exploring muslim identities in europe & north america

This December Lund University and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies will organize a two day long event in support of the Syrian people. The goal is to raise awareness about the civil war, but also to show off the cultural richness of Syria. All events that take place during 48H of Syria will be open to the public including lectures, exhibitions, concerts and litterature evenings. The full program can be found   here.

Meet the Somalis is a collection of 14 illustrated stories depicting the real life experiences of Somalis in seven cities in Europe: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Leicester, London, Malmo, and Oslo. The stories allow readers a unique insight into what everyday life is like as a Somali in Europe. Meet the Somalis is based on the firsthand testimonies of Somalis in Europe interviewed during six months in 2013. The Somali community in Europe is a vibrant, diverse minority group, including people of Somali origin born in Europe, Somali refugees and asylum seekers, and Somalis who have migrated from one country in Europe to another. There are no accurate figures for the number of Somalis in Europe, but on the whole they are among one of the largest minority groups. The illustrated stories focus on challenges faced by Somalis in their respective cities in Europe and issues raised in the Somalis in European Cities research, including education, housing, the media, employment, pol...

Pierre-André Taguieff   is director of research at the French  National Centre for Scientific Research  in CEVIPOF. He is also a member of the  Cercle de l'Oratoire  think tank.Taguieff is the author of a number of books and papers on racism and antisemitism, including  The Force of Prejudice: On Racism and Its Doubles  (2001) and  Rising from the Muck: The New Antisemitism in Europe  (2004).

Being Muslim in France means having to navigate through a complex terrain informed by an aggressive secularism, sponsored by the state, a hostile to Islam public opinion (as the recent successes of Marine Lepen in the opinion polls suggest) and a sectarian Muslim communal life. The following text by Giles Kepel that appeared in Le Monde on 01.11.2013, provides an interesting take on the transformations taking place within French Islam but also reflects aspects of the official discourse on the relationship between Islam and the French state. The translation is my own. On 15 October, for the first time in the history of the Republic, an incumbent Prime Minister visited the Great Mosque of Paris , on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the great feast of the Islamic calendar. In a brief statement, Jean-Marc Ayrault spoke to millions of our fellow believers in what he called "a great religion of France" to extend his wishes. He reminded them of "the ...