cafebabel.com

French caricaturist on satire magazine petrol bombing

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:56:56 -0000

On 2 November the Paris HQ of Charlie Hebdo, a French weekly satire magazine, were completely burnt in a Molotov cocktail attack at the next day's planned release of the paper called 'Charia Hebdo', dedicated to Tunisia's moderate islamist election victory. One French cartoonist replies

Tunisia’s Arab renaissance comes out of London exile

('dominicmaciver',) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:00:00 -0000

On 23 September the arab spring achieved its most significant achievement yet. It was a rebirth for the modern Arab world without spilt blood nor fiery rhetoric in the dust and the death; instead it used ink and consensus to rebuild a country. Moderate islamist party ennahda, coming out of exile in the UK, won 41% in the country's first democratic elections on 22 October

Blogger Khelil Ben Osman on Tunisian elections

('ZoeBBee',) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:02:13 -0000

There's no official result in the Tunisian elections yet. Nonetheless the moderate islamist party ennahda is on the verge of victory. One of the pioneers of the digital awakening during the jasmine revolution gives his view of the first great moment of democracy in Tunisia

Alcohol ban? Istanbul cafes versus Turkish authorities

('Alice Ravenscroft',) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:00:00 -0000

This summer a new broom was sweeping clean the streets of Istanbul – as well as the country’s football and armed forces. Who’s wielding the broom? What ‘rubbish’ are they trying to get rid of? ‘Turkey eats dirt’ is cafebabel.com’s response to the summer ‘dust up’ by the Turkish authorities. The final in our three-part series: Turkey cracks down on those famously dangerous things, street cafes

Libya after Gaddafi: Europe’s Iraq?

('Culturissima',) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:13:11 -0000

The post-Gaddafi era is taking shape around the national transition council, which is currently in control of Tripoli. Uncertainty about the future is already taking hold though, with fears that Libya could become a new Iraq. This time it falls to Europe to avoid repeating the post-Saddam disaster

Istanbul 'sex bus': student beaten for defending couple speaks

('Aleksandra Sygiel',) — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:49:00 -0000

On 17 April a young Turkish couple were asked to leave a city bus because the driver considered their kissing and hand-holding as too obscene. Events worsened: whilst arguing with the driver at the stop in Taksim Square stop in the couple's defence, fellow passenger and politics student Gökçe Koç, 28, was assaulted by a stranger getting on the bus. We meet via facebook where Koç started a protest group, Seks Otobüsü (‘Sex Bus Number…’): 34 TN 1992 25T

Confused, Cameron? Don’t abandon multiculturalism just yet

('Daniel G. Ross',) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:23:39 -0000

There's nothing particularly new in the British prime minister's 5 February claims that multiculturalism has failed. But there is something worrisome about his speech, and not only because other English-speaking countries are looking to Britain as they debate the merits of their own multiculturalism policies. View from Canada

Berlin: Eid al-Adha is our christmas

('anuja',) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 18:20:04 -0000

It's early in the morning. Kreuzberg lays silent in the drizzling rain under the grey sky of Berlin. It is a November day like every other - and special for the more than 4 million muslims in Germany

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I: ‘Young people in Europe feel unsafe’

('Georgios Kokkolis',) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:57:11 -0000

He speaks seven languages, he’s down with the green cause and he’s the leader of the global orthodox movement which in Europe exists in the east, north and the Mediterranean, but he resides in Istanbul. Interview with the spiritual leader of 300 million worldwide. cafebabel.com in Athens and Istanbul meet the man

Building a mosque in Warsaw: is it all trouble and strife?

