Monthly Archive: May 2012

Groom, Prey, Lover boy – Sexual Violence in the Netherlands 1

Groom, Prey, Lover boy – Sexual Violence in the Netherlands

An interesting report on Al Jazeera, featuring Moroccan-Dutch Muslim in has battle against young men (and some women) and their practices of dragging women into prostitution. Wijbenga recognizes there is a risk of racialising sexual crimes but nevertheless feels it to be his duty to raise awareness about the problem and to involve Islamic organizations in his work.

Riots, Ritual and Rage – 'Salafists' and PRO-NRW in Germany 2

Riots, Ritual and Rage – 'Salafists' and PRO-NRW in Germany

Last week several Muslims were arrested in Germany after riots during a protest against a demonstration of the German radical right wing party PRO-NRW. During the election campaign for the regional elections in Nord-Rhein Westfalen, PRO NRW organized a demonstration nearby a Salafist mosque in Solingen whereby the demonstrators showed the Muhammad Cartoons.During their counter-protests the Salafists, according to the reports, attacked police and injured four of them.

Pop Goes Islam: Islamic Youth Channel 4Shbab 0

Pop Goes Islam: Islamic Youth Channel 4Shbab

The controversy surrounding an Islamic styled music channel for Muslim youth.
In 2009, Egyptian entrepreneur Ahmed Abu Haiba launched the world’s first-ever Islamic music channel. Based in Cairo, 4Shbab branded itself as “Islam’s Own MTV”. But after an initial strong start, a backlash set in. Despite winning awards, Abu Haiba increasingly had to defend his channel and its programmes against claims that it was “unIslamic”.

Performing the Nation – Memory, Murder and Fortuyn 0

Performing the Nation – Memory, Murder and Fortuyn

While for Fortuyn’s supporters he was the example and hope for how the Netherlands should be and could become, for his opponents he was and his the fear of a loss of social cohesion and exactly how we should not be. While 4 and 5 May connects people with national symbols, creates and consolidates solidarity by means of contact with experiences and people from the past. Although the hype of 2001/2002 has toned down, the remembrance of Fortuyn does the same for many people.

Godsdienstvrijheid onder druk? Vrijheid, angst en conflict 0

Godsdienstvrijheid onder druk? Vrijheid, angst en conflict

Op vrijdag 1 juni wordt in Amsterdam het symposium Godsdienst onder druk? Vrijheid, angst en conflict gehouden. In mijn bijdrage, die ook zal verschijnen in het tijdschrift Religie & Samenleving, zal ik in het bijzonder ingaan op de angst voor het salafisme de hand van het begrip islamofobie in paradigma’s die we kunnen aantreffen in politiek, beleid en media en die betrekking hebben op migratie en het management van religie en in het bijzonder van moslims in Nederland.