January 9 – 15

European court: Swiss Muslim girls must swim with boys

Al Jazeera

The European Court of Human Rights voted to uphold a Swiss Court’s decision backing fines of around $300 dollars per student on Muslim parents who would not allow their daughters to take part in mixed swimming lessons on the basis of their religion.
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Yuna on hijab style: 'I feel like the world is catching up'

The Guardian

Malaysian Pop-Star Yunalis Mat Zara’ai, aka Yuna, discusses hijab fashion and her role as a model for Uniqlo’s first UK hijab fashion line.
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Morocco 'bans the sale and production of the burka'

BBC

According to local reports coming from Morocco, letters were sent out stating that the production and sale of burkas will be banned in the country.
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Salon alaykum! Ladies-only beauty shop caters to Muslim modesty

Brooklyn Daily

Le’Jemalik Salon and Boutique opens in Bay Ridge catering to the cosmetic needs of Muslim women by offering them a safe, women’s only space.
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What’s missing in the teaching of Islam

The Conversation

Kishwar Rizvi asks why school discussions about Islam condense thousands of years of history, art, and literature into a single chapter. She suggests that a look at the artistic and cultural developments within Islamic Civilization could contribute to a more robust conversation.
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Two Books About Muslim Identity

The New York Times

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discusses mar Saif Ghobash’s “Letters to a Young Muslim” and Ali A. Rizvi’s “The Atheist Muslim: A Journey From Religion to Reason.”
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Saracens and Turks: The West's troubled relation with Islam

The Middle East Eye

Soumaya Ghannoushi writes about the polemical, medieval theological content that often informs the modern concepts and discourses used to discuss Islam and Muslims in the media.
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Austria’s far-right party wants to ‘ban’ Islam

The Washington Post

Heinz Christian Strache, the head of Austria’s far-right party, called for a law banning Muslim symbols, like the Austrian law that bans Nazi symbols.
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High Court to Hear Suit Over 2001 Muslim Detentions

ABC News

The Supreme Court will determine hear an appeal from former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former FBI Director Robert Mueller and other former U.S. officials “that seeks to shut down the lawsuit that human rights lawyers have filed on behalf of Abbasi and others over their harsh treatment and prolonged detention.”
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Maydan editors selected some of the most thought-provoking news items on issues around Islam, religion and public-life for you. Let us know what you have been reading. Drop us a line at mediaroundups@themaydan.com!