Preface

• author: Scharbrodt, Oliver
• publishing date: 2017-12-01
• type: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
• publication status: published
• subject: Religious Studies
• host publication: Yearbook of Muslims in Europe
• series title: Yearbook of Muslims in Europe
• volume: 9
• external identifiers: scopus:85171779770
• ISSN: 1877-1432
• ISBN: 978-90-04-35313-8
• language: English
• LU publication?: no
• additional info: Funding Information: The situation is different in Turkish mosques funded and supported by the Belgian-based branch of the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs (Belçika Diyanet Vakfi). Turkish officials are present at mosque openings and, when officially recognised, these mosques prefer to employ imams sent by the Diyanet (who usually hold four-year tenures), instead of imams who receive their salaries from the Belgian authorities. Their theological training is not questioned, but their knowledge of Belgian languages and customs is. The Diyanet is currently trying to address this problem by providing imam training in Turkey to young Belgian and French Muslims of Turkish background. It has also been reported that Diyanet imams’ acted as informants for the Turkish authorities after the failed coup attempt in Turkey on 15 July 2016, allegedly gathering information on suspected supporters of the Gülen movement in Belgium.25 There were tensions around the Executive of Muslims in Belgium, with the Turkish government and the Diyanet expressing reservations26 as to its religious and ideological orientation, and even acting in court against its reorganisation.27 All this took place in a global context in which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was very critical of the Belgian authorities, especially on the Kurdish question.28 Demonstrations both in favour29 and against30 the Turkish president took place in 2016, but on a smaller scale than in 2015. Funding Information: classes. Also, the Muslim scouts group L’arche de Noé (Noah’s Ark)68 participated in a joint project with the Luxembourgish Scouts and Guides (E Projet vun LGS a FNEL) called “Scouts welcome refugees”.69 This project was sponsored by the OLAI (Office luxembourgeois de l’accueil et de l’intégration) and the Mateneen initiative, part of the National Emergency Charity of the Grand-Duchess Charlotte (Oeuvre nationale de secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte).70 Funding Information: Since 2011, four centres of Islamic Theology at six universities have been set up: Erlangen-Nuremberg (www.dirs.phil.fau.de/), Education Frankfurt (www.uni-frankfurt.de/42913326) with Giessen (www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb04/ institute/islamtheo), Münster/Osnabrück (www.uni-muenster.de/ZIT/, www.islamische-theologie.uni-osnabrueck.de), and Tübingen (www.uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/zentrum-fuer-islamische-theologie/zentrum.html). They have been established with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Moreover Islamic Theology can be studied in Paderborn (www.kw.uni-paderborn .de/sit/), Ludwigsburg (www.ph-ludwigsburg .de/6029+M52087573ab0.html), and Karlsruhe (www.ph-karlsruhe.de/institute/ph/institut-fuer-islamische-theologiereligionspaeda gogik/). At the Pädagogische Hochschule Weingarten, Alevi religious studies have been offered since 2011 (www.ph-weingarten.de/ alevitische_religion/). Funding Information: national Muslim Broadcasting Company, supported by the main Dutch mosque organisations. Funding Information: * Esztella Csiszár is a PhD candidate in International Relations at Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary. Her research interests include contemporary social and political dis-courses on Islam. Her dissertation focuses on the political identity of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This report was funded by a scholarship from the Bosnian Centre of Advanced Studies (CNS). Funding Information: Two locations fulfil the role of mosques in Chişinău. One belongs to the Islamic League of the Republic of Moldova,26 and the other serves as a place of prayer but is also used for educational activities for members of the NGO “The Gardens of Peace”. A group of Turkish citizens have created their own community centre in Chişinău. This group meets at the headquarters of the Fundația de susținere a Culturii și Tradițiilor Islamice în Republica Moldova (Foundation for the Support of Islamic Culture and Traditions in Moldova), an imposing building constructed with financial support from the Turkish government, and opened in 2015. Funding Information: Beginning in the late 1990s, Turkish Cypriots began to celebrate the Mevlid Kandili, or the anniversary of the Prophet’s birth, as the Week of