State-sponsored Islam: Germany's first cohort of locally trained imams can't find work

State-sponsored Islam: Germany's first cohort of locally trained imams can't find work

    Monday, October 02, 2023   No comments

To counter what it describes as "the large number of foreign-trained Islamic religious leaders", Germany creates its own training school for imams, essentially participating in state-sponsored religious training. 

Germany announced four years ago that it would create a state-backed training center for Islamic leaders to help reduce the number of imams coming in from abroad, mostly Turkey. 

According to German authorities, “Germany currently has between 2,000 to 2,500 Islamic religious leaders, who tend to come to Germany for four or five years.”

Together, with French ban on Islamic dress in public schools, this state-sponsored religious training creates even more confusion as to whether Europe wants the state to distance itself from religion in the name of secularism or the state defining what kind of religion is allowed and who should religious institutions. These problems u underscore Europe's struggle with extending rights and freedoms to persons and communities who are from their former colonies. 

Ignoring the way Muslims are being treated in Europe, Western governments often criticize other countries for their treatment of Muslims. For example, China came under pressure from Western governments accusing the former of violating Chinese Muslims’ rights for forcing them to go through “re-education” programs. Apparently, it is not acceptable for China to “re-educate” Muslims, but it is acceptable for European governments to ban Muslims from public schools unless they dress like Europeans and create state-sponsored Imam training programs.

The instrumentalization of human rights by governments does not diminish the forced assimilations Muslims face.

 

France expels a Sri Lankan student who is fluent in French under the pretext of not integrating

France expels a Sri Lankan student who is fluent in French under the pretext of not integrating

    Monday, October 02, 2023   No comments

The French authorities issued a deportation order for a high school student who came from Sri Lanka, under the pretext of not integrating into French society, despite her surroundings praising her and her fluency in the French language.

The French media reported the story of Shanaya Fernando, 18 years old, who came from Sri Lanka 4 years ago with her family to study in the city of Bordeaux. She received a deportation order and a grace period until the end of the month, claiming that she had not integrated well with French society and had no connection with the French.

The decision issued on September 21, by the Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information, affiliated with the French Prime Minister, recommended that the student leave the country, after refusing to issue her a residence permit.

Shanaya's story began at the end of 2019, when she fled Sri Lanka with her parents following "death threats due to the father's political opposition to an elected Sri Lankan official." The family arrived in France, then to Bordeaux a few weeks later.

Shanaya has been attending secondary school in Majendie since 2020. She is currently in her final year and speaks French fluently. According to Sandrine Nibot, a teacher at Majendie School, “Shania also got a 15/20 in oral French a few months ago, and she is a very serious and interested student.” ".

The teacher added, "This situation is very unfair. This family has given up everything in their country to protect their child. It also means ignoring everything that Shanaya has been able to achieve since her arrival, and everything that we can offer our students."

In excellent French, Shanaya says that she dreams of being a veterinarian, and she does not have much time left to knock on university doors, adding that she found a special association for the protection of cats in which she practices her passion.