By Giulia Barjona / 11.12.2020

On 16th October a French school teacher was beheaded in the north-central region of Île-de-France after showing offensive images of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in class.

Samuel Paty, a history and geography teacher, was also responsible for carrying out the moral and civic education lessons; the most difficult subject to address in multicultural classes, especially in schools which are located in priority education zones.

It is therefore necessary to think, or rethink, carefully about the roles everyone has on both a national and international level when talking about education, priorities, values, discipline, and pedagogy.

The school is primarily a place of learning where education is not limited to only maths, languages, geography, etc. This educational institution offers the opportunity to learn how to discuss and confront other cultures or “only” the most varied ideas. By questioning our convictions we have the opportunity to discover new points of view and to reinforce them. Regarding comments as accusations does not help to develop a dialectical ability useful for making oneself understood.

Additionally, schools offer to teach the greatest amount of useful information in order to be able to live, and live together, in our world. Some professions follow a suitable path to prepare students for future studies, and others offer the opportunity to critically analyse society. Getting to know each other and those around us gives an opportunity to “build” a peaceful and respectful cohabitation.

Moreover, parents of students, when they take their children to school, recognise how useful these institutions are. Schools impart a country’s knowledge and culture. They also share knowledge that parents could never give to their children themselves. These parents are obsessed with the desire for control and with planning the practices, the mind and the life of their “baby”.

However, schools are not ready to face the educational upbringings that children bring with them into class.

First of all, it’s important to be aware of the home culture of the different children and teenagers. Similarly, teachers are hardly ready to tackle such hot topics and start conversations. Paty had not forced students to watch the Charlie Hebdo-related footage, but one of his students did not understand the very purpose of the class. Perhaps the teacher had not understood that the student was not yet ready to approach this topic.

Secondly, in our digital age, there are other solutions than paper newspapers to show images. In some schools, it is forbidden to use mobile phones. Sometimes giving teenagers permission to turn on their phones in order to search for information and use it as they see fit may be a good compromise.

Thirdly, the choice to address current topics is a strategy that is always used. Sometimes, however, you have to think ahead and imagine the consequences. The trial of those responsible for 2015’s Charlie Hebdo bombing took place at the same time as Paty’s murder. Paty had, perhaps, carefully chosen this topic to make students better understand the news they watch on television. However, he did not think that those people involved are terrorists who have links to an international organisation still present in France to this day. It’s enough for an angry father to spark an international “debate” between French president Emmanuel Macron, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the entire Muslim community. Teachers should be informed, even by the military, about taboo subjects.

In conclusion, on one hand a piece of advice to give teachers is to listen to the real interests of students to create better-designed methodologies and programmes. On the other hand, parents should place more trust in schools. They must be informed that no one is trying to replace their authority. A new “structure” of mind is paramount on both sides.

Finally, the two sides must be asked if they truly want to work together and if they are ready to rethink their views. Would such a sincere collaboration ever really be possible?

Author

Giulia Barjona (Italy)

 

Studies: Pedagogical Sciences

 

Languages: Italian, English, French

 

Europe is... an immense source of inspiration and discovery.

Translator

Fern D (UK)

 

Languages: English, French, Russian

 

Study: MA in Applied Translation

 

"As conservative politics tries to push the UK further and further away from the continent, it's now as important as ever to make individual efforts to bring it closer."

Der Beitrag Deprived teachers and demanding parents erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Alessandra Ivaldi / 5.12.2020

In antiquity, bisexuality was considered as something that was completely normal. Let’s look, for example, at the cradle of Western Civilisation, that is to say, Ancient Greece. The attitude of the Greeks towards bisexuality is reflected in their mythology. Various deities had homosexual relations with their mortal lovers. According to legend, Zeus kidnapped the fascinating Ganymede, with whom he had fallen in love. In the Iliad Achilles suffers for the death of his lover Patroclus, while the hero Heracles loves the young Iolaus. 

Moving onto the real world, we cannot forget the Sacred Battalion of Thebes, an elite body of warriors made up of couples of men united by a love affair. This would contribute to the establishment of a great solidarity among the soldiers and a sense of belonging, which represented one of the greatest strengths of this famous group.

The situation changed in the Middle Ages, when homosexuality began to be condemned and severely punished. This attitude persisted also in the following centuries. Just think of the numerous cases of artists persecuted for their sexual orientation. Oscar Wilde for example, was tried and sentenced to two years of forced labour because of his sexual orientation, an event that deeply marked the last years of his life. 

For centuries, therefore, homosexuality has only been considered in two ways: as a crime, a deviance that is dangerous for the rest of society, or as a disease. It was not until the early 1950s that research, conducted in the USA and known as the Kinsey Report, investigated the sexual behaviour and fantasies of a large group of men and women using an anonymous questionnaire. The results of the report revealed that homosexual orientations were much more widespread in the American adult population than was previously thought.

