‘Decolonising the university’ in Germany: Debates and challenges

American and British universities in particular have been rocked by a wave of student-driven contestation focused on the content of curricula, on the predominance of white (and frequently male) authors and faculty, as well as on institutions’ enmenshment in colonial exploitation and racialised hierarchies. Students and activists have begun to voice similar challenges in Germany;…

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Working definition of Islamophobia proposed by the UK APPG on British Muslims in December 2018 given widespread support, but with critique on the use of race and the disregard of root causes.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims has put forward the first working definition of Islamophoba in the UK, set out in its report ‘Islamophobia Defined’. Launched in 2017, the cross party group of parliamentarians was established to highlight the aspirations and challenges facing British Muslims, celebrate their contributions, and investigate prejudice, discrimination…

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The election of two Muslim congresswomen due to the “Trump Effect”, and other reactions.

Two Muslim women have been elected to Congress in the United States’ 2018 mid-term  elections. Ilhan Omar, 37, is a Somali-American who won in Minnesota’s fifth congressional district. She immigrated with her family to the US under a resettlement programme when she was 14, after fleeing the Civil war in Somalia and spending four years in the…

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Civil society organisations in Germany mobilise against Islamophobic rightward turn

In recent weeks, Mesut Özil’s resignation from Germany’s national football team and the ensuing debate on racism, spearheaded by the #MeTwo hashtag, have galvanised public attention in Germany. Mainstreaming of the far-right This comes as many Muslim and/or anti-racist civil society organisations see themselves at a crossroads. The rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany…

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#MeTwo: Mesut Özil’s resignation from the national team sparks debate on racism in Germany

Mesut Özil’s departure from the national football team continues to shake up the German political scene. Özil had quit the team after a row over a picture taken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In an open letter to German media, sponsors, and the football association, Özil cited racism and disrespect as the main reasons…

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