After six nights of anti-Muslim and anti-migrant rioting, with looting, assaults on police and hotels set on fire, imams and Muslim community leaders are working with police to increase security at mosques across Britain.

Far-right groups launched the violent protests after falsely alleging that a foreign-born Muslim was behind the July 29 knife attack that killed three young girls and injured eight other children and two adults in a north English town. Authorities have since identified the suspect as 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff, reportedly to Rwandan Christian parents.

The riots have exposed divisions across the country over immigration and renewed concerns about the ability of far-right groups on social media to stoke unrest through misinformation.

In a now-deleted post on X, the killer was falsely identified as an asylum seeker named “Ali al-Shakati” said to be known to security services and to mental health agencies. These false claims were then amplified by other X accounts claiming to be “news outlets.” One of the accounts promoting this material, “End Wokeness,” has 2.8 million followers.

Over the weekend, the Home Office, the cabinet department responsible for domestic security, announced that mosques will be offered emergency protection if they are at risk, by way of a rapid security force that would aid local police.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to take legal action against the rioters. Over the past week, police arrested more than 375 people for what Starmer has called “far-right thuggery.”

“Whatever the apparent motivation, this is not protest, it is pure violence and we will not tolerate attacks on mosques or our Muslim communities,” he said Monday (Aug. 5) in a televised address after an emergency meeting with police and government ministers.

Hundreds more have participated in the violent protests, and police are still reviewing CCTV footage to identify suspects. Some of the first rioters to be charged appeared in court on Monday.

Meanwhile, British Muslims are increasingly concerned for their safety, with some staying home more for fear of being attacked. Muslim women in particular, often easily identified through their clothing, are particularly distressed about leaving home, said Abubakr Nanabawa, the national coordinator for The Muslim Vote, an organization that encourages Muslims to become involved in politics and vote.

In some areas affected by rioting, including the northern towns of Blackburn, Bolton and Liverpool, groups of young Muslim men have come out onto the streets, acting as street patrols, Nanabawa told Religion News Service.

“Community leaders have given them clear instructions to let the police do their job,” he said. “But we can show we are part of the community and won’t be pushed around.”

Research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit that works against disinformation, polarization and extremism, found that the lack of information immediately following the knife attack helped false allegations online go viral.

“False claims surrounding the attack quickly garnered millions of views online, galvanised by anti-Muslim and anti-migrant activists and promoted by platforms’ recommender systems,” the institute reported. “Far-right networks — a mix of formal groups and a broader ecosystem of individual actors — used this spike in activity to mobilise online, organizing anti-Muslim protests outside the local mosque.”

Milo Comerford, the institute’s director of Policy and Research for Counter-Extremism, said the ability to seize on polarization allows activists to blame vulnerable groups, especially migrants and Muslims.

“It doesn’t have to have any basis of truth,” he said. “It really is just about this sort of preexisting campaign, and a preexisting disposition towards assuming that all problems that are facing the U.K. have to do with specific groups.”

Among the media platforms that have been used to foment discord are X, TikTok and groups on the messaging app Telegram. Some local Facebook groups take information from influencers and then pass it on to their neighborhoods.

Many of those involved in spreading false claims online that the knife attacker is a Muslim have long opposed migrants arriving to the U.K. and claim that they are largely responsible for economic ills. Those making false claims also often exhibit a particular dislike of Muslims as the Muslim population has grown over the past decade.

One of the far-right voices stoking the riots is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the alias Tommy Robinson. Yaxley-Lennon is the founder of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam group considered part of Europe’s “counter-jihad” movement. Though he lives miles away in Cyprus, where he has denied claims that he is fleeing a contempt of court case against him in the U.K., he has encouraged his nearly 900,000 followers on X to protest following the knife attack.

“Innocent British people are under violent attack across our nation & the police are nowhere to be seen,” Robinson said on X on Monday. “Kier starmer has caused this. Whilst he promises protection for mosques those who attend the mosques violently attack any non Muslims.”

Another well-known influencer, the actor Laurence Fox, who has more than half a million followers on X, said on the platform the time has come “to permanently remove Islam from Britain. Completely and entirely.”

In a later post viewed 4.4 million times, Fox denounced Starmer, calling him a “traitor” and declaring “war.”

Many Muslims have expressed surprise by the suddenness and ferocity of the attacks on their communities and other ethnic minorities. But according to Azhar Qayum, chief executive of Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND), which aims to combat Islamophobia, “there is no surprise that these communities have been targeted now, because we have just come out of an election campaign which was marred by racist and Islamophobic messaging, by the far-right Reform Party but also by both mainstream Conservative and Labour Parties.

“There are serious issues with unregulated content on social media. However, we have to ask where that content comes from and what enables and mainstreams extremist views. This occurs when politicians and media pander to this demographic for votes.”

Qayum said many Muslims are experiencing “real fear,” and some of their homes have been broken into during the riots.

