Latest news with #Wahhabi
Ya Biladi
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Language school in France shut down, suspected of operating as Quranic school
The Lissen Language Institute in Colombes, France, was shut down on Monday by Prefect Alexandre Brugère, who suspects the premises of housing a Quranic school. The establishment is under suspicion of «Islamist deviations», in addition to «identified failures in fire safety measures that endangered the lives of children hosted there», leading to its «emergency closure», as announced by the prefecture on social media. According to information from Europe1, «at least 16 anomalies were noted during a recent inspection, including the dilapidated condition of the building, blocked emergency exits, insufficient fire extinguishers, and staff untrained in safety standards». The media outlet reports: «For the prefecture, the verdict is clear: the premises of the Lissen Institute, a public-access establishment, no longer ensured the safety of visitors, particularly minors». ❌ Closure of a «Quranic school» in Colombes. Prefect Alexandre Brugère decided on the emergency closure of the Lissen Institute based on the very serious deficiencies identified in fire safety, endangering the lives of the children hosted. By… — Prefect of Hauts-de-Seine ???? (@Prefet92) May 12, 2025 Additionally, the administration noted the presence of «several posters» found on the premises, «depicting adults and children without faces», which «may correspond to a Salafist or Wahhabi interpretation of Islam». «Similar elements have already been found in other institutions associated with radical Islam, raising concerns», the prefecture added. In this context, the prefect referred to the «guidelines of the Minister of the Interior», stating that «no form of association with Islamism will be tolerated». The institute's administrators have a two-month window to file an appeal.
Gulf Insider
13-04-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Sweden: The Number Of Mosques Has Surged Nearly 4,200% In Just 25 Years
Sweden has seen massive demographic changes over the last 25 years, and this is not only reflected in the demographic composition, but also the religious composition of the country. While churches continue to close their doors, the country went from approximately seven mosques in 2000 to now 300 in 2025. The exact figures are difficult to ascertain, however, the 300 mosques refers to permanent prayer places built for Muslim worship, which often feature a minaret and a dome. If unofficial places of Muslim worship are factored in, such as converted shops or basements, the number would likely be far higher, according to Swedish newspaper Samnytt. 'If by mosque you mean a Muslim place of worship, the number may be close to 300,' said Frederic Brusi, the knowledge officer of the Swedish Agency for Support to Religious Communities. As in other European countries, many of these mosques receive funding from abroad, and overall, the finances behind many of them remain murky. 'In several cases, Swedish mosque construction has been partially or completely financed with money from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar or Turkey. In the case of Saudi Arabia alone, there is talk of billions. There is also information in the media that every fourth Swedish mosque is financed by the Sunni Muslim and Wahhabi kingdom,' writes Samnytt. Keeping track of the growth in mosques is very difficult due to a lack of public statistics, with the Swedish paper pointing to mosques like Masjid Aysha, which is run by the non-profit association Scandinavian Islamic Organization (SIO) based out of Stockholm. While the mosque has been operating for 20 years, it remains unclear if it is even registered as an official mosque in the country, as there is no public list of registered mosques. More and more mosques are in the pipeline as well, with construction taking place across the country. In one city, Helsingborg, a mosque being billed as 'Scandinavia's largest mosque' has so far raised 68 million kroner (€6.3 million) for its construction. Click here to read more…
Saba Yemen
08-03-2025
- General
- Saba Yemen
Evening in Jawf on anniversary of passing of Sheikh Al-Muayyadi
Jawf (Saba) - The offices of the Awqaf and Zakat Authority in Jawf Governorate commemorated the annual anniversary of the passing of Sheikh Majd Al-Din Al-Muayyadi, with a cultural evening. During the evening, speeches were given by Sheikh Saleh Al-Khawlani and a number of attendees, reviewing positions from the life of Sheikh Al-Muayyadi, full of knowledge, giving, goodness, and success, and confronting Wahhabi thought. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Saba Yemen
07-03-2025
- General
- Saba Yemen
Hajjah commemorates Sheikh Majd al-Din al-Muayyadi in al-Mahabisha
