MS MARVEL – New Marvel Superheroine challenging stereotypes of South-Asian Muslim Women

The 8th June 2022 saw the release of a new U.S. TV show “Ms Marvel”, created by British-Pakistani stand-up comedian and screenwriter, Bisha K. Ali. The show follows Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenager who transforms into a superhero whilst grappling with familial and religious obligations1. This makes Khan the first Muslim superheroine of the Marvel…

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Uber for Imams

 A London-based entrepreneur has launched an online platform that promises to revolutionize the way Muslims access religious services. Launched in the UK and US at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, ImamConnect provides an online space for imams and scholars to offer Islamic services directly and at the click of a button.  Qur’an lessons, weddings,…

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New initiatives challenge anti-Muslim biases in German media landscape

Biased representations of Islam and Muslims abound across Europe, in journalism as well as in research. The situation is no different in Germany, as a recent book edited by Berlin-based academic Schirin-Amir Moazami shows: contributors to the volume Der Inspizierte Muslim (German for The Inspected Muslim) analyse the myriad ways in which research and public debates about Muslims –…

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Clumsy government satire seeks to discourage German Muslims from turning to Salafism

North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW), the most populous of Germany’s 16 federal states, has rolled out a new anti-terrorism programme: a satirical YouTube channel called Jihadi Fool. Run by the state’s domestic intelligence agency, the Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz, the channel’s videos are supposed to “fight fire with fire” and drive home “the absurdity of radicalisation, terrorism and…

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German Muslims celebrate Ramadan, in spite of recurring political debates

Adherents to the Islamic faith across the world are currently celebrating Ramadan – including millions of Muslims who live in Germany. In many respects, German Muslims’ experience is hardly unique. Ramadan in Germany also comes with its specificities, however – and these are not only due to lengthy daytime hours in northern Europe, forcing believers…

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