('Peter Robbins',) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:00:00 -0000

Muslims in Poland go back several centuries, beginning with the arrival of tatar settlers in the eastern reaches of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The muslim community in Poland has only recently begun attracting attention, with the building of a mosque financed by a Saudi sponsor in the Warsaw district of Ochota. Not everyone is happy

Lemon half moon cake for Danish far right party

('Thomas Gam Nielsen',) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:28:08 -0000

In Denmark, the people’s 2010 revolution is lemon. The popular ‘citronhalvmåne’ cake is being sent in the tens to the offices of the far right Danish party, in protest of their immigration policies. Ironically, the crescent shape of the ‘lemon half-moon’ is also a muslim symbol – a perfect gift on the eve of Ramadan?

Heard about the niqab, mini short wearing ‘Niqabitch’ in France?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:30:00 -0000

In September two twentysomething ‘crazy girls’ walked to the French ministry of immigration and national identity in Paris in somewhat alternative outfits; one has Maghreb origins. They're protesting over the internet against a law which bans the burqa in the public sphere - after all, 'this is a democracy’

Islam for beginners: first stop Istanbul

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:45:00 -0000

Hanging out on the streets of Turkey’s European capital can be an exotic experience for those who haven’t had too much contact with islamic culture. University lecturer and islamic history expert Anas Eryarsoy takes us though everything we wanted to know, but were too afraid to ask

Three muslims in Brussels: (almost) ordinary citizens

('Nettah',) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:15:00 -0000

Being Belgian and muslim poses no particular problem for Omar, Younes and Mourad. They don't wear the burqa, which is banned in Belgium, yet are often turned away from bars. In the EU capital, tolerance and rejection go hand-in-hand

Islam and Europe: a five step waltz

('G. Ring',) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:30:00 -0000

The more widespread an idea, the more erroneous it is. Since the Middle Ages, each period imagines that the question of islam in Europe is a new phenomenon, too often forgetting history, which has not always been about the mode of conquest. A brief overview of a stormier past than one could have imagined

Why the Swiss call Italian workers ‘baliaratt’

('Helen Dray',) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:00:00 -0000

What’s the problem when three rats devour a Swiss cheese? Nothing, except when the rats represent the 45,000 Italian workers ‘stealing jobs’ in an Italian canton of Switzerland. That's according to 60 billboards splattered over the mainly Italian-speaking canton of Tessin or Ticino. Term of the week

German erasmus student on life in Istanbul

('Anneka',) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Who speaks English? Why don't men look me in the eye? Why do people still wear headscarves? A score of questions hit the European newcomer studying in the Turkish city

Bosnia-Herzegovina cinema: Jasmila Zbanic's 'On the Path'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:23:59 -0000

Four years ago the Bosnian director unexpectedly won the golden bear at the Berlin international film festival with her debut film. Her new work 'Na Putu' also has controversial potential, handling themes of islamism and a couple's alienation in modern-day Sarajevo

Berlin launch: Anti-islam book by German bank exec Thilo Sarrazin

('eurotopics',) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:25:08 -0000

The former politician launched his book 'Deutschland schafft sich ab' ('Germany abolishes itself' on 30 August in Berlin. Criticism of Germany's immigration policy is legitimate, writes the Italian, German and Austrian press, but don't attack muslims. Translated European press review selection

Becoming an atheist? Renounce your religion online

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:09:21 -0000

The internet transformed our relationship with organised religion; it could now become its downfall. In 2009, Irish website Countmeout.ie caused an international stir by offering a quick, simple way to leave the catholic church. Panorama on how Europe's muslims, christians and jews exchange faith for freedom of speech

Ramadan: from Bologna with love

("naomi o'leary",) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:48:36 -0000

We’re hungry, and in a hurry. The evening sun is still strong enough to melt the tar between the cobbles. I’m in Bologna, Italy, and Badr is bringing me as a guest to iftar, the daily feast that breaks the ramadan fast.

