Tue, Feb 09 2010
Mahinur Ozdemir.

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Allegations that radical Islam is infiltrating Bulgaria fuel the existing fear and loathing of Muslims that is the legacy of Ottoman rule and more recent demonising of Muslims
Annual assessment says Bulgaria 'generally respects' human rights but finds problems in several areas
When Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development (AK) party convincingly rose to power in 2002, few could have predicted that within several years, they would be facing the tangible threat of getting outlawed by their country's own constitutional court. On June 5, Turkey's constitutional judges decided to overturn the constitutional amendments allowing Muslim women to wear headscarves in universities, amendments that the government adopted in February. The move is widely seen as an indication of how the court will rule on another major case, requesting that the AK be disbanded for undermining the secular foundations of the Turkish state and that 71 of its members, among which Erdogan himself, as well as president Abdullah Gul, be banned from political activity for five years.
Bulgaria's constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the law prohibits the public practice of religion by unregistered groups. The constitution also designates Eastern Orthodox Christianity as the "traditional" religion. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom by the Government during the period covered by this report, and government policy contributed to the generally free
Problems connected to the wearing religious symbols in Bulgarian schools and universities remained unsolved, mediapool.bg reported. The issue led to heated public debate in Bulgaria in the past several weeks after 110 Turkish decided to attend classes in Plovdiv medical university wearing headscarves. The provost forbade such practices. Another case involved two students in a highschool in Smolyan who
When Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state of the Vatican, visited Sofia in May for the consecration of the capital city's new Roman Catholic Church, he said that the city was turning into a "little Jerusalem" because of the close proximity of Christian, Muslim and Jewish places of worship. This optimistic view has faded in recent days after ultra-nationalist group Ataka began a campaign against the use of
Football is the only thing that divides the United Kingdom and Bulgaria, prime ministers Gordon Brown and Boiko Borissov agreed at their meeting in London.
The 27-member College of Commissioners to take office after three months of delays and dramas.
WCC commends G7 relief of Haiti's debt, asks IMF to follow suit.
Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov says the funds will finance three education projects on the earthquake-devastated island.
The chances that Bulgarians or Romanians can work without a work permit in Dutch agriculture this year are almost non-existent, Dutch media concluded.