the Holy Birth (Kutlu Doğum Haftası), or Mevlid-i Nebi. Although Mevlid Kandili was celebrated previously, under the influence of trends coming from Turkey, this one-day event became a week-long festival, with religious, educational and cultural activities, including conferences, seminars, concerts, and exhibitions. The DRA organised conferences and some philanthropic activities, such as blood donations.20 Mevlid Kandili was also celebrated by Sufi orders (tariqas). For example, the disciples of Shaykh Muhammad Nazım Adil Al-Haqqani Al-Qubrusi organised an event in Lefke on 13 December 2016.21 On 14–21 April 2016, North Cyprus celebrated the Week of the Holy Birth, with numerous events in different districts attended by government officials and the general public. The theme for the 2016 celebrations was “Monotheism and Unity: Let’s Be Together”.22 As in previous years, the month of Ramadan featured numerous events. As the result of cooperation between the organisation of the North Cyprus Red Crescent and the waqf Administration, and the financial support of the Turkish Embassy, iftar tents were erected in 16 districts. Organising officials announced that they intended to offer fast-breaking meals to 4,625 people per day.23 Apart from these institutions, the Civil Defence Organisation, several municipalities, sports associations, private companies, and Muslim civil society organisations organised iftar meals and gave gifts to children. For example, with the support of the Turkish Embassy Office of Development and Economic Cooperation (Kalkınma ve Ekonomik İşbirliği Ofisi), North Cyprus Red Crescent, and the waqfs Administration, ESKAD served iftar meals in various villages.24 In addition, on the occasion of Ramadan, and with the cooperation of the waqf Administration and the Social Services Department, food aid Funding Information: non-Luxembourgish) through their own initiative. They chose a Luxembourgish name for the school, which means “knowledge-castle”. The project leaders, who set up an association, were still in contact with the Ministry of Education in May so as to gradually complete the legal processes for the project to go ahead. The intended intake was to be pupils from pre-to primary school age. A specific website, now suspended, was created,19 and included a countdown, with a deadline of September 2016, the supposed start date for the school. The website also included a survey, asking questions about the educational system to find out if the project responded to a real interest in Luxembourgish society. This questionnaire was not addressed exclusively to Muslims, and the site owners received a lot of answers, both positive and negative, including Islamophobic and offensive responses. The comments seen in the media and on social networks were clearly not in favour of such a private, confessional school. The President of the school’s Association argued that the Qur’an would not be taught as this was not the role of the proposed institution; it was not a mosque.20 The curriculum was planned to be the same as in any other school in the country, and it would be open to everyone, independent of a pupil’s religion. The project was rejected due to public opinion, and was suspended during the summer, although it was supported from the beginning by the Shoura and by the Ministry of Education as a viable project on paper. Funding Information: As every year, the Moroccan King Hassan II Foundation sent several dozen imams and other clerics (68 in 201623) to Belgium during the Ramadan period in order to support permanent Belgian imams during this busy time.24 Moroccan organisations in Belgium have personal rather than institutional links with Morocco. The fact that Moroccan community organisations are divided into various, sometimes antagonistic, factions, means they have far less influence than their Turkish counterparts, which are, in contrast, very well-organised through the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı). The main umbrella organisation for Moroccan mosques in Belgium is the Rassemblement des Musulmans de Belgique (Union of Muslims in Belgium – RMB), which receives financial support from Morocco. Its president, Salah Echallaoui, became the president of the Muslim Executive in February 2016; he was later received by both the King of Morocco in Rabat and the King of the Belgians in Brussels. Although the Moroccan embassy supports Funding Information: on 22 January 2016. The director of the theatre, Maciej Nowak, said: “I do not want to live in a city in which streets are ruled by hatred and aggression. Make music not pain!”13 The issue of Muslim immigrants and Islam, which was prominent during the presidential and parliamentary elections campaigns in 2015, was still present in political