Ramadan 2019 : The rise of the ‘green’ iftar

  This year has seen the continuation of the trend towards ‘green’ Iftars, the breaking of the fast in a manner that it is environmentally friendly and ethically sound. Guides are available that provide advice to help Muslim families to prepare food in ways which are both health and eco-friendly. Muslim charities Islamic Relief and…

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Muslims’ frustration with established religious associations spells sea change in German Islamic landscape

Germany’s major Islamic associations are in the midst of an upheaval – a development exemplified by the DİTİB organisation. A subsidiary of the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), DİTİB is the largest of a bewildering array of Islamic associations operating in Germany, running 950 of the country’s roughly 2,600 mosques.1 The organisation has, however,…

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A new book sheds light on the ‘paradoxical’ nature of integration in Germany and beyond

In 2018, German sociologist Aladin El-Mafaalani scored a somewhat surprising best-seller: his book Das Integrationsparadox (‘The Integration Paradox’) shot into the top ten of German book sales, providing a counterweight to gloomy and populist pamphlets on immigrants’ failure to ‘integrate’ and of Germany’s impending ‘Islamisation’ otherwise dominating the commanding heights of the book market. Successes…

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German, Turkish, German Turkish or Turkish German? New investigative video series passes the mic to ‘German Turks’

In 1961, the West German government signed a ‘recruitment agreement’ (Anwerbeabkommen) with its Turkish counterpart, paving the way for the migration of Turkish workers to the booming Federal Republic. Today, the vast majority of the three million men and women of Turkish heritage living in Germany can trace at least parts of their family history…

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Islamic feminism in Germany: A contested terrain

As Germany’s politicians ceaselessly question Islam’s place in the country, more and more Muslims take issue with being side-lined in these public debates: it is a discussion about them rather than a conversation with them. As a response, Muslims have striven to organise themselves and to enhance their public visibility. Sociologist Aladin El-Mafaalani describes this…

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