Sweden Cracking Down on Islamic Schools That Don’t Support Gender Equality

But is it really an attack on Christian Schools?

In their own far-left way, Swedes are attempting to discourage more Muslims migrants from flocking to the country. The obvious clash between Muslim culture and Sweden's excessive liberalism has been overlooked until now. Finally, Stefan emerges on the side of Swedish culture, at least in this one area, or does he?

© Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images

Sweden is cracking down on schools that do not support gender equality, according to the country’s education minister. The initiative is part of the government’s overall plan to remove religious influence from schools in general.

Gustav Fridolin said Sunday that he has launched an inquiry into tightening the regulation of independent religious schools, by stopping those who do not support Sweden’s “fundamental values.”

“The regulatory framework will be tightened,” wrote Fridolin for the newspaper, Aftonbladet. “Those who do not support fundamental values around equality and human rights should be stopped from running free schools in Sweden.”

The new regulations will ensure that schools will “actively promote equality” and “allow students to develop their skills and interests independently of gender identity,” wrote Fridolin. The restrictions are expected to impact Muslim schools the most.

No doubt this will affect Christian Schools as well. Although Christianity in Sweden is luke-warm at best, so it may not be a significant effect.

The minister went on to stress that “no child should be exposed to direct or indirect compulsion to take part in religious activities in any school in Sweden,” even if that school was founded by a religious organization. “And all education should be completely free of religious influence,” Fridolin wrote.

Is this really aimed at Muslim schools?

However, the religious restrictions won’t apply to Jewish schools, said Fridolin in a follow-up interview, as “there’s no point in attacking Jewish schools which have existed in Sweden since the 1950s.”

Sweden has over 60 religious schools, the majority of which are Christian, about 11 of which are Islamic, and a handful of which are Jewish, according to The Local.

So, nearly 4 dozen Christian schools may very well be the real target with Islam as the pre-text. This is liberal-extremism's finest hour! Christianity is weak and pathetic in Sweden, but it's not dead. That could very well be the point!

Meanwhile, what has Stefan done to protect young Swedish girls and women from sexual assaults and gang-rapes? That's not a rhetorical question - can anyone tell me anything he has done?

Left-wing extremists can never steer a country far enough to the left, they always want it to list further and further to port. But steering to port invariably results in a ship listing to starboard - a country reverting to much more conservative values as is happening across Europe, and sometimes they can go too far the other way.

New Citizenship Policies Emphasize 'Australian Values'

By Mike Bambach 

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (L) and Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton (R) discuss tighter citizenship requirements during a news conference Thursday at Parliament House in Canberra. Photo Lukas Coch/EPA

UPI -- Australia will make it more difficult to gain citizenship, announcing stringent policies Thursday that emphasize "Australian values."

The new requirements include a ­higher-standard English language test, belief in religious freedom and gender equality and a four-year residency period -- three years longer than present.

"We're not defined by race or religion or culture, as many other nations are," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters. "We're defined by commitment to common values, political values, the rule of law, democracy, freedom, mutual respect, equality for men and women."

Applicants also must provide evidence of integration into the community, including employment history, school enrollment or membership of community organizations.

"These fundamental values are what make us Australian," Turnbull said. "Our citizenship process should reflect that. "It is important that they understand that they are making a commitment to our Australian values."

The requirements would apply to all new applications for citizenship, the government said.

New visa requirements too

The move comes two days after Australia unveiled stricter visa requirements for skilled workers from overseas.

Australia announced stricter work visa rules Tuesday, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying the change will prioritize Australian workers.

The "457" work visa program, offering four-year visas to foreign workers in certain fields, will be replaced by two- and four-year visas, and the list of identified job categories will be reduced from 651 professions to 216. Application fees for visas will rise, and applicants will undergo English proficiency tests and criminal background checks.

Nearly 100,000 people were living in Australia in 2016 on 457 visas, nearly half from China, the United Kingdom or India. Most were employed as cooks, programmers and medical workers.

"We are putting jobs first, we are putting Australians first," Turnbull said. "We are an immigration nation, but the fact remains that Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs. We will no longer allow 457 visas to be passports to jobs that could and should go to Australians."

The prior visa system was devised to fill gaps in the skilled labor market, but was criticized for its leniency and accessibility.

In a radio interview, Turnbull was critical of how the system was used, saying that workers arrived in Australia "on 457s to flip burgers at McDonald's. ... It basically displaced a lot of Australians from entry-level jobs."

Interesting - an English language test! Is there anyone in Australia who could pass one? Just kidding!

UAE Leader in Gender Equality in the Middle of Islam

In empowering women and providing them with unstinting support at every step, UAE has invested in a dynamic tomorrow

Zulaikha Al Sayed Al Hashemi wearing a pilot’s cap with Emirati pilots of Etihad Airways, Shereefa Al Beloushi (third from right) and Aisha Al Mansouri (second from left), Engineers Alia Rashid Al Shamsi, (second from right) and Muna Al Hadram (left) with Atija Ali Taresh Al Herbi, (right) during a meeting of First Generations Emirati women with the staff of Etihad Airways to celebrate Emirati Women’s Day at Etihad Airways Training Academy in Abu Dhabi. Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News

Gulf News Samir Salama, Associate Editor

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is a leader in gender equality in the region, providing women with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes.

“I believe that constructing a modern state requires women’s efforts,” said Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the nation and women’s premier supporter.

Shaikh Zayed urged women to storm their way into education at all stages to achieve their goals.

While the literacy rate of both women and men in the UAE is close to 95 per cent today, more women than men complete secondary education and enrol in university and post-graduate institutions.

Some 95 per cent of girls and 80 per cent of boys who complete their secondary education enrol in a higher education institution in the UAE or travel abroad to study.

Shaikh Zayed maintained that women’s political participation is a right safeguarded by the constitution.

Eight women serve in the UAE Cabinet — including Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, who was recognised by Forbes magazine as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

Eight women also hold seats within the Federal National Council (FNC), a consultative parliamentary body, accounting for 20 per cent of the House’s membership.

In November last year, Dr Amal Al Qubaisi became Speaker of the FNC, making her the first woman in the region to lead a national assembly. She previously had made history in 2006 as the first elected female to the FNC and in 2011 was appointed deputy speaker of the FNC.

Women fill two-thirds of all public-sector posts, with 30 per cent in senior and decision-making positions.

Women make up 20 per cent of the diplomatic corps, and there are also several women ambassadors, including one to the United Nations, Spain, Portugal and Montenegro, and a woman Consul General in Milan.

In September, 2013, Lana Nusseibeh became the first woman permanent representative to the UN. Ambassador Nusseibeh was also the fifth woman in the country to serve as an ambassador.

Since the foundation of the country, Shaikh Zayed believed that the UAE, in its march towards development, cannot afford to neglect to offer women – who are half of society – their role in the development of the country; otherwise, he believed, it would be as though the country were relinquishing a valuable natural asset.

In this vein, he realised that Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, could have a sizable influence in altering the status and living conditions of women in her country. And, indeed, she has attained that goal, through diligent efforts and plenty of assistance from Shaikh Zayed, and she has since distinguished herself among peers, Arab and international alike — and her flurry of achievements continues to this day.

Factfile
95 per cent of girls enrol in a higher education
8 women serve in the UAE Cabinet
8 women are members of Federal National Council
20 per cent of FNC members are women
Two-thirds of all public-sector posts held by women
30 per cent of senior decision-making positions held by women
20 per cent of the diplomatic corps comprise women