However, it still took several years before the WHO (World Health Organisation) removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses and defined it as a “natural variant of human behaviour”. This fundamental event took place in 1990 and is remembered every year on 17 May with the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 

Today we have the means to understand how our point of view on sexual orientation depends on the historical and cultural contexts. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go. In fact, the freedom to follow one’s sexual orientation is still not recognised and guaranteed in all countries of the world. Even within our own continent, we cannot help but observe how the LGBTI community is sometimes treated differently from the rest of society and its rights are not recognised in the same way in all European countries. But let us not despair, there are also positive signs, such as the existence of the European Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup. This is an intergroup, made up of members of the European Parliament from different parties, whose aim is to defend the rights of the LGBTI community, monitor the activities of EU countries and promote initiatives in this area. It currently has 151 members, which means that it represents the largest of the 27 intergroups in the European Parliament.

For further information on the subject, I recommend you consult the following website: https://lgbti-ep.eu/

Author

Alessandra Ivaldi (Italy)

Speaks: Italian, English, German, French

Europe is... a cultural heritage.

Website: https://iva1794.wixsite.com/home

Translator

Alex Jedwab (binational Swiss/British)

 

Studies: MA in English

 

Languages: English, French, German and Italian

 

Europe is... my home!

 

My website as freelance translator

Der Beitrag The Freedom to Love: yesterday, today and tomorrow erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Celina Wald, Elena Iwanski, Malek S, Pierre, Stéphanie-Fabienne Lacombe/ 21.8.2020

Malek is 30 years old, holds a Master degree in English and linguistics and is now facing challenges he did not expect when he decided to seek asylum in Mayotte in 2019. Him and his two roommates will have to leave their room by the end of the month. As a consequence of the lock-down linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, they have not been able to pay their rent, and the landlord appears to have run out of patience. The floor of the tiny room in Mamoudzou, the capital of Mayotte, is covered in painted tiles. Blankets and pillows lie on the floor which will be used as three improvised beds for the night. A small cupboard and a tatty sofa have been left behind by previous tenants that came to seek asylum in Mayotte, a French overseas department like Malek. The young Yemenite is trying to keep his head up, but sometimes he is simply overwhelmed by the impact of the lock-down. “I feel like I am counting the remaining days of my life”, he says at the start of our video call in the beginning of May.

Currently, 1670 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed on the island. The lock-down regulations issued by the French government, have confined the inhabitants of overseas territories to their homes. For asylum seekers in Mayotte, the latter often consist of no more than a single room they share with others, or minuscule huts made of tin.

Mayotte: a place of increased asylum applications

Mayotte, an island located within the Comoros archipelago between Madagascar and Mozambique, became an overseas department of France in 2011 and an outermost region of the EU in 2014.

Due to its geographical location Mayotte is increasingly receiving applications for asylum from the Comoros, but also the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda as well as Syria, Yemen and Cameroon. In 2018, a total of 809 asylum applications were registered on the island (Rapport d’activité OFPRA 2018, Rapport d’activité Solidarité Mayotte 2018). Most of the applicants are not aware of the precarious situation of asylum seekers in Mayotte, and the risk of becoming stranded on the island. “I believed I would have the same rights as asylum seekers in other parts of the EU”, explains Malek, who had scrutinised the web before embarking on the journey. What he lacked information about, was the huge discrepancy between mainland France and Mayotte when it comes to the enforcement of asylum seekers’ rights.

A part of the EU where asylum seekers’ rights are disregarded

Malek’s journey from Yemen to Mayotte lasted almost two months and cost a few thousand dollars. Due to restrictive visa regulations for Yemenites, after taking several flights, he had no other option than to go by boat from Madagascar to the Comoros. “These 26 hours were the most dangerous situation I have ever faced in my life”, he describes the trip on a tiny sailing boat with 20 people aboard, all hoping for a future in safety.

On arrival, the asylum seekers were on their own. Malek knew that Solidarité Mayotte, an NGO based in Mamoudzou, was key in organising support for asylum seekers on the island. Having written down their contact details, he approached their office. Solidarité Mayotte offers help regarding bureaucratic procedures and provides a little financial support to asylum seekers. They also host accommodation facilities, although they are insufficient for the number of people arriving. “I basically helped myself”, reports Malek, who initially sought shelter in a mosque, where he stayed for the first 15 days.

In theory, the asylum legislation in Mayotte and mainland France is the same. In France, registered asylum seekers have the right to accommodation, financial support, health care, and can apply for a work permit after 6 months. In practise, asylum seekers in Mayotte are systematically being denied these rights: accomodation is not provided by authorities, and renting a room is often impossible without official documents. Work permits are virtually inaccessible, and the financial support system does not exist on the French island. Solidarité Mayotte has already denounced this very precarious situation in their first report of activity from 2008. Nothing has changed since then (Report of France Terre d’Asile 2019).

