Europe

July 27, 2011

In France: is motherhood the key to future economic growth?

In “Liberté, Égalité, Fertilité,” in the New York Times, Katrin Bennhold writes about the contrast between various countries with regard to how they support and encourage mothers and pregnancy. Given the downward demographic spiral that many countries in Europe, North Africa, and Asia are in, in the future it could be that those nations which best support mothers and motherhood will be the nations in the best position to win economically. Contrast: Economist: China’s family planning: Illegal children will be confiscated

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July 25, 2011

The children of North Africa are growing up, moving out, and not being replaced

Voice after Exit: Revolution and Migration in the Arab World, written in May 2011, documents some of the trends we discussed in the Demographics of North Africa. In short, a major demographic trend has occurred in North Africa. In the late 70s and 80s, rapid population growth was a serious problem in the region. But as we have documented, cultural changes have resulted in crashing fertility and population growth rates.

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May 9, 2011

New statistics on drug transits through West Africa

A recent report from the World Bank notes that 25 tons of cocaine, valued at US$1 billion, was shipped from Latin America through West African countries (including especially Ghana) to reach Europe, where its street value was estimated at $6.8 billion. Worldwide value, heroin: $65 billion Worldwide value, cocaine: $88 billion Heroin, % of global total consumed by Europe/North America: 53% Cocaine, % of global total consumed by Europe/North America: 67% Organized crime, annual revenues: $120 billion to $330 billion See GhanaWeb.com.

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May 6, 2011

Status of Western Europe: Spring 2011

Slowing population growth, aging populations, and the rising tide of immigration is changing the face of Europe.

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April 29, 2011

LinkJournal: Europe and the Burqa 2011

4/29 NYT: Belgium: Parliament Passes Burqa Ban. The lower house backed the law overwhelmingly; it must pass the senate. 4/25 Eurasia Review: France’s Burqa Ban: French Secularism Or Colonial Mindset? Questioning whether banning the burqa (worn by fewer than 2,000 of the 5 million Muslims in France) is to reimpose republican values or seek political gain. 4/21 CSM: Letter to the Editor from French Ambassador. A response to a commentary piece about France’s new law banning the burqa and comparing it to the Holocaust. 4/21 NPR: France’s Burqa Ban Adds To Anti-Muslim Climate. How Muslims and French feel about the [...]

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April 25, 2011

Status of Eastern Europe: Spring 2011

A demographic catastrophe, governmental corruption, organized crime and destructive addictions challenge the future of the East.

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April 20, 2011

Survey of policies on Muslim scarves and veils in Europe

Another important Factbox via Reuters: France’s ban on full face veils, a first in Europe, went into force on Monday, making anyone wearing the Muslim niqab or burqa in public liable to a fine of 150 euros ($216) or lessons in French citizenship. This article contains a summary of policies in various European countries on the Muslim veil. See also: CSM Opinion from one Muslim: France’s burqa ban: A brave step that we Muslims should welcome

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June 15, 2010

Barcelona restricts the veil

http://bit.ly/d8JvA3 – Barcelona has become the first large Spanish city to announce a ban on the wearing of full Islamic face-veils in some public spaces.

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May 14, 2010

Language & Culture Battles in Europe

http://bit.ly/cxa3pU – “Belgium doesn’t exist, only Flanders and Wallonia as Dutch & French communities live apart.”

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May 14, 2010

Massive outreach in France

http://bit.ly/91zPK0 - The Luis Palau Association plans to bring its “Festival” evangelistic model to France in May 2011 for the very first time.

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April 18, 2010

Afghan women appalled by European burqa ban push

“A firm believer in women’s rights, the only thing Afghan lawmaker Shinkai Karokhail finds as appalling as being forced to wear a burqa is a law banning it.” Read more in Reuters.

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April 9, 2010

A Muslim defends Christianity in the UK

Dr. Taj Hargey, a Muslim and chairman of the Muslim Educational Center of Oxford, writes a brilliant piece defending Christianity and religious freedom in the UK.

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April 2, 2010

Belgium bans burqas

Belgian lawmakers voted to ban the wearing of burqas in public, in the first clampdown of its kind. The proposal will be put to the full Parliament after Easter. From Religion News Blog.

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April 1, 2010

France: ban on veils probably illegal

The Globe & Mail reports a total ban on Islamic veils probably illegal under French law: and even a limited ban is probably difficult to enforce.

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March 24, 2010

New Prayer Campaign: 24/7/6mo for Europe

Non-Stop Prayer for Europe – Starts Now! with a new website to assist it. HT: Andrew Jones.

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February 12, 2010

France and Islam

French Prime Minister intends to sign law to deny nationality to man who ordered his French wife to wear the veil. http://ff.im/-fNGan

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December 20, 2009

Wearing the Muslim veil in the West

In “Wearing the Muslim veil in America: what it’s like” (Christian Science Monitor, http://bit.ly/6KVV6Y), Husna Haq writes about her experiences wearing the hijab. She leads with a poignant story of how she wordlessly sat down next to an elderly female Asian Christian, who reacted fearfully and quickly moved away. Note the 7 million Muslims in America: are we befriending them and reaching out to them as a Genesis 12 blessing, or are we fearfully isolating ourselves from them? In a related article, “The Muslim veil: modesty has its own style” (Christian Science Monitor, http://bit.ly/8yf2RK), Carol Huang explores the world of [...]

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May 13, 2009

Mission Researchers Respond to the Muslim Demographic Video

There is a video that is getting a lot of views (over 4.8 million) on Youtube, focusing on Muslim demographics in Europe. It’s shown up on a lot of Christian mission blogs, and has been twittered quite a bit. Unfortunately the statistics used on the video are unsourced, so I don’t know their origin. However, they are dramatically different from anything that missionary researchers project. In this posting, well known missions researchers have been invited to talk about the video and highlight a few things they feel deserve response. Jason Mandryk (editor, Operation World): One element that we cannot possibly [...]

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June 23, 2008

How to unearth trends in France

As promised, here is the analysis of France. This European nation is significantly different from Afghanistan, and holds many opportunities for the Gospel despite our common perception of France as a Godless nation. Here is the first bit of history, from 1900 to 1970: Religion Name Adh 1900 N C T R% R Adh 1970 Atheists 30,000 102 21,240 21,342 5.77 1.06 1,524,000 Buddhists – - 385 385 15.69 1.16 27,000 Christians 40,731,100 138,684 (112,593) 26,091 0.06 1.00 42,557,500 Affiliated Christians 40,731,100 138,684 (112,593) 26,091 0.06 1.00 42,557,500 doubly-affiliated (397,000) (1,352) (6,624) (7,976) 1.26 1.01 (955,300) Anglicans 500 2 205 [...]

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