But there have been some signs of hope. In Liverpool, about 50 demonstrators protesting about Islam gathered outside the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, the oldest mosque in Britain. They were met by hundreds of counter-demonstrators. Some mosque worshippers attempted to talk to the protesters and offered them food, with some visiting the mosque.

“We shook hands with people, we hugged people, we gave out food to people,” Imam Adam Kelwick told Metro, a U.K. news outlet. “We also exchanged numbers in a promise to arrange an event in the mosque to have further discussions.”

According to Kelwick, the demonstrators are people who are struggling with their health and the costs of living and fear stories about “Muslims taking over.”

Source: Religion News Service (RNS)

The announcement follows President Emmanuel Macron’s 2020 decision to end the presence of around 300 imams sent by countries such as Algeria, Turkey, and Morocco, and promote the training of imams within France. Macron said the move was designed to combat “foreign influences” on Islam in France, including “Islamist separatism”.

In a letter sent to concerned countries, Darmamin emphasized that after April 1, 2024, imams already in France under this status will no longer be able to maintain their presence.

Existing imams will be required to transition to a different status, and a unique framework will be established from April 1, 2024, allowing religious associations to independently recruit and directly employ imams.

The letter said that the objective is to have these imams receive at least partial training within France.

BFMTV reported that the decision does not impact the presence of foreign imams during Ramadan.

The measure aims to ensure that no imam is paid by a foreign state, of which he is a civil servant or public official.

The announcement by Darmamin has sparked controversy and criticism. Critics argued that the decision to halt the appointment of foreign imams perpetuates a perception of Islamophobia, especially in light of France’s history of controversial policies, such as the ban on wearing hijab in public spaces.

The country has faced scrutiny in recent years for its restrictive measures targeting aspects of Islamic practice.

Source: Morocco World News

German authorities have sought for many years to increase the number of imams educated domestically to decrease the influence of foreign countries on its Muslim communities.

As part of the joint German-Turkish training initiative, 100 imams are to be educated in Germany annually starting next year, while the number of imams assigned from Turkey is to be gradually reduced by the same number.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the agreement “an important milestone for the integration and participation of Muslim communities in Germany.”

“We need preachers who speak our language, know our country and stand up for our values,” Faeser said. “We want imams to get involved in the dialogue between religions and discuss questions of faith in our society.”

About 5.5 million of Germany’s 83.2 million residents are Muslim, and almost 3 million people in the country are Turkish or have Turkish roots.

For many decades, the Turkish government has exercised influence on the large immigrant community through the Muslim religious leaders it sent to work in Germany.

Relations between Germany’s majority Christian population and the Muslim minority traditionally have been complicated. Extremist attacks committed in the name of the Islamic State group resulted in raids and bans of Muslim associations deemed radical.

Racism, hatred and sometimes violence against Muslims in Germany are widespread and often part of their everyday experience, according to a recent report.

The agreement on the new imam training came together after “lengthy negotiations” with Turkey’s Diyanet, or Presidency of Religious Affairs, and the union of Turkish-Islamic cultural organizations in Germany, known by its Turkish acronym DITIB, the German Interior Ministry said.

With around 900 mosque communities, DITIB is the largest Islamic association in Germany.

The agreement with Turkey calls for DITIB to be in charge of training the 100 imams in Germany each year, but the aim is to have the men supplement their religious educations with classes at the Islamic College Germany.

The Islamic College Germany, or Islamkolleg Deutschland, is based in Osnabrueck in northern Germany. It was founded by Muslim community associations, theologians and academics in 2019 to provide practical and theological training for German-speaking religious staff and imams for local communities.

The German government also wants to promote courses for future imams that include German language teaching and religious education, as well as classes about history, political issues and German values, German news agency dpa reported.

Turkish immigrants started coming in significant numbers more than 60 years ago, when West Germany recruited “guest workers” from Turkey and elsewhere to help the country advance economically.

The mostly young men were often employed in coal mining, steel production and the auto industry. Many who initially came as temporary workers decided to stay and bring their families, giving Berlin and other cities in western and southwestern Germany large immigrant communities.

Source: The Associated Press

By George Warner

Publisher: ‎ I.B. Tauris

Publication Date: June 29, 2023

ISBN: 9780755645572

Ibn Babawayh – also known as al-Shaykh al-Saduq – was a prominent Twelver Shi’i scholar of hadith. Writing within the first century after the vanishing of the twelfth imam, al-Saduq represents a pivotal moment in Twelver hadith literature, as this Shi’i community adjusted to a world without a visible imam and guide, a world wherein the imams could only be accessed through the text of their remembered words and deeds. George Warner’s study of al-Saduq’s work examines the formation of Shi’i hadith literature in light of these unique dynamics, as well as giving a portrait of an important but little-studied early Twelver thinker. Though almost all of al-Saduq’s writings are collections of hadith, Warner’s approach pays careful attention to how these texts are selected and presented to explore what they can reveal about their compiler, offering insight into al-Saduq’s ideas and suggesting new possibilities for the wider study of hadith.