Turkey-Israel: credibility and question of anti-semitism

('Karis Eaglestone',) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:18:48 -0000

Since heavy criticism from the Turkish side after the Israeli attack on a Gaza aid ship on 31 May, relations between the two states have entered a further ice age. There has been rising concern in Europe that Turkey is increasingly turning away from the west. A babelian political theorist explains the problems inherent to the Turkish response

Lech Garlicki on judging Europe’s religious fabric

('James Friscia',) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:15:37 -0000

The Polish jurist, who has been a judge at the European court of human rights since 2002, on religious symbols in schools, the burka, security and the status of women

Bloc Identitaire: lowdown on France's new far-right

('Hanna Sankowska',) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:45:00 -0000

You couldn't miss them during the regional elections in France between 14 and 21 March. Not that the far-right party, which proclaims to defend the civilisation of 'true Europeans', shone at the voting booths. Other extreme-right parties have now taken up the same anti-islamic mantra

The Netherlands, France, Italy: rise of Europe's right-wing

('sofio',) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:00:00 -0000

After Geert Wilders in Holland, the1 Le Pen family in France gained the votes at the regional elections on 14 March 2010, confirming the positive trend of extreme righ-wing at the old continent. Together with Italy's Lega Nord, these parties represent a practical example of new right populists who do not like to be labelled 'extremists'

Almost 50 journalists behind bars: 'all young Iranians are potential journalists'

('Jude Lister',) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

On 11 February 2010, both opponents and supporters of Ahmadinejad were in the streets to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. We speak to the Iranian lawyer and 2003 nobel peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi

In a country of 400, 000 muslims, the Swiss vote to ban minarets

('euro topics',) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:40:42 -0000

On 29 November, the people of Switzerland voted to ban the construction of new minarets. The referendum initiated by the Swiss people's party and the conservative federal democratic union has dealt a severe blow to religious peace in the country, write the Estonian, Swiss, Portuguese and Austrian press

Music duo Kim Ki O: ‘the danger of being Turkish’ for Europe

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:45:00 -0000

The Swedish pop elite love them, but EU bureaucracy is preventing Ekin Sanac and Berna Göl from breaking Europe. In Istanbul, music is an unstable bridge between east and west. Part two of a special feature

'Institutionalising' extremism in Cologne's Pro Köln movement

('rhiannon_nicolson',) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:19:39 -0000

The mosque currently in construction will be able to hold the 120, 000 muslims who live in the west German city. Consequently, the ‘Pro Cologne’ movement is rapidly losing its electoral base in the next municipal elections in mid-September. First in a series of five reports in our 'Europe on the ground' mission, which sent five EU journalists to Koeln

Backstage: story of a Senegalese street vendor in Rome

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:25:14 -0000

‘La petite vendeuse de soleil’ is a moving film first shown at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival in the 'director's fortnight' category. It tells the story of a young Senegalese girl who is a street vendor for the newspaper ‘Soleil’, a common job for immigrants living in European cities. Off the cinema screens, we meet Ndjogou Thiongane in Rome, who accompanies us on a visit to the great mosque, and tells us his own story

Fatima Mohamed Kaddur: a muslim in the Spanish people's party

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0000

The 43-year-old is a practising Muslim from Melilla who works for the opposition in Gines, Seville. We talk about why she won't force her daughters to wear the headscarf, which she doesn't see as a barrier and has publicly taken a stance on against her party leader, Mariano Rajoy

Anti-immigration, eurosceptic 'freedom party': what Geert Wilders wants

('Christian Derlagen',) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:49:56 -0000

The far right Dutch party has gained four seats in European parliament elections: to date, it is the second best result in Netherlands, after the christian democrats with 5. Participation has fallen to 36.5%. Dutch press and analysts say it may provoke new parliamentary elections, because the ruling coalition (of the christian democrats and the social democrats) has been weakened

Islam in Strasbourg: role model for the rest of EU?

