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The exclusion of European Muslims nurtures Islamists

Austria's chancellor is seeking to criminalise "political Islam". The move would put non-violent, non-radical Muslims under blanket suspicion and is hardly helpful in the fight against Islamism. In her commentary, Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi says that Islamism is easier to counter if you work together with Muslims on equal terms

Breaking the cycle of violence

In the wake of the Christchurch attack, people took to the Internet to publish messages of both outrage and sympathy, as well as calls for retaliation. Where hatred prevails, reason no longer appears to have a voice. This barbaric act has unleashed destructive forces long buried beneath the surface, writes Jordanian journalist Mousa Barhouma

A duty to protect

The recent spate of mosque attacks and a rise in hate crime has immigrants in Germany sounding the alarm. Community leaders are calling for more support and understanding from state authorities, including the police. By Astrid Prange

No to religious parity

By stating that Islam is not part of Germany, newly appointed Homeland Minister Horst Seehofer is not only polarising the population. At the same time, he is cementing the fundamentally unequal treatment of religious communities in Germany. Commentary by Farid Hafez

En route to a restrictive policy on Islam?

This week, Austria's new centre-right and right-wing coalition published its programme for government. This programme does not view Muslims through the lens of human rights and freedom of religion as people to be protected and people who are particularly affected by racism. Instead, they are very obviously cast in the role of a potential threat, writes Farid Hafez

Some Muslims do indeed celebrate Christmas

As a Muslim I like to go to Christmas markets, eat Stollen and as a child I even got presents. Surprised? That's not the half of it. By Said Rezek

A Christmas Meditation

Scholars are only now beginning to realise the extent to which the Mughal emperors adopted what most would assume to be outrightly Christian devotions. An essay by William Dalrymple

When love comes down

"Traditional religious practice is not political Islam"

Since the German city of Cologne launched a two-year model project to allow Muslim communities to perform the call to prayer, there has been much heated public debate on the issue. Islamic scholar and law professor Mathias Rohe examines the arguments

No one wants conflict with Saudi Arabia

Even though the case of the disappeared Saudi journalist Khashoggi weighs heavily, no government is prepared to risk open conflict with the Saudis. Meanwhile, the concerns of dissidents who have fled their authoritarian countries of origin to the West are growing. By Diana Hodali