General News
“Seeking European Imams Desperately” : An Assessment of the Ongoing National and EU Initiatives
The function of imam is often considered the most effective entry point to organise Muslim communities, as Prof. Welmoet Boender, from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, points out in a recent article in the journal Religions. In Europe, imams are often considered a potential bridge builders between Muslim communities and secular-majority societies… if they possess the…
Jürgen Habermas Rejects UAE’s Sheikh Zayed Book Award
At the beginning of May, Germany’s most renowned living philosopher, Jürgen Habermas, was named the recipient of the United Arab Emirates’ Sheikh Zayed Book Award, making Habermas the cultural personality of the year. After initially accepting the award, Habermas swiftly reversed his decision and ultimately rejected the honour – along with the award’s cheque for EUR…
Is The EU Funding Islamism? The German Debate
“The European Commission funds several associations that are considered Islamist by the German government or the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz). Although officials [of these associations] have garnered attention because of their anti-Semitic statements, EU funds continue to flow” (source). That was the opening claim of Welt journalist, Frederik Schindler, in a…
The Dutch right wing’s use of social media to spread anti-Islam rhetoric
Geert Wilders, leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom in the Netherlands (Partij voor de Vrijheid in Dutch, or PVV), shared a video clip on Twitter earlier this month attacking Islam and its traditions. In the video, released on 12 April – coinciding with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – the…
The Backlash against the UK Race Report:
At the end of March 2021, The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published their report on racial inequalities in the UK. The Commission was initially formed following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, which inspired burgeoning protests around the globe under the banner of the Black Lives Matter movement. In response to…