Obtaining documents – a cumbersome process

Pierre, a political refugee from Burundi, who arrived in Mayotte in 2017, also sought shelter in a mosque before he found another place to stay. Already having spent a few years in Mayotte, he states: “In the beginning, you really need to find your way through here alone, and ask your conationals for help.” ‘Never give up’ became his mantra during that time.

Not only were Malek and Pierre denied support, the bureaucratic process was also rendered more difficult than on the continent. It took almost a year for Malek to get a first hearing with OFPRA, the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons. OFPRA is responsible for all asylum applications submitted at the departmental administration in France, both mainland and overseas territories. However, in Mayotte, OFPRA does not have a permanent office. Therefore, Malek had to wait for the OFPRA delegation to travel to Mayotte for their fact finding mission.

“I ask the French government to help the people in Mayotte and to improve the application process, so that people don’t have to wait so long to get their papers”, insists Pierre. Indeed, the entire procedure requires long waiting times often including repeated queuing in front of the ‘préfecture’, the departmental institution handling registrations. Appointments can be made online, but include only a date, and not a specific hour – which makes early travelling and queuing necessary to ensure being heard. Additionally, since handing in documents online is impossible one might need to go through this procedure several times if something was missing. On top of that, due to infrastructural problems such as power-cuts, last-minute cancellations of long-awaited hearings with the National Court of Asylum (CNDA) are not uncommon. These hearings happen via video call, since the institution does not have a permanent presence in Mayotte either.

Bridging the time: Of patience and agency

For Malek, these procedures meant 11 months of uncertainties, during which he was not allowed to work. Obtaining a work permit is impossible during the first six months of a case is being treated by OFPRA – and is in general a lengthy process. The absence of a meaningful occupation is what Malek describes as a “slow death”. Therefore, he started to volunteer. Aware of the importance and lack of emotional and practical support for asylum seekers, Malek is now helping others arriving in Mayotte. As a translator, he accompanies people to the hospital or to bureaucratic procedures and helps wherever he can.

On the one hand, Mayotte is lacking qualified personnel for its deficient public health care sector and overcrowded public schools. For instance, France’s spending per student in Mayotte reach only ⅔ of what the State is spending on a student on the mainland. On the other hand, immigrants often bring the needed academic qualifications but are not allowed to make use of them. Instead, they are forced to turn towards the informal sector and become vulnerable to exploitation, generating their income as street vendors, household helpers or workers on construction sites. “At home I was an academic, while in Mayotte I was selling onions”, reveals Pierre, who has paradoxically often been accused by customers of having fled his country to take advantage of Mayotte’s wealth.

The social environment of Mayotte is undeniably far from welcoming. Malek experienced a few verbally offensive encounters with Mayotte’s inhabitants, but is generally convinced that “Mahorians are good”. Pierre’s experience has been different: his request for asylum has been accepted and he found a job in Mayotte. He nevertheless suffers from racism, and plans to leave the island: “Some Mahorians think that we have no right to live here.” Mayotte has the highest unemployment rate in the EU, while low salaries combined with high living costs are putting additional pressure on the inhabitants. These struggles are one of the reasons for Mahorians’ partly negative reaction to immigrants. As if the administrative and social adversities had not been enough, “in March 2020, chaos arrived”, affirms Malek.

Raising problems owing to the Covid-19 shut-down

Indeed, France’s strict confinement rules in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic have hit the most vulnerable the hardest. 40% of Mayotte’s population live in tin huts, where access to sanitary infrastructure is not guaranteed, 30% of all houses lack running water.

For asylum seekers the situation is particularly delicate. President Macron’s strict confinement measures deprive people of the opportunity to generate a day-by-day income, which makes respecting confinement rules very difficult. Or as Malek puts it: “Outside we get the virus, inside we get the virus called hunger. The difference between the two is that Covid kills mostly people who are at the age of 55-60 years, but hunger and poverty do not differentiate between ages. However, it does not affect politicians or wealthy people, so it is being systematically overlooked.” Pierre comments on French authorities’ incapacity: “It’s an injustice! The government knows about our existence from the moment we ask for papers. But some groups of people have just been forgotten.” Asylum seekers have indeed been overlooked during public distributions of food. Police presence is not lacking on the island. Breaking confinement rules therefore means taking the risk of being fined. Malek observes that: “most people are respecting the confinement rules, but others don’t care anymore. They cannot be staying home with cuffed hands waiting for an ambiguous destiny.”

Pierre, just like Malek, took the decision to help. With the help of friends and relatives abroad, he initiated an international network to raise funds, in order to be able to buy and distribute food to people in need. “Those people had lost their hope, but the relief action has given it back to them. Now they can live again, thanks to the help of people they do not even know. It seems like a miracle for them.” But they remain dependent on the help of Pierre and his network, at least for the duration of the confinement.

This relief action has reached many migrants at the very last