The ISIM and Felix Meritis (European Centre for Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam) organized a series of lectures and debates on 'Islam, Authority, and Leadership' in 2002 and 2003. The series,... Show moreThe ISIM and Felix Meritis (European Centre for Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam) organized a series of lectures and debates on 'Islam, Authority, and Leadership' in 2002 and 2003. The series, consisting of five meetings, dealt with the presence of Muslim intellectuals in the media, views on how to live a Muslim life in Europe, the principle of separation of church and state, the position of Muslim women in the Netherlands, and Dutch integration policy. Show less
The Bundeszentrale fur Politische Bildung (BPB), Projektgruppe Migration, organized an international conference on 'Muslime und Islam in Europa: Die Integration einer religiosen Minderheit' at the... Show moreThe Bundeszentrale fur Politische Bildung (BPB), Projektgruppe Migration, organized an international conference on 'Muslime und Islam in Europa: Die Integration einer religiosen Minderheit' at the Ost-West-Kolleg, Bryhl, Germany, from 10 to 13 July 2002. The conference compared the processes of integration of Muslims in Western Europe and discussed the Islamic Charter drawn up by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany. Show less
A few weeks ago, I attended a religious wedding in the Netherlands. A Moroccan imam concluded a marriage between a Muslim man and a non-Muslim Dutch woman - a widow with two grown-up sons. Ten... Show moreA few weeks ago, I attended a religious wedding in the Netherlands. A Moroccan imam concluded a marriage between a Muslim man and a non-Muslim Dutch woman - a widow with two grown-up sons. Ten people attended the ceremony: the intending couple, the imam and two members of a local mosque, the woman's two sons, and three female friends. The event epitomized in many ways what it means to live in a migrational situation where many religious facilities that can be taken for granted in Muslim majority countries must be reconstructed. Show less
