France
All countries-
Freedom of religion at work
Islam – a disruptive influence?
A ruling by the European Court of Justice allows employers to prohibit their staff from wearing headscarves. In doing so, it affords greater freedom to companies than it does to religion. A commentary by Heribert Prantl
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Jihadism debate
Beyond the Mediterranean
Our image of Arab countries tends to be dominated by terror and violence. Yet many people across the region are working hard to defend their freedoms and fight for a decent life – under difficult circumstances. An essay by Asiem El Difraoui
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Franco-German relations
Brothers in arms?
There was a time, immediately after German reunification in 1990, when many French feared Germany. Today, the roles are reversed. But Germans are not afraid so much of France as for it. By Dominique Moisi
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Interview with Tunisian Secretary of State Saida Ounissi
Don′t marginalise your Muslims
In 2014, Saida Ounissi (29) was elected to the Tunisian Parliament as an MP for the Ennahda movement. She is currently Secretary of State to the Ministry of Vocational Training and Labour. In interview with Peter Schaefer, she describes growing up with Islamophobia and racism in France and suggests ways of preventing youth radicalisation
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Book review: Mathias Enard′s ″Boussole″
In love with the Orient
Mathias Enard has written a magnificent novel about Europe’s fascination with the Orient. Awarded France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt, the multi-layered and astounding book is the story of a great unfulfilled love, but above all a plea for cultural dialogue. Ulrich von Schwerin read the book
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The destruction of Aleppo
Surrendering our soul
The French philosopher and author Bernard-Henri Levy appeals to Europe to step in and put an end to the razing of Aleppo
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Book review: Yasmina Khadra′s ″The Angels Die″
A quixotic narrative
In ″The Angels Die″, released this August, the perils of boxing intersect with the precarious arena of colonial politics. Broached with the reflections of a convicted fighter awaiting the guillotine, celebrated Algerian-Francophone author Yasmina Khadra brings to life a psychological exploration of Algeria′s 20th century interwar period. By Sherif Dhaimish
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France and the burkini ban
Lawmakers beware!
Demand too much conformity of a population and you may end up with the exact opposite. Forcing people to adhere to a common identity, as in the case of the burkini ban, fosters a rebellious insistence on difference. By Ian Buruma
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Portrait of the Sufi princess Noor Inayat Khan
The call of the one to the many
Idealistic, cosmopolitan and full of heroic courage. It is almost 75 years since the death of Sufi princess Noor Inayat Khan, who served as a secret agent in France during the Second World War and was ultimately murdered by the Nazis in Dachau concentration camp. A portrait by Eric Schumacher
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Interview with Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh
″I oppose the false Muslims″
The Iranian religious scholar Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh has been studying the origins and language of the Koran for decades. Ulrich von Schwerin spoke to him about his efforts to develop a new approach to the Koran, thereby saving the Prophet′s true message from what he perceives to be an erroneous interpretation of Islam
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Presidential candidate Sarkozy favours nationwide burkini ban
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Tahar Ben Jelloun on the killing of a priest in Normandy
"A declaration of war on Christianity"
On the morning of 26 July 2016, in the church of St-Étienne-du-Rouvray, a small town near Rouen, the 86-year-old priest Jacques Hamel was murdered by two IS terrorists during a service. The Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jalloun, a high-profile intellectual in the Arab world, issued this response the very same day