About the Author

George Warner is Research Associate in the study of West Asian Religions at the Center for Religious Studies at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, Germany. Previously he was a Senior Teaching Fellow at the Department of History, Religions and Philosophies at SOAS, U.K.

Source: Bloomsbury.com

Similar ideas of training imams to have European values have already been floated in Germany and France amid fears of foreign influence. However, there are questions about how such a model would work in practice as religious authorities could be reluctant about being trained by secular governments.

Michel’s proposal was immediately met with skepticism.

The proposal comes ahead of a videoconference on Tuesday between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as well as Michel and Kurz, who plan to discuss European answers to the threat of terrorism. The European Council president also demanded that the EU crack down on foreign funding for religious organizations “that mobilize to stir up hatred.” In addition, EU legislative proposals expected next month should contribute to removing radical messages on the internet, Michel said.

Source: The Politico

The Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All is the outcome of an 18-month inquiry established by campaigning group Citizens UK and chaired by the former attorney general Dominic Grieve. Its chief task was to examine how the participation of Muslims in public and community life might be improved.

It describes engagement between the government and Muslim communities as “a broken relationship that needs to be resolved, and both parties need to be proactive in addressing this”.

The 76-page report, published on Monday, says “British Muslim experiences are more diverse than is often assumed”.

Among its recommendations is a call for mosques to review their management structures and appointment of imams. “The management committees of a number of the UK’s mosques need to better understand, and respond to, modern British life,” it says.

“It is of great importance that British-born imams, who have a good understanding of British culture and who fluently speak English, are encouraged and appointed in preference to overseas alternatives.”

The appointment of imams and others in teaching roles should be a transparent process and comply with legal requirements. Mosques should “invest in British-born imams who are to be paid a decent living wage, funded by Muslim institutions in the UK, and equipped with pastoral skills so they are able to deal with the challenges facing British Muslims”.

It suggests that universities could pair with seminaries to accredit educational schemes for imams.

Source: The Guardian

Germany’s Deputy Finance Minister Jens Spahn called last month for an “Islam law” that would make imams’ sermons “transparent,” saying that the authorities “had to know what happens in mosques.” He argued that imams should preach in German and that “imported imams lead to social disintegration.” Spahn, who also proposed an official registry for mosques, is a member of the executive committee of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democratic Union party. Other senior Merkel allies like Julia Kloeckner have joined the push for an Islam law, though a Merkel spokesman said this month that such a law is “not now” on the agenda.

In Italy, Islam isn’t officially recognized as a religion, even though it has an estimated 1.6 million adherents in the country. (The Italian Constitution requires non-Catholic faith groups to sign an accord or “intesa”  in order to be formally recognized, after which the groups gain the right  to take days off for holidays, to have their religious marriages acknowledged by the state, and so on.) However, in February, the Interior Ministry agreed to “facilitate the path” toward official recognition in an unprecedented arrangement titled the “National Pact for an Italian Islam.” But the government wanted something in exchange: Muslim organizations had to agree to a registry of their imams, and to a requirement that the imams sermonize in Italian. Interior Minister Marco Minniti described the document as a safeguard “against any form of violence and terrorism.” …

Considering that fundamentalist recruiters don’t need to speak in Arabic to be extremely successful at what they do, it’s not clear how clamping down on Arabic-language sermons would represent a viable counterterrorism strategy. After all, Anwar al-Awlaki, the al-Qaeda propagandist and cleric, gave many recorded sermons in English. In the U.K., prominent preachers like Anjem Choudary, Abu Hamza al-Masri, and Omar Bakri Muhammad likewise delivered their messages in English before they were convicted for supporting terrorism.

Source: The Atlantic

The program is being run with the University of Bologna, whose course director said all religions that have not been officially recognized by the Italian state – including Islam – were welcome to join. Professor Giovanni Cimbalo told La Repubblica: “The aim is to foster a dialogue between religions and cultures, contributing to the construction of a peaceful and non-violent society.”

He said the course would respect the diverse denominations within Islam, as well as across Christianity and other religions. Attendees will be taught about the Italian constitution, including freedom of religion and speech, as well as the “rights and duties inherent in our democratic societies”.

More practical instruction will focus on the process of setting up new places of worship, following protests over the closure of makeshift mosques last year.

Despite having an estimated 1.6 million followers in Italy, Islam is not an officially recognized religion and the country has only a handful of registered mosques. With few official places of worship, many Muslims pray in houses and some 800 cultural centers and prayer rooms in the country, but right wing parties have claimed this makes religious sites hard to monitor and increases the risk of radicalization.

The new courses, to be taught at six universities including Pisa and Florence, are part of a €92,000 (£80,000) interior ministry program to improve integration and prevent extremism. It comes amid heightened security in Italy, which has come under the spotlight following revelations the Berlin Christmas market attacker was radicalized in its prisons.

Source: The Independent