C L O S E R

An anthropology of Muslims in Europe - A modest attempt by Martijn

C L O S E R Blog

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Featured / Public Islam

Islamizing Europe – Muslim Demographics

The Youtube video Muslim Demographics is a hit all over the Internet. It is informed by several well-known narratives about the Islamic threat. In this article an evaluation of the most important ‘facts’ of this video. Notwithstanding the conclusion that the facts are disorted, the images in the video provide people with access to the abstract notion of the Islamic threat and in some cases (as with Fitna the movie) it creates and organizes the relationship between a particular authority and parts of his constituency. In that case, the real facts do not matter, what matters is making the fact of the Islamic threat real and concrete. ***UPDATED 15 MAY 2005***

Yme Kuiper on charisma, leadership, personality and the X-factor 0

Religion Other

Yme Kuiper on charisma, leadership, personality and the X-factor

The concept charisma is being used all over the place and is thus losing its meaning, thinks University of Groningen anthropologist and theologian Prof. Yme Kuiper. And that’s a real shame, because when used well the concept can provide an insight into political culture. The insight that someone like Obama in the Netherlands would have had less chance of becoming great than in the United States, for example.

Closing the week 18 0

Blogosphere

Closing the week 18

A weekly round up of writings on the Internet, some relevant for my research, some political, some funny but all of them interesting (Dutch/English). (This week to a large extent based upon suggestions from Dutch, other European, American and Middle Eastern readers. Thank you all.)

Dar al 'Ilm – Het nationale Islam Congres 3

(Upcoming) Events / Internal Debates / ISIM/RU Research

Dar al 'Ilm – Het nationale Islam Congres

Het Instituut voor Islam Studies Dar al Ilm (Huis van de Kennis) organiseert op 16 mei in Amsterdam het Nationale Islam Congres. Zowel mensen als Khalid Yassin, Bilal Phillips, Haitham al-Haddad als Maurits Berger, Henk Vroom en ondergetekende zullen aanwezig zijn evenals Nederlandse moslims binnen en buiten de salafisten beweging. Onderwerpen als de rol van de islamitische organisaties, de jongere generaties, leiderschap, islam in de media en de publieke ruimte, rol van de shari’a raden en shari’a in Nederland, islamitische comedy, gemeenschapsvorming, islamitisch bankieren, da’wah (missie) en dialoog, moslimvrouwen en activisme, zullen aan bod komen. Er is een apart academisch congres over salafisme.

Religie in een liberale democratie: routes en attitudes 0

(Upcoming) Events / Islam in the Netherlands / Multiculti Issues / Public Islam

Religie in een liberale democratie: routes en attitudes

Deze toegenomen zichtbaarheid van moslimorganisaties in het publieke domein roept zo zijn eigen dynamiek op als het gaat over de plaats van religie in de samenleving. Het debat daarover wordt gevoerd en zowel islamitische als christelijke (migranten-)groepen spelen daar zo hun eigen rol in. Daarover gaat het symposium dat op 15 mei wordt gehouden aan de VU in Amsterdam. De posities die worden ingenomen zijn niet altijd vanzelfsprekend, zeer divers, en vallen niet zo netjes binnen de scheiding religieus-seculier.

apas-stsbyhtbs & Geenstijl III – Gefeliciteerd u staat op Closer 67

Blogosphere / Headline / My Research / Some personal considerations

apas-stsbyhtbs & Geenstijl III – Gefeliciteerd u staat op Closer

Behalve het nodige inkomende verkeer van een porno site kwam mijn stuk over seksualisering en pornoficatie ook onder de aandacht van veel Geenstijl lezers door een email van mij aan de redactie van GS. Aangezien ik mijn lezers en reaguurders een stuk serieuzer neem dan GS, heb ik beloofd in te gaan op de reacties door enkele vragen te beantwoorden. Gaat u er even goed voor zitten, want het is een lang stuk (met veel citaten).

Against pornofication and sexualization – scratching the surface because you have to begin somewhere

Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues / Multiculti Issues

Against pornofication and sexualization – scratching the surface because you have to begin somewhere

As in some other countries such as the US there is a debate in the Netherlands about the pornofication and sexualization of Dutch society. In particular feminists have been active in this debate pointing out the objectification of women (reducing women to objects of sexual desire and moulding women into standardized models that fit the general pattern of what is sexually attractive to Dutch heterosexual men) and men (reducing men into objects that are determined by sexual lust and moulding them into standardized models of what a Dutch heterosexual man should find sexually attractive). Now we have one (!) Muslim man who is on a ‘crusade’ against, what he sees, as pornographic representations of women in commercial ads. ***UPDATED!***

"Don't think black and white…think Orange" 0

Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues / Multiculti Issues / Public Islam

"Don't think black and white…think Orange"

Queensday is in many cases a celebration not only for native Dutch people but also for migrants and in particular the younger generations. This time it has led to a new initiative called the Louka. A group of students will hand out more than 5,000 orange headscarves on 30 April to promote tolerance in the Netherlands in a ‘playful’ way. The orange headscarves will, according to the students, allow Muslim women to express their loyalty to their faith as well as to the queen. I’m afraid such an initiative, no matter how well intended it is, will contribute to the opposite.