C L O S E R

On Building a Multireligious Society / Muslims in the West — Does France have the answer?

Posted on February 9th, 2007 by .
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

On Building a Multireligious Society / Muslims in the West — Does France have the answer?
John R. Bowen teaches at Washington University in Saint Louis and is the author of “Why the French Don’t Like Headscarves” (Princeton University Press, September, 2006). In the San Francisco Chronicle John Bowen argues that France, despite it’s laïcité, despite the riots of 2005, is in fact the most promising model for integration and participation of Muslims in Europe. (more…)

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With Us or Against Us: The Rhetoric of the War on Terror at Yahya Birt

Posted on February 9th, 2007 by .
Categories: Important Publications, Internal Debates, International Terrorism, Religious and Political Radicalization, Research International, Young Muslims.

With Us or Against Us: The Rhetoric of the War on Terror at Yahya Birt
With Us or Against Us: The Rhetoric of the War on Terror

This essay offers an analysis of this rhetoric to see what it seeks to persuade Muslims to do, what its unspoken premises are and which categories it uses to mobilise Muslim sentiment. Five years on after 9/11 and with the descent of Iraq into bloody civil war, it is essential that Muslims develop a critical distance from this rhetoric, not only because it can be internalised and have negative consequences for Muslims and how they evaluate themselves and their faith, but also because the rhetoric does much to justify an aggressive militarism that feeds the very terrorism it purports to be ending.

In his essay Birt deconstructs the war on terror discourse in a very sophisticated way. He engages with several issues such as the dichotomy between the west and islam, the so called ‘Muslim anger’ caused by socio-economic disparities and the modern way of life, the weakness of many of the critiques towards the us vs. them advocates, the distinction between good Muslims and bad Muslims and the lack of imagination how to end the war on terror. Well this summary doesn’t really do justice to the essay, so read it yourself.

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Islam and fashion research

Posted on February 9th, 2007 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Norface subsidy for research on Islam and fashion – News and Agenda – Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA)
Norface subsidy for research on Islam and fashion

In a European competition Norface, a network funded by the Sixth Framework Programme of the EU, has awarded Prof. Annelies Moors, professor at the UvA (ISIM/ASSR) of Social scientific research of contemporary muslim societies, a subsidy of 500,000 euros. Prof. Moors receives the subsidy for international research on Islam and fashion as part of a larger programme on the (renewed) rise in Europe of religion as a social force.

The research focuses on the rise and dispersal of ‘Islamic fashion’ in Europe and the importance of both transnational and local contexts for this development. Core questions in this respect are: how do consumers and products deal with possible tensions between religion and fashion, beliefs and consumption, and ethical standards and aesthetic shapes, and what is the role of the new youth culture for the presence of religion in public space? The research will be carried out from 2007 till 2009 in collaboration with four European partners.

2 comments.

VOA News – Muslim Scholars Give Hirsi Ali a Mixed Reception

Posted on February 9th, 2007 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Internal Debates, Multiculti Issues.

On VOA News: Muslim Scholars Give Hirsi Ali a Mixed Reception
The article is interesting, not for the critique on Hirsi Ali but the differences of opinion among Muslims (which is actually the same is criticizing Hirsi Ali). But if the Muslims in this article are considered to be scholars…well then almost everyone is a scholar. Is this lack of knowledge on the part of the journalist, laziness or something else?
(more…)

2 comments.

Protected: Nieuws-update

Posted on February 8th, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Gay Muslims in the UK

Posted on February 8th, 2007 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Young Muslims.

With the Faith and Homophobia conference to be held on February 17th 2007 in London, Gay.com UK takes a look at a growing trend of LGBT religious and spirituality groups. Hassan Mirza has written a profile about gay Muslims.

And there’s even more to say about the Gay Muslims, who to the casual observer may seem particularly self-hating – in light of violence-preaching Imams (some fanatic ones who preach the death of gays) displayed in popular British media.

While some Muslim leaders are quick to condemn homosexuality, this group has admirably stood defiant and stayed together, and deserve respect for managing to embrace a religion which publicly rejects them.

The Gay and Lesbian Muslims, however, have acquired a somewhat precarious reputation among the gay community – most notably baffling gay parade-goers in 2005 when they appeared on a London Pride float, hiding their identities.

See also other ‘gay Muslim’ websites such as Eye on Gay Muslims, Imaan UK and the Safra Project (muslim women) and read this interesting article on Progressive Muslim about Gay Rabbis and  Gay marriage.

5 comments.

