Austrian Symposium on Islam: When Islamic Organizations, Media and political leaders come together

In late February 2022 in Vienna, experts, academics, representatives of religious communities and other civil organizations came together to a symposium entitled “Muslims and the Islamic Federations in Austria in Political Focus”. The event was considered timely in the light of a string of events that unfolded during the pandemic. In November of 2020, there…

Share Button
Read More

German Muslims’ react to election results, rise of far-right AfD party

Germany has gone to the polls – and the results have thoroughly shaken the country’s political scene. The impression, prevailing at times in sections of the liberal international media, of Germany as a beacon of stability in a Western world marred by the rise of populism had for a long time been a faulty one….

Share Button
Read More

Dutch Fears of Foreigners “Understandable”

28 June 2011 In a leaked copy of a speech, Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen addresses Christian Democratic Party members with the message that worries about foreigners are ‘understandable’. Verhagen seeks to distance himself from the increasing populism in the Netherlands yet recognizes what drives it. He notes that “People are concerned about churches…

Share Button
Read More

Swiss nationalists vote on banning Muslim minarets

A campaign led by the right-wing populists of the Swiss people’s party, is seeking to enshrine a constitutional ban on minarets. The initiative received more than enough votes to warrant a referendum on the issue – 15,000 more than the 100,000 signatures needed. People’s party lawmaker Walter Wobmann defended the move, saying “many recognize in…

Share Button
Read More

Interview with an Expert on Right-Wing Populism: ‘Anti-Mosque Initiatives Tap into a Fear of Islam’

Across Europe, right-wing populist parties are gaining support by focusing on issues such as the construction of mosques. SPIEGEL ONLINE talks to right-wing populism expert Oliver Geden about the strategies used by the right and the pressure they put on the mainstream.

Share Button
Read More