“Multikulti” or Assimilation? The Question of European Identity

7 February 2011 In this opinion piece, Paul Schulmeister argues that despite the doubts raised by debates concerning the integration of foreigners in Europe, the notion of European identity does exist, and must be promoted. While on the one hand, we should not exaggerate concerning the difficulties that foreigners have had in integrating, on the…

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Kebab, Yoghurt, and Prayer

28 October 2010 Seen from the outside, other than a sign on a wooden door, nothing seems to indicate that the Eyüp Sultan Camii in Graz is a mosque. The local imam, Fevzi Karatas, explains that a mosque is simply a space for prayer, and “in the time of the prophet Muhammad, the mosque was…

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A Tool against Coffee Table Racism

30 September 2010 The association WienXtra has published a brochure called “Da mach’ ich nicht mit!” (“I’m not going to join in on that!”), in an effort to combat everyday prejudices and stereotypes. The brochure is aimed at youths, and has ready-made counterarguments to coffee table assertions, such as “all foreigners are criminals,” or “Islam…

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A jihadist cell discovered at the Universtiy of Perugia: Two Moroccan students expelled

Roberto Maroni, the Italian interior minister, has ordered the immediate repatriation for security reasons of two Moroccan students at the University of Perugia. According to the investigations, the two foreigners were declared highly dangerous since they were ready to commit acts of terrorism in the country. Although the students were not in contact with the…

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The stereotypes surrounding Via Padova: There are problems but it isn’t a Bronx.

A murder (of a young Egyptian man by a group of south-Americans on the 13th of February) that could have happened in any part of Milan, has triggered a press campaign that described Via Padova as a mass of ugly things, a promiscuity of people coming from everywhere, of crumbling buildings, an insecure and unlivable…

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