Independent Online Edition > The Jewish school where half the pupils are Muslim

Posted on February 4th, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Independent Online Edition:  The Jewish school where half the pupils are Muslim

The Muslim parents, mostly devout and many of the women wearing the hijab, say they love the ethos of the school, and even the kosher school lunches, which are suitable because halal and kosher dietary rules are virtually identical. The school is also respectful to Islam, setting aside a prayer room for the children and supplying Muslim teachers during Ramadan. At Eid, the Muslim children are wished Eid Mubarak in assembly, and all year round, if they wish, can wear a kufi (hat). Amazingly, dozens of the Muslim children choose instead to wear the Jewish kipah.

At the prize morning Carol Cooper, the RE teacher, says: “Boker tov,” (Ivrit for “Good morning”).

“Good morning Mrs Cooper,” the children chant in reply. The entire school, Muslims, Jews, plus the handful of Christians and Sikhs then say the Shema, the holiest Jewish prayer, all together.

Times being as they are, King David doesn’t advertise its presence in a city where its pioneering multiculturalism could raise all kinds of unwelcome attention. There’s a discreet signboard outside that reveals little about the school’s unique nature. There are watchful video cameras high up on the walls, plus two electronic gates to pass through. Sadly, it is, to a significant extent, says Laurence Sharman, the (Christian) chairman of the PTA, “an undercover school”.

The Muslim parents, however, are only too keen to talk in the playground about what might be seen by some in their communities as a controversial schooling decision.

“We actually bought a flat in the catchment area for the children to come here,” says Nahid Shafiq, the mother of Zainah, four, and Hamza, nine, and wife of Mohammed, a taxi driver. “We were attracted by the high moral values of the school, and that’s what we wanted our kids to have. None of us has any problem with it being a Jewish school. Why on earth should we? Our similarities as religions and cultures are far greater and more important than our differences. It’s not even an issue.

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Independent Online Edition > The Jewish school where half the pupils are Muslim

Posted on February 4th, 2007 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

Independent Online Edition:  The Jewish school where half the pupils are Muslim

The Muslim parents, mostly devout and many of the women wearing the hijab, say they love the ethos of the school, and even the kosher school lunches, which are suitable because halal and kosher dietary rules are virtually identical. The school is also respectful to Islam, setting aside a prayer room for the children and supplying Muslim teachers during Ramadan. At Eid, the Muslim children are wished Eid Mubarak in assembly, and all year round, if they wish, can wear a kufi (hat). Amazingly, dozens of the Muslim children choose instead to wear the Jewish kipah.

At the prize morning Carol Cooper, the RE teacher, says: “Boker tov,” (Ivrit for “Good morning”).

“Good morning Mrs Cooper,” the children chant in reply. The entire school, Muslims, Jews, plus the handful of Christians and Sikhs then say the Shema, the holiest Jewish prayer, all together.

Times being as they are, King David doesn’t advertise its presence in a city where its pioneering multiculturalism could raise all kinds of unwelcome attention. There’s a discreet signboard outside that reveals little about the school’s unique nature. There are watchful video cameras high up on the walls, plus two electronic gates to pass through. Sadly, it is, to a significant extent, says Laurence Sharman, the (Christian) chairman of the PTA, “an undercover school”.

The Muslim parents, however, are only too keen to talk in the playground about what might be seen by some in their communities as a controversial schooling decision.

“We actually bought a flat in the catchment area for the children to come here,” says Nahid Shafiq, the mother of Zainah, four, and Hamza, nine, and wife of Mohammed, a taxi driver. “We were attracted by the high moral values of the school, and that’s what we wanted our kids to have. None of us has any problem with it being a Jewish school. Why on earth should we? Our similarities as religions and cultures are far greater and more important than our differences. It’s not even an issue.

0 comments.

GeenCommentaar – Zainab Salbi: ‘Vrouwenlichaam is deel van het slagveld’

Posted on February 4th, 2007 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Important Publications, International Terrorism.

Op GeenCommentaar: Zainab Salbi: ‘Vrouwenlichaam is deel van het slagveld’
Door Esther van london-calling

Zainab Salbi was elf jaar oud toen haar vader in dienst trad als privépiloot van ex-dictator Saddam Hoessein. Van dichtbij maakte ze oorlog, intimidatie en angst – vooral de angst van haar ouders – mee. Tien jaar geleden richtte ze een organisatie op voor vrouwen die emotioneel en lichamelijk gewond zijn door oorlog, maar de buitengewone wilskracht hebben door te gaan. Over deze vrouwen schreef ze een boek.

Het hele stuk lees je daarginder maar.

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Tariq Ramadan Twice

Posted on February 4th, 2007 by .
Categories: Internal Debates, Multiculti Issues.