Hajjah - Saba: The Islamic Forum and the Scientific School in al-Mahabisha district of Hajjah province has held an evening event to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of Sheikh Majd al-Din al-Muayyadi. Abdullah Mayah, Dean of the University of Quranic Sciences Branch, spoke at the event, highlighting key moments from Sheikh al-Muayyadi's life, emphasizing his dedication to knowledge, generosity, and success. He emphasized Sheikh Majd al-Muayyadi's profound understanding of truth and guidance, and his significant role in disseminating knowledge and educating generations in Islamic sciences, including interpretation, hadith, jurisprudence, history, and biographies. Speakers at the event emphasized Sheikh Majd al-Din al-Muayyadi's esteemed status and his contributions to serving Islam and guiding people. They also acknowledged his role in countering false cultures, Wahhabi thought, and his success in training scholars and leaders. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The truth about Saudi Arabia's rulers is more worrying than you thought
The behaviour of Saudi Arabia's most powerful prince invites a peculiar fascination. Mohammed Bin Salman, 39, effectively runs the oil-rich state as his 89-year-old father Salman ails; yet MBS, as the prince is known, seems to spend much of his time aboard his 400 ft superyacht, Serene, where on one cabin wall, it is said, hangs Leonardo da Vinci's stunning painting Salvator Mundi, bought at a New York auction for $450m. The crown prince's timekeeping is disorganised, even chaotic. He sleeps irregularly, day and night, and when he nods off in meetings, courtiers must attend patiently until he wakes. In October 2023, MBS kept the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, waiting for several hours. He only showed up the following day. What to make of this behaviour? Malise Ruthven, in his critical account of the contemporary Saudi regime, Unholy Kingdom, considers it evidence of sheer narcissism. MBS was not the chosen heir to the throne, but out-manoeuvred his cousins in a 'Corleone-style progression' to the top. The regime is at once 'ruthless and reckless'. It thought nothing of assassinating a dissident journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. (Khashoggi was sedated, suffocated, and his body sawn into pieces, never to be found.) For a while, the murder discouraged foreign investors from heading to Saudi Arabia, but now, as Ruthven puts it, a 'Scramble for Arabia' is in full swing, with consulting firms, footballers and architects among many pursuing their fortunes in the desert. This telling account relies heavily on the work of other scholars to paint a brutish picture of the regime. MBS, who will be the first grandson of the kingdom's founder Ibn Saud to accede to the throne, is recasting the tribal monarchy as a modern-day 'personality cult'. To wean his state off oil revenues, MBS wants to cut public spending and to diversify into tourism and new industries, like electric vehicles, pharmaceuticals, and nuclear power. Massive infrastructure projects include Neom, a futuristic city in the desert, and Trojena, an unlikely mountain ski resort. The regime is loosening restrictions on young people, allowing some gender mixing, cinemas and music concerts, as well as permitting women to drive. Young Saudis are supportive, Ruthven suggests, because they hope to escape high rates of unemployment, relative poverty and anomie. But the reforms are economic and social, not political. There are no legislative elections, political parties are banned and regime critics are routinely jailed. MBS wants 'change in the exercise of power, but not its distribution,' as Ruthven puts it. A key challenge for MBS is to renegotiate his relationship with the Wahhabi clerics, who have historically partnered with the Al Saud family, providing the royals with legitimacy in return for autonomy in propagating their austere, ultra-conservative, highly sectarian interpretation of Sunni Islam. MBS has promised a turn to 'moderate' Islam, and the powers of the religious police have been curbed. But his reforms are primarily a power grab. Hundreds of clerics who dared to challenge his rule are now in prison. It's a stretch to argue, as Ruthven does, that the kingdom's new interest in sport might substitute for religious fervour. But it's true that millions of petrodollars have been poured into sporting businesses like football and golf. Saudi will host the 2034 football World Cup and has used its LIV golf project to effectively buy into the PGA tour. These soft power investments are intended to buy international influence, ease investor concerns, and, perhaps, generate a greater sense of national identity at home. The kingdom may be about to take on a renewed role in the region, given the Trump family's close rapport with the Al Sauds. Ruthven predicts a 'brutal realignment' in the region, with Saudi and Israeli intelligence services cooperating closely. MBS has already made high-risk moves in his foreign policy, engaging in a destructive war in Yemen, pivoting towards China and even having prepared for normalisation of relations with Israel – at least until the Hamas attacks of October 7 and Israel's war in Gaza. He may be further emboldened now that the kingdom's longtime rival, Iran, is strategically weaker following the fall of Assad in Syria and Hizbollah's losses in Lebanon. If President Donald Trump hopes for some grand bargain to restructure the Middle East, he'll rely heavily on his friends in Riyadh. And that in turn will test the prince's reform project and its limits. Unholy Kingdom is published by Verso at £25. To order your copy for £19.99, call 0330 173 0523 or visit Telegraph Books Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
