A mobile phone application associated with the Muslim Brotherhood has yet to be removed from the Apple Store and Google Play, 18 months after its launch. To the contrary, the app espousing extremist view points has exploited the rising use of online tools to spread hate in Muslim households across Europe.
Euro Fatwa has consistently ranked among the top 100 most downloaded apps in many European countries. In Finland, it is ranked 34th, and 45th in Ireland.
The application was created by the European Council for Fatwa and Research, a private foundation in Dublin headed by Yusuf Al Qaradawi, the Doha-based spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Al Qaradawi has been banned from Britain, France and the US for his extremist views, which include condoning suicide bombings. He has also been sentenced to life in prison in his native Egypt. The Brotherhood is officially designated a terrorist group in a number of Arab countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.
At the time of its launch, the Euro Fatwa app contained an introduction by Al Qaradawi, in which he made anti-Semitic remarks, prompting Google to take it down. It has since been restored, after the introduction was taken out.
The core ideology of Euro Fatwa, however, has not changed. The application is meant to help users “fulfill their duties as Muslim citizens while taking care of the legal, customary and cultural specificities of European societies”, according to its description on Google Play. In reality, it is a tool of extremism that incites users to detach from their wider European societies.
In one statement, the app said European laws do not have to be obeyed if they contradict Islam. It has also instructed followers in the British Army to disobey orders and refrain from swearing an oath of allegiance to the Queen. Other digital tools, such as Zoom and Telegram, are being used by extremists to spread their ideology.
No one should be allowed to spread hate and sow division — especially not under the guise of religion. Not only do the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremists mislead Muslims who seek religious guidance, they also taint the image of Islam by associating it with violence and racism.
Another area of concern is that these organisations often serve foreign agendas. Al Qadrawi, for instance, has been living in Qatar for decades. He routinely spreads hateful rhetoric from his Doha home, broadening Qatar’s reach in Europe and beyond.
No one should be allowed to spread hate and sow division — especially not under the guise of religion
Doha has also financed a wide array of dubious charities across Europe, often linked to or inspired by the brotherhood. These findings are presented in extraordinary detail in the book Qatar Papers: How Doha Finances the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. The authors, two French journalists, found that Doha funnelled more than $80 million to various projects in seven European countries to support the brotherhood’s ideology.
The Muslim Brotherhood has also taken root in Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, a country that was once considered a pluralistic haven in the Middle East.
The concerns around this app are part of a wider problem of too many tech companies refusing to take action against extremist groups abusing their platforms. Google and Apple have a duty to take down Euro Fatwa, and European leaders must ensure that companies who fail to curb the spread of extremism are held to account.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Day 1, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Sadeera Samarawickrama set pulses racing with his strokeplay on his introduction to Test cricket. It reached a feverish peak when he stepped down the wicket and launched Yasir Shah, who many regard as the world’s leading spinner, back over his head for six. No matter that he was out soon after: it felt as though the future had arrived.
Stat of the day - 5 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test in Dubai – they won here in 2013 – they had four players in their XI who were known as wicketkeepers. This time they have gone one better. Each of Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella – the nominated gloveman here – can keep wicket.
The verdict Sri Lanka want to make history by becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a full Test series in the UAE. They could not have made a better start, first by winning the toss, then by scoring freely on an easy-paced pitch. The fact Yasir Shah found some turn on Day 1, too, will have interested their own spin bowlers.
US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
