Word: islam
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...believed religious discrimination had risen in the past five years. And while many Muslims are a long-standing and integral part of the fabric of their cities, the report says they are still almost three times more likely to be unemployed than non-Muslims. But far from seeking out Islamic ghettos, many Muslim families appear desperately keen to integrate. "A lot of Muslims - especially parents - were sad they could not live in mixed neighborhoods, where they could experience diversity," says Tufyal Choudhury, lead author of the report. (See pictures of Islam's soft revolution...
...recent Swiss referendum vote to ban the building of minarets seemed to confirm a trend: Europeans are becoming increasingly strident in their attempts to "protect" their culture against Islam. However, a newly published report by the Open Society Institute (OSI), a think tank set up by billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros, details the complex relationship between Muslims and non-Muslim Europeans and reveals that the suspicion is mutual. Muslims believe they are being shut out of European society...
...Such suspicions have boosted support for far-right politicians like the Netherlands' Geert Wilders, whose Freedom Party won 11% of the Dutch vote in June's European elections with an anti-Islam platform. The OSI report says the chilling political climate has alienated Muslims, often making them feel unwanted. Several European countries are tightening their immigration laws, imposing citizenship tests and setting strict rules on wearing headscarves and burqas. Last week, reacting to the Swiss minaret vote, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on religious practitioners to avoid "ostentation" and "provocation" so as not to upset others...
...these cases have in common is the willingness of the suspects to embrace the propagandists' argument that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and U.S. policies elsewhere in the region, are part of an assault on the global community of Muslims. "The narrative - that America is at war against Islam - works for people from all classes," says Steve Emerson, author of American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us. He points out that even many of the 9/11 hijackers had been highly educated. (See pictures of the battle against the Taliban...
...addition, the Islamic month of Muharram begins on Dec. 18 this year, kicking off 10 days of ceremonies in Shi'ite Islam that culminate on the holy day of Ashura, when the martyrdom of Hussain, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is mourned. Public events occur in every city, town and village in Iran, and as with other religious holidays that have occurred since June, the opposition is likely to encourage supporters to come out and defy the regime. To prevent this, the conservatives who control the government may try to portray the protesters as desecraters of the legacy of Khomeini...