{Over the past several decades, the German Muslim immigrant community has undergone a transition from being one of “Guest workers” (in which immigrants lived in Germany on a temporary, seasonal basis in segregated communities) to one in which immigrants and German society are trying to facilitate a long-term integration of immigrants into mainstream society. This…
In an unprecedented event, this year’s meeting of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France was ignored by the five primary French Presidential candidates. The meeting is strategically scheduled the week before elections. Attendance is seen as a liability for the candidates; the UOIF is seen by many non-Muslim French as responsible for discomforting protest…
The New Yorker is publishing a long article on the difficult relationship between the Vatican and Islam. “These are fierce theological times. It should come as no surprise that the Vatican and Islam are not getting along, or that their problems began long before Pope Benedict XVI made his unfortunate reference to the Prophet Muhammad,…
By Michael Scott Moore As the first generation of Muslim immigrants to Germany get older, over 70 percent still plan to be buried in the country of their birth. Is integration a problem even in death? Yemos Vurgun was the frail matriarch of a Turkish immigrant family when she died in 1994, aged 90, and…
In the midst of a profound transformation of the French party system, the main political parties are looking for strategies to appeal to Muslim immigrants, from grassroot mobilisation to the pro-Muslim branding of their candidates. The Moroccan Muslim community is using this opportunity to ask for new representative institutions that would enable them to match…
