Kahina Bahloul, who is credited for becoming the first female imam (or imama) in France, published in March 2021 her first book titled “Mon islam, ma liberté” (“My Islam, my freedom”). In this book, she explains her origins and her liberal vision of Islam. Born in Paris in 1979, Bahloul spent her childhood and adolescence…
On the 7th of March 2021, Switzerland – with a narrow majority of 51%[1] – voted in favour of approving a nationwide ban on full-face coverings. This sees Switzerland join the growing number of European countries to vote in favour of such initiatives, with France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, and Bulgaria each having put in place…
Early April, the French Senate started to discuss the Bill aiming at reinforcing the Republican principles (a novlangue expression to talk about the Bill against “separatism”). In the French legislative system, two chambers are in charge : first the National Assembly, then the Senate that can propose amendments, and third a shared reading of the…
Last week in a joined statement by – the Great Mosques of Paris, Evry and Lyon – announced that it would not be possible anymore to get halal poultry in France. They condemned the French government for planning to ban halal slaughtering by the summer 2021. These three mosques historically benefit from a legal agreement to certify…
Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin have been awarded the German order of merit for their role in the development of the BioNTech-Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. It was the first of a host of vaccines to be granted certification in the EU, in late December 2020, marking a significant step in winning the battle against Covid-19. Türeci and Şahin are a couple that…
