europe & islam

On 9/11 the West woke up to its ignorance of Islam and the state of Muslim public opinion - in the Middle East and the diaspora. This debate was our response. Initiated by London’s Goethe Institute, European cultural institutes, in conjunction with openDemocracy, have collaborated in a series of live debates featuring leading scholars of Islam from Europe and beyond on the relationship -historical, theological, social and political.
Thursday 5th January

Iran in the straits?

David Madden, 5 January 2012
How are recent events in Iran to be interpreted? History has a lot to teach us, argues David Madden
Friday 18th November

Europe beyond Utøya: addressing a crisis

Umut Özkirimli, 18 November 2011
The slaughter of citizens in Norway in July 2011 was more than the act of an individual: it emerged from a political and intellectual atmosphere that now pervades European public life. This deeper reality must be understood and addressed if Europe is to save itself by living up to its own ideals, says Umut Özkirimli.
Tuesday 6th September

The net of hatred: after Utøya

Thomas Hylland Eriksen, 6 September 2011
The public debate in Norway following the massacre of 22 July 2011 is taking shape. A key focus is the obsessional and hate-filled language that pervades and dominates online discussion, says Thomas Hylland Eriksen.
Friday 29th July

Norway's atrocity: the mental tunnel

Sara Silvestri, 29 July 2011
The deadly attacks in Norway are fuelling debate about multiculturalism, immigration, security and radicalisation. But more attention must also be paid to the behaviours and attitudes that underlie extreme political violence, says Sara Silvestri.
Monday 25th July

Norway’s tragedy: contexts and consequences

Thomas Hylland Eriksen, 25 July 2011
The atrocities inflicted on Norwegian society by a far-right activist leave the country shocked and in mourning. They will have lasting effects even if their exact character is hard to foresee, says Thomas Hylland Eriksen.
Thursday 7th July

The London bombs, five years on: a digest

David Hayes, 7 July 2011

The coordinated bomb-attacks on London’s transport network on 7 July 2005 (“7/7”) left dozens dead and hundreds wounded, and marked the lives of millions in the city and beyond. The political, intellectual and security issues raised by the event were extensively discussed on openDemocracy in the ensuing months. A retrospect of unforgettable days, by David Hayes.

(This article was first published on 7 July 2010)

Friday 24th June

Geert Wilders and Dutch democracy

Cas Mudde, 24 June 2011
A court in the Netherlands has found the influential politician Geert Wilders innocent of charges of fomenting hatred and discrimination against Muslims. The decision is a challenge both to the rule of law and to Dutch politicians, says Cas Mudde. 
Thursday 7th April

Moderate secularism: a European conception

Tariq Modood, 7 April 2011
The question of religion’s place in modern secular societies is intellectually contested and politically divisive. Here, the scholar Tariq Modood argues that European experience and institutional development can favour an accommodative model that respects religion yet goes beyond both toleration and even civic recognition. This moderate secularism, he says, meets the test of core democratic values while avoiding the dangers that fear-induced exclusion of religion from the public sphere would entail.
Wednesday 9th March

France, Europe, and the Arab maelstrom

Patrice de Beer, 9 March 2011
An Arab world in transformation has found France’s elite shamed by its links with the old order. A control-freak president with base political instincts offers little hope for a better policy, says Patrice de Beer.
Tuesday 8th March

Arab insurgencies, women in transition

Rada Ivekovic, 8 March 2011
The waves of change in the Arab world have women at the centre. But how will they fare as revolt turns towards a new political and social settlement? Rada Ivekovic considers the emerging balance.
Monday 7th March

Postmodern Islam and the Arab revolts

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, 7 March 2011
The emancipatory movements in the Arab world represent an inner shift in the self-understanding of Islam - one that promises to overcome an era of false polarities and dogmas, says Arshin Adib-Moghaddam.  
Thursday 28th October

The “Islam” drumbeat: an Orwellian story

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, 28 October 2010
A reductive and tendentious portrayal of Islam and its followers is spreading across Europe and America. It is all too reminiscent of the chilling world imagined by George Orwell, says Arshin Adib-Moghaddam
Wednesday 20th October

The intolerance of the tolerant

Cas Mudde, 20 October 2010
The advance of populist anti-Islamic forces in the liberal bastions of northern Europe - Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden - appears to reflect a betrayal of these societies’ renowned social tolerance. But there is a more subtle logic at work, says Cas Mudde.  
Thursday 15th July

Europe's Muslims: burqa laws, women's lives

Sara Silvestri, 15 July 2010
Several European states - France, Italy, Belgium and Britain among them - are involved in legal, social or political disputes over the dress-codes of Muslim women. A detailed and alert survey of the variegated experiences and attitudes involved is the best way to understand a complex issue, says Sara Silvestri.
Wednesday 23rd June

The Geert Wilders enigma

Cas Mudde, 23 June 2010
The high-profile Dutch politician Geert Wilders is closer to mainstream centre-right politics in the Netherlands than his hardline rhetoric about Islam might suggest, says Cas Mudde.
Friday 14th May

An east London election: politics and coercion

Delwar Hussain, 14 May 2010
The dubious tactics used by some party campaigners in Britain’s general election need to be examined as part of a wider fraud inquiry, says Delwar Hussain.
Wednesday 3rd March

France's other worlds: burqa and abyss

Patrice de Beer, 3 March 2010
The degrading realities of France’s survivalist economy put the country’s latest debate about Islamic apparel into perspective, says Patrice de Beer.
Friday 11th December

France: identity in question

Patrice de Beer, 11 December 2009
A "great debate" over French national identity is compromised by its politicised character and exclusionary discourse, says Patrice de Beer.
Tuesday 29th September

The jihadist style-journey: Germany’s election and after

Ben O'Loughlin and Mina Al-Lami, 29 September 2009
An al-Qaida militant calls on Germany to leave Afghanistan. But why does he wear a suit and tie? 
Thursday 25th June

Tariq Ramadan's project

Ehsan Masood, 25 June 2009
The Islamic thinker's "Radical Reform" reveals the skill and care that informs his search for influence 
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