At the conference ‘ISIS in Europe’ a panel of scholars and security experts tackled the interlinked issues of jihadi radicalization and terrorism in Europe from both a sociological and security perspective. The conference attempted to examine the reasons why Europeans engage in violence inspired by a jihadist narrative, whether at home or abroad, and how state security agencies can better cooperate and coordinate their actions to counter the recruitment of these Europeans into groups such as ISIS.
Hindus in the West: American Hinduism expanding while European Hindu events give religion a public voice
In the U.S. Hinduism has steadily expanded and diversified in the U.S., while in Europe Hindu rituals are taking on a more public expression, according to two recent studies presented at a Washington conference attended by Religioscope.
Europe: followers of the Sikh religion complain of rising discrimination
Around 200 Sikhs from across Europe have met a British member of the European Parliament to discuss problems faced by their community in Europe. The group met Neena Gill here last week and aired their grievances about growing racial discrimination and harassment linked with their appearance and identity in different European countries.
© 2007 IANS India Private Limited, New Delhi. Posted on Religioscope with permission. — Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) is India’s first multinational and multilingual wire service. Website: www.ians.in. Subscription enquiries: contact IANS (mention Religioscope).
Analysis: new religious movements in Western Europe
“In Western Europe public opinion became aware of the presence of new religious movements in the 1970s. two questions started being asked: Are these movements real religions? and: Are they dangerous to individuals and society? These questions are far from simple, and answering them requires reconsidering some crucial notions that are at the foundation of the relationship between law and religion in Western Europe.” – Analysis by Silvio Ferrari, Professor of Church and State Relations at the University of Milano.
Europe: Churches call for a European peace agency
The role of political institutions and churches on issues of peace, security and reconciliation was the main question addressed by 40 church representatives from 18 European countries attending the plenary meeting of the Church and Society Commission of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) in Sigtuna, Sweden, earlier this month.
© 2006 Ekklesia. Posted on Religioscope with permission. An initiative of the Anvil Trust, Ekklesia is a not-for-profit think-tank which works to promote theological ideas in the public square. Website: www.ekklesia.co.uk
Religion in Europe: EU searches for correct terms on Islam
It may be just words, but European Union policymakers struggling to build better ties with Muslim nations have set themselves a new task – hammering out guidelines to ban the use of terms considered derogatory to Islam. The focus is on stopping the bloc’s officials and documents from using words that are considered offensive to Muslims or give the impression that Europe’s drive against terrorism is specifically aimed at Muslims.
© 2006 IANS India Private Limited, New Delhi. Posted on Religioscope with permission. — Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) is India’s first multinational and multilingual wire service. Website: www.ians.in. Subscription enquiries: contact IANS (mention Religioscope).
Religion: analyst describes Europe’s blasphemy laws – Interview with David Nash
Fresh protests have broken out in parts of the Muslim world about cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad that have appeared in European newspapers. The controversy has raised questions about what limits, if any, can be put on freedom of speech when it comes to religion. – Interview with David Nash, author of the upcoming book Blasphemy In The West and a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom.
© 2006 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Website: http://www.rferl.org/
Europe: promoting Muslim integration
The integration of young Muslims into European society, to prevent both marginalisation and extremism, is a challenge facing all EU governments. Luckily, Islamic organisations across the continent are already giving a helping hand.
Julia Hieber is a DPhil candidate at the Oxford University Centre for the Environment researching on ‘Muslim Youth, Islamic Organisations and their Networks in European cities’ with a case study in Munich, Germany. She has a BA (Oxford) in Geography, an MPhil in International Studies from Cambridge and a DEA in International Relations from Sciences-Po Paris. Using her experiences in the interlink between academia, public authorities, international organisations and civil society, she currently assists foundations and associations in promoting projects towards greater coexistence within Europe’s societal multiplicity.
© 2005 Julia Hieber. – This article was originally published in café babel on the 11th of Nov. 2005. Republished with permission of the author.
Europe: more priests in the East, fewer in the West
According to the latest statistics, the number of ordinands in the seminaries of Eastern Europe has increased. In the countries of Western Europe, however, the number of those applying to go to seminary has substantially decreased.