discourse a year later. Beata Szydło, the Prime Minister (Law and Justice party) continued with her refusal of accepting 7,000 refugees, as part of the EU relocation programme.14 However, in June 2016, Caritas Poland, together with Polish bishops, launched an initiative of so-called “humanitarian corridors”.15 This involved bringing to Poland small groups of Syrian refugees who needed the most help, i.e. victims of persecution, torture and violence, as well as families with children, elderly people, sick people, and persons with disabilities. Their stay and treatment was supposed to be financed by the Roman Catholic Church, mostly through Caritas Poland. A humanitarian corridor was supposed to guarantee them legal entry into Polish territory with humanitarian visas. However, the Government refused to participate in this initiative, and failed to issue humanitarian visas for the refugees selected. The argument was that the authorities would not be able to guarantee the security of Polish society, as these refugees might represent a serious threat. The bishops involved in talks with the Government – such us bishop Krzysztof Zadarko, the chairman of the Migration, Tourism and Pilgrimages Council of the Episcopal Conference – in their official statements, expressed their understanding for those arguments and a hope that this initiative might be implemented in the future. However, in more private correspondence, they expressed the opinion that the Government’s response had left an impression that the humanitarian corridors would never be implemented in Poland.16 In the meantime, Caritas Poland started an initiative called “A family for a family”, which gives Polish citizens an opportunity to help a Funding Information: a framework agreement with the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) in Malaysia in order to promote training programmes on interreligious dialogue, and sustainable development in both Italy and Malaysia.73 In Malaysia and the Gulf region, OSSMEI is involved in halal market networks through its halal agency, Halal Italia.74 Three of the main Moroccan organisations in Italy keep links alive with Morocco. The Istituto culturale Islamico d’Italia (Islamic Cultural Institute of Italy), the only Islamic organisation that has been legally recognised by the Italian state,75 is led by Abdallah Redouane,76 who was directly nominated by Morocco. The Confederazione islamica italiana (CII – Italian Islamic Confederation), a network of Moroccan mosques, is funded by Morocco and is supported by the Moroccan Embassy in Italy. In 2016, Mustapha El Gharbi,77 a Moroccan reciter and imam, along with the European Council of Moroccan Ulema,78 were invited by the CII on two different occasions to a Turin mosque. The CII has relationships with other European Muslim confederations of Moroccans. Finally, some members of the Partecipazione e spiritualità musul-mana (PSM – Muslim Participation and Spirituality) share the same religious opinions as the group Ahl wa al-Ihsan, and joined the movement while they lived in Morocco. In 2016, the first chapter of the book “Al-Ihsan”, about the Ahl wa al-Ihsan leader Imam Abdessalam Yassine, was translated into Italian and edited by the PSM.79 In 2016, the Imam Mahdi A.J. Shi’i association80 reiterated its bond with Iranian religious leaders and institutions.81 Its president, Hujjatulislam Funding Information: This created much tension internally in Norwegian mosques, where different actors took sides for different parties in the conflict. It also created difficulties for the IRN with regards the Norwegian authorities. The IRN receives funding from the Ministry of Culture. After the annual meeting in which the board stepped down, the Minister of Culture Linda Helleland of the Conservative Party opted to withhold the state funding for the IRN subsequent to a clarification regarding whether due process had been adhered to by the group.23 Sources within the IRN, and in the largest mosques of Norway, paint somewhat different pictures of the underlying reasons for the conflict. Some see it as inherently about personal relationships within the board and the administration at the IRN. Many of the persons on this board were veterans of the Islamic Council of Norway who had become accustomed to being in control, and who reportedly sought to micro-manage the work of the secretary general. At some point, for example, it was decided that every email sent to the main email address of the IRN should be sent as a copy to every single member of the board, and that no response could be sent from that email address unless it was approved by a majority of the board.
• id: f9761677-874b-4e01-9325-0d79aa33eb0e
• date added to LUP: 2023-12-13 14:45:28
• date last changed: 2023-12-18 09:40:21