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:00:00 -0000

With more than 20 mosques, 30 catholic churches, 13 protestant churches, 9 synagogues and 10 Buddhist temples, many believe that the creation of an islamic theology department would solve the problem of integration. Such an establishment is not permitted in secular France; but with a local statute and the system of 'recognised faiths', it can be in Strasbourg

Subculture: sexes, hairdos and jeans in Iran

('Andrew Christie',) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0000

1 April is Islamic Republic Day, a national holiday in Iran. Thirty years after the Islamic revolution, an unpopular government is once again struggling with a dissatisfied young population. However, the Iranian resistance against its own regime has no strategy behind it, only tactics. A portrait of the mood in the land of the red squares

The Turkish theologist who stopped wearing the headscarf

('Kinia Adamczyk',) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Her sisters thinks she’s ill and will ‘get better’ one day, her mother is upset, whilst her father calls her his most clever daughter, insisting she did the ‘right thing’ three years ago. Nuriye Duran- Özsoy’s story

How to survive ramadan

('Aatish Pattni',) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Fasting during Ramadan is a considerably difficult strain on the body, made up for by the communal breaking of the fast. Meal times are in the evening and the middle of the night

Mika Waltari: from Helsinki to Istanbul

('Media Consulta',) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:13:44 -0000

2008: the EU’s year for intercultural dialogue and the centenary of Finnish writer Mika Waltari’s birth, who travelled Helsinki to Istanbul by train in 1929. For the integration train, Turkey may be only a stop along the way, but a necessary one. Imaginary journey via Berlin

Army and Islam makes Turkey lose out to Europe

('Roman Moravcik',) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:36:15 -0000

Slovakian experts have their take on what problems the EU member candidate has

Seville will have its mosque back

('Mary Maistrello',) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:45:00 -0000

By 2010, the new mosque in the Cartuja 93 district will be completed. Seen by the administration as a “constitutional duty”, but for others as a “non-Sevillian” project , its construction is sure to provoke heated debate.

Turkish love story on Danish shores

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

With 3.8 million Turkish immigrants in the EU, we head to Denmark with the seventh largest Turkish population in Europe. Aydin Ozturk, 50, settled in Odense with a Danish partner and found his place in society

Headscarfs from Europe's presidents on Mars

('Martyn Hawkins',) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Are you waiting for the snow in Tallinn? Bothered about a piece of cloth in Turkey? Or taking a politics lesson with McCain? The latest news from our babelblogs

More Muslims, more mosques in Europe

('Katja Heise',) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:00:00 -0000

'Islamist' threats to power or positive signs of integration? A Ramadan special

In Turkey islamism is modern

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Durão Barroso says Turkey is not yet ready for entry into the EU, and Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union, Alberto Navarro argues that the sphere of influence in Turkey not taken up by the EU will instead be taken up by Russia, China or Iran.

'You have to accept that Spain isn’t an Islamic country'

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The construction of Europe’s biggest mosque is thrown into limbo two weeks after fresh elections in Seville city council

Iranian conservatives: 'Unnecessary provocation'

('Sarah Turpin',) — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The atmosphere from within Iran is increasingly hostile - president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nuclear ambitions don't help

Simon Wheatley – ‘Photography helps me be a simpler person’

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Life through the lens: the Magnum photographer, 37, on snapping European youngsters, the decline of local communities and fearing Islam

From imam to businessman

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Sausages without pork - a Turkish businessman tries conquering the EU

Erri de Luca, Neapolitan, generation '68

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Winner of the 2002 Prix Fémina for Foreign Writers for his splendid Montedidio – written in 'very Neapolitan Italian' – Erri de Luca reflects on Europe, the Mediterranean and the passing of generations

Milli Görüs: wolves in sheep’s clothing

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The Islamic Association of Milli Görüs is Europe's largest 'radical' Islamic religious association, monitored by the Office of the Protection of the Constitution

Marjane Satrapi: 'the Iraq war was about nothing but oil'

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

We spoke to the Iranian graphic novelist, 37, in January, after she shot to fame with her black-and-white comic book ‘Persepolis’. It's currently hitting movie screens in its animated French version