Europe
Dutch Muslims are relieved, but divisions highlighted by election remain
By Matt Richards — March 16, 2017
GRONINGEN, Netherlands (RNS) Dutch Muslims are breathing a sigh of relief after the worse-than-expected performance of an anti-Islam populist in this week’s election. But religious leaders worry that the divisions he exploited remain.
The hardening of Geert Wilders: Anti-Islam crusader — and top Dutch pol?
By Thomas Escritt — March 1, 2017
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) Geert Wilders has lived in safe houses under 24-hour guard to protect him from Islamist militants since 2004. The experience has only strengthened his anti-Islam convictions.
Norway and its national church part ways
By Kimberly Winston — January 5, 2017
(RNS) Like most divorces, this one could be messy.
Merkel says Islamist terrorism is biggest test for Germany
By guest — December 31, 2016
(REUTERS) The leader of Western Europe's largest economy also urged Germans to shun populism and said Germany should take a leading role in addressing the many challenges facing the European Union.
Suspect in Christmas market massacre was meant to be deported
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 21, 2016
BERLIN (USA Today) — A massive manhunt is underway Wednesday for the driver of a truck that was intentionally crashed into a Berlin Christmas market, leaving 12 people dead and 48 injured.
Berlin attack piles pressure on Germany’s Merkel over refugees
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 20, 2016
BERLIN (USA Today) Merkel has faced sharp criticism over her decision to allow nearly 1 million asylum seekers to enter Germany from conflict zones in the Middle East and North Africa.
Truck slams into Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least 12
By RNS staff — December 19, 2016
BERLIN (USA Today) — A large black truck slammed into a Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday night, killing at least nine people and injuring about 50 others in what police said was a deliberate attack.
Russia inaugurates Orthodox cathedral in Paris
By Jerome Socolovsky — October 19, 2016
PARIS (Reuters) The Holy Trinity Cathedral is Russia's biggest and most visible landmark in the French capital since Tsar Alexander III offered Paris a bridge named after him in the late 19th century.
Catholic nominee for UN secretary-general opposed legalization of abortion in Portugal
By guest — October 7, 2016
LISBON, Portugal (RNS) Former Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is known as a consensus seeker, but one who draws the line when it comes to his own conscience.
Brexit prompts some Jewish Britons to reconcile with German roots
By Jerome Socolovsky — September 21, 2016
LONDON (Reuters) -- For Rabbi Julia Neuberger and other British Jews applying for German citizenship, the decision taps into deep emotional baggage due to the weight of history.
Austrian cardinal clarifies: It’s not ‘Islamic conquest’ but Christian surrender
By Josephine McKenna — September 16, 2016
ROME (RNS) The archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, said his provocative Sept. 11 homily was not a call to bar Muslim refugees.
French court suspends burkini ban
By Jerome Socolovsky — August 26, 2016
PARIS -- A top French court on Friday suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has angered Muslims, feminists and civil liberties campaigners.
Troubled Europe debates burqas, niqabs and burkinis
By Jerome Socolovsky — August 25, 2016
BERLIN -- Restrictions on face and full-body veils are back in the spotlight in parts of Europe after some French cities banned the burkini swimsuit, saying the garment, which leaves only the face, hands and feet exposed, defies laws on secularism.
Gulf tourism frenzy in Bosnia polarizes locals
By Jerome Socolovsky — August 22, 2016
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina -- In a secular country where many Muslims drink alcohol and wear European-style clothing, the arrival of a Saudi-built mall where no alcohol is sold and the sight of burqas and traditional Arab robes is worrying for some.
Swedish Muslim takes on anti-Semitism
By Lauren Markoe — August 1, 2016
(RNS) Siavosh Derakhti is a young, cool Muslim who is trying to awaken Sweden to its anti-Semitism.
