C L O S E R Blog

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.

Closing the week 17 – Featuring Sex, Arab Women and Orientalism 1

Closing the week 17 – Featuring Sex, Arab Women and Orientalism

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). (As usual to a large extent based upon suggestions from Dutch, other European, American and Middle Eastern readers. Thank you all.) This week featuring the sex issue of Foreign Policy with reactions on Mona Eltahawy.