Migrants must renounce veil if they want to live in France, says minister

Immigrants should sign a "no burka" contract before being allowed to live in France, the country's families minister has said.

It would be added to an "integration agreement" that all newcomers already have to commit to, which also bans forced marriages and polygamy.

Nadine Morano said: "Equality between men and women is a fundamental principle of French society. "This applies to polygamy, forced marriages, female mutilation and the full-face veil."

Her proposal came at a government conference yesterday following a three-month debate on national identity. Last month a government committee said women who wear the garment should be barred from using public transport and outlawed from public buildings like schools and hospitals.

Ms Morano has the backing of many prominent MPs in her call to have immigrants who wear burkas banned from staying in France.

French interior minister Brice Hortefeux said in December that both women who wear veils and their husbands should be "systematically refused" French residents' permits. And President Nicolas Sarkozy has branded face veils "a sign of debasement" and said they were not welcome in France.

Daily Mail, 9 February 2010

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Source: Islamophobia Watch

Cartoonist Targeted... Again

CNN and BBC News report that a man was shot by police as he tried to enter the home of the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard on Friday.  The man seemed intent on harm, as he allegedly carried with him an axe and a knife.  Police shot the intruder, who was then hospitalized in stable condition.  Mr. Westergaard was home at the time of the incident; he and his young granddaughter were unharmed.

Numerous death threats and complaints have been aimed at this Danish artist, who published a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad back in 2005.  Mr. Westergaard says that he drew a bomb in the Prophet Muhammad's turban to show "that some people exploited the prophet to legitimize terror."  That is certainly a valid and true criticism.

However, the cartoon was interpreted by others as calling the Prophet Muhammad a terrorist.  Muslims began complaining.  Some right-wing newspapers fanned the flames by re-printing the cartoon as a matter of "free speech."

Muslim protestors played into their hands by hosting angry rallies and making death threats.  Such behavior is out of line with Islamic teaching, as this latest attempted attack is also.  The Prophet Muhammad himself dealt with much greater insults and injuries during his lifetime.  Through it all, he never lost his temper or dealt harshly with his critics.

Last year, Mr. Ibrahim Cooper of CAIR asked the question, "What Would Muhammad Do?"  Muslims allow ourselves, as he said, "to be locked into a downward spiral of mutual mistrust and hostility based on self-perpetuating stereotypes."  Rather than continue this path of negativity and self-fulfilling prophecy, we should stop, reflect, and condemn this attempted attack.  Let's begin following the example of the Prophet whom we hold so dear.

Cartoonist Targeted... Again originally appeared on About.com Islam on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 05:08:46.

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Source: Islam About Dot Com

Getting married to someone less religious

:sl:

Im asking some advice for a friend who is marrying a man that she was arranged with years ago. His family is muslim and one of his sisters is covered so they are not completely in the dark but he isnt very pious as in he doesnt pray 5 times a day. However, her marriage to him is inevitable (two weeks away). What can she do to make it better? Is there ways for her to encourage him to be more religious without seeming bossy or rude?

Please any advice would be welcomed but please no advice on her leaving him because for sure there is no chance of her being able to break it off for many reasons I wont name.

Also, she would like to know if her husband not being pious enough is going to hurt her in the eyes of God even if she herself is pious.

Source: Islamic Board

Michael Gove opposes mosque at centre of 'inflammatory' campaign

A Conservative frontbench spokesman, Michael Gove, has opposed plans to build a mosque in his constituency after it became the target of an "inflammatory and offensive" online campaign.

The shadow schools secretary, who warned that the west was facing a "total war" from Islamists in his book Celsius 7/7, had initially refused to take sides in the dispute over proposals to build a mosque next to Sandhurst barracks in Camberley, Surrey. But this week he said he had been convinced that the strength of feeling was threatening the area's "good community relations" and called on local Muslims to withdraw the application.

"The issue has become a flashpoint and people from inside and outside the community were making statements that I did not think would further community relations," he said. "It struck me that it was best to ask the Bengali Welfare Association to withdraw the application and to consider how to improve the facilities for worship for the Muslim community in a calmer environment."

A Facebook group set up to oppose the mosque has 6,834 "fans" and was criticised by one local organisation opposing the mosque as "inflammatory and offensive". The Facebook group is supported by the far-right English Defence League.

The local Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, Alan Hiliar, said Gove had "lost all respect" over the issue. "I reject Michael Gove's decision to ask the community to withdraw their application on the ground that it's 'divisive'. To ask the Muslim community to withdraw the application is simply kicking the issue into the long grass; it resolves nothing."

Guardian, 13 February 2010

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Source: Islamophobia Watch

Valentine's Day

"I find the idea of having a special day to celebrate love is ridiculous since we should love every day of our lives. I would rather celebrate our anniversary with my husband if I want to specify a special day for love."  - Haifa Salim, a Saudi woman commenting on Valentine's Day, Arab News

Muslims celebrate two major holidays each year, both connected in some way to Islamic faith and worship. Generally, Muslims do not participate in other celebrations, particularly those with pagan roots. You may be surprised to learn that Valentine's Day (which is named after a Christian saint) has its origins in a February 14th pagan Roman celebration, honoring love and fertility. About.com's Austin Cline explains.

Valentine's Day originally appeared on About.com Islam on Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 15:00:49.

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Source: Islam About Dot Com

Halal burgers are discrimination - France

Salaam.



This is outrageous. :raging::raging::raging::raging::raging::raging::r aging:



A French council has lodged a complaint against a fast food chain that serves only meat that conforms with Islamic dietary laws at a local branch.





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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8524056.stm

Source: Islamic Board

Siddique released after terror conviction quashed

A man branded a "wannabe suicide bomber" by prosecutors will not face a retrial on terrorism charges.
The Crown Office has said it does not wish to seek a fresh prosecution. Siddique has now been released.

BBC Scotland news story

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Source: Islamophobia Watch

Hijab May Trigger Airport Security Checks

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to clarify whether Islamic head scarves, or hijab, will now automatically trigger additional security measures for Muslim travelers.

CAIR made that request after a Muslim woman traveler taking a flight Tuesday from Washington, DC to Los Angeles reported that TSA personnel first requested that she take off her hijab, then put her through a "humiliating" public full-body pat-down search when she refused. After the pat-down, the Muslim traveler's luggage, coat, shoes, laptop, and cell phone were searched and tested for bomb-making chemicals.

When the traveler, a resident of Maryland, questioned TSA staff about the way she was being treated, she was allegedly told that a new policy went into effect that morning mandating that "anyone wearing a head scarf must go through this type of search."

In a letter to TSA, Mr. Nihad Awad (National Executive Director of CAIR) wrote in part:

First, I would like to commend you on your efforts to maintain the safety of the travelling public. I would also like to offer the American Muslim community's cooperation and support in preserving that safety and security...

If this troubling new policy is indeed in effect, it represents religious profiling in its most egregious form. We respectfully request that you clarify whether Islamic head scarves will now trigger automatic secondary screening for Muslim travelers. If so, does this new policy apply to all those who wear religious head coverings, such as Sikh men, Catholic nuns and orthodox Jewish women, or will it apply exclusively to Muslim travelers? If the issue is concealment of potentially dangerous items, the clothing worn by travelers of all faiths, such as skirts, loose pants and sweatshirts, has more areas to hide items than hijab.

Awad noted that previous TSA policy placed hijab in the category of "bulky clothing" that would not automatically lead to additional screening. Under previous policy, even if that screening were to take place, it would be carried out in a "private screening location."

Hijab May Trigger Airport Security Checks originally appeared on About.com Islam on Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 04:41:31.

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Source: Islam About Dot Com