In this op-ed piece, Erich Kocina takes issue with the collective fear of a “clash of civilizations” in Austria with respect to Muslims, most often referring to Turks. First of all, he says that this fear is due to a number of real integration problems; however, this should not be surprising given that uneducated Eastern…
More than 500,000 Muslims live in Austria, but this figure tells us nothing about how many are actual believers. The expression “C and E Christians” (German version: “Baptismal-certificate Catholics”) applies to the Muslim community as well – people who still live according to certain traditions, but otherwise live a largely secular life. For these “Muslims”…
Ehsan Jami, a municipal council member for Labour in Leidschendam, has joined forces with Loubna Berrada, a member of the Conservative (VVD) Party, to form the Central Committee for ex-Muslims. Jami has given up the life of Islam for one of freedom. He became increasingly disillusioned with his faith after 9/11. Though he has nothing…
KOLN: With about 3.4 million believers, Islam is, after Christianity, the second-largest religion in Germany. This becomes ever more visible: the construction of mosques is booming. Of course, as with all representations of religion in the state and public sphere, this boom comes with conflict. According to the Islam-Archiv, there are 143 “classical mosques” in…
