London: Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), umbrella organization of British Muslims that represents 500 mosques across the UK, has strongly criticized the new government initiative to pass a law which would allow gay marriages to take place in religious establishments. According to the law however it is illegal for the Church of England and the…
Berlin: After controversial debates about religious motivated circumcision, the German Federal Parliament approved circumcision in the second week of January. The enabling legislation said, the circumcision must be executed by trained persons and must fulfill health and medical regulations. A prior draft attempted to legalize the circumcision of boys with the minimum age of 14.…
Barcelona: Spain has 1,200 officially registered mosques. The Catalonia region has the maximum number among all regions. According to the Observatory of Religious Pluralism in Spain, under the Ministry of Justice, the Principality has 242 mosques in comparison with other communities like Andalucia (180) or Madrid (106). Of the 242 Muslim places of worship in…
Los Angeles: California Muslims made political history when 28 Muslim candidates were elected by Democrats as delegates and alternate delegates to the California Democratic Party (CDP). This constitutes the largest number of Muslims ever elected as delegates in California. The CDP held statewide elections for delegates to represent each of the state’s 80 assembly districts.…
The Austrian Turkish community has accused the popular line of construction toys, Lego, of racism after the release of a new Star Wars model that resembles the historic Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul. “What Lego is recommending parents to buy as a Christmas gift? The answer is pure racism”, the Turkish Cultural Community of Austria…
Chicago: US Muslims have launched an advertising and social media campaign in the hope of reclaiming the word ‘Jihad’ from extremists, who insist on equating the spiritual quest with terrorism. The campaign features Muslims describing their personal struggles, the meaning of Jihad, on bus ads, Twitter, Facebook and a dedicated website: myjihad.org. “My Jihad is…
Amsterdam: Dutch news-paper Parool last month, covered designs for Amsterdam apartments by the Eigen Hard housing corporation which accommodate the needs of some Muslim families. The apartments feature cupboards for shoe storage, additional water taps for ritual cleansing, and dividing doors around the kitchen. The paper described the apartments as ‘halal homes’, but the housing company stressed…
Hamburg: The State of Hamburg, Muslim associations and the Alawite community have signed a treaty. They agree to implement and recognize religious-related holidays, including school holidays, religious education and burial rituals for Muslims. The State of Hamburg has recognized three official holidays: Eid ad-Adha, Ramadan and Ashura. Muslim teachers will be allowed to teach religious education,…
Austria, Spain and Saudis come together to Fund the Centre Vienna: United Nations chief, Ban Ki-Moon opened the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz International Centre for Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) here on November 27. The Centre is sponsored jointly by Saudi Arabia, Austria and Spain with the Vatican acting as “founding observer”. The sponsors…
London: Malaysia and Brunei have jointly launched Brunei-Malaysia Islamic Tour Packages here in November 2012. Director of Islamic Tourism Centre, Malaysia, Abdul Rahman Shaari said the tours are specially tailored for those who are interested in the Islamic way of life in South East Asia and would like to ‘discover a new cultural experience’. The package…