Two articles about Tariq Ramadan. One in Dutch (Volkskrant) by Caroline Fourest and one in English in the New York Times Magazine by Ian Buruma. You can read them both here:

(more…)

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Morocco to abolish capital punishment

Posted on February 4th, 2007 by .
Categories: Morocco.

Death penalty: Morocco to abolish capital punishment

[Hat Tip: Myrtus]
Paris, 1 Feb. (AKI) – Morocco will become by the end of April the first Arab state to remove the death penalty from its statute books, the president of the state appointed Consultative Committee on Human Rights, Ben Dhikri, confirmed to Adnkronos International (AKI) on Thursday. He is among 600 delegates gathered in the French capital, Paris for a two-day international conference against the death penalty. Prospects for abolishing capital punishment in North Africa are the main focus of the event – ‘The 3rd World Congress Against the Death Penalty’.

Dhikri said a “general consensus” in favour of ending capital punishment exists among MPs in the current Moroccan parliament whose term ends in April. Dhikri, who is a close advisor to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, praised the monarch’s appointment of a special legal commission tasked with removing capital punishment from the country’s penal code.

“The law has already been amended and capital punishment abolished for a number of crimes,” Dhikri explained. “The plan now is to revise Morocco’s constitution to remove the death penalty,” he said.

“No true opposition to abolishing capital punishment exists, but there is some concern about the growth of terrorism and new forms of the phenomenon,” Dhikri said. “The positive aspects of Islam need to be stressed. It does not order people to kill, carry out reprisals or state executions,” he added. (more…)

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Protected: nu.nl/algemeen | Remkes waarschuwt voor informele moslimhuwelijken

Posted on February 1st, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Protected: nu.nl/algemeen | Remkes waarschuwt voor informele moslimhuwelijken

Posted on February 1st, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Of je worst en pizza lust

Posted on February 1st, 2007 by .
Categories: Misc. News.

De Samenwerkende Moslim HulpOrganisaties (SMHO) is een samenwerkingsverband van een aantal Nederlandse moslimorganisaties die actief zijn op het gebied van projectondersteuning vooral in de landen van herkomst van de migranten. Begin januari, ten tijde van het Offerfeest, heeft men echter ook vlees opgehaald voor armen in Nederland. Dit wordt deze week uitgedeeld via de Van Harte Resto’s en via de Voedselbanken.

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Protected: Komt een moslim, nog een moslim en een cabaretier…

Posted on February 1st, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

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Suspected Terrorist at E-Bay

Posted on February 1st, 2007 by .
Categories: Joy Category, Uncategorized.

Suspected Terrorist to be bought at E-Bay:

Via Esc

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De eerste stappen van LMJO – Wij Blijven Hier!

Posted on February 1st, 2007 by .
Categories: Young Muslims.

De eerste stappen van LMJO – Wij Blijven Hier!

Op Wij Blijven Hier! een verslag van een bijeenkomst van de Landelijke Moslim Jongeren Organisatie. Een interessant initiatief dat hier zeker gevolgd zal worden.

Nederland is veel organisaties rijk met een islamitisch identiteit, zo veel, dat door de bomen het bos niet meer te zien is. Mohamed Azahaf c.s. zag in dat het doel van de organisaties overeenkomt. Desondanks werkten de organisaties nauwlijks samen en teveel langs elkaar heen. Dit moest anders en hiervoor richtte hij de LMJO (Landelijke Moslim Jongeren Organisatie) op.

LMJO

Hij riep de organisaties op om een weekend met elkaar door te brengen in een mooi hotel om daar verder invulling te geven aan LMJO.

Maar liefst 16 organisaties zijn aanwezig, van studentenverenigingen tot koepelorganisaties. De initatiefnemer heeft het idee om een grote organisatie op te zetten dat landelijk zal opereren met de mensen die nu een eigen organisatie hebben. Dit leek mij persoonlijk geen goed idee, deze opvatting werd gedeeld door de anderen.

Na een workshop en veel discussieren is duidelijk geworden dat er behoefte is aan een organisatie om de bestaande organisaties bij elkaar te houden m.a.w. een koepelorganisatie. Deze organisatie moet een platform worden voor de verenigingen om met elkaar in contact te blijven om zodoende te leren van elkaar, dit zal het ook mogelijk maken om sneller te reageren op impulsen uit de samenleving.

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Protected: AD.nl – Gratis besnijdenissen voor allochtone jongeren

Posted on February 1st, 2007 by martijn.
Categories: Gouda Issues, Islam in the Netherlands, Multiculti Issues.

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