them “whores”.

According to the testimony of Houda Bourrouhou, a student of political science and public management, the Romanian woman said “You, the veiled, do not look at me!

As she was getting ready to get off the tube, she allegedly threw a bottle of water on one of the students before punching another. Meanwhile, one of the two men accompanying the aggressor also hit one of the girls in the shoulder as well as the neck.

The victims said that none of the passengers in the subway intervened although some of them recorded everything that happened with their mobile phones.

Police are said to have launched an investigation into the matter. The three victims are believed to have received medical care.

(Source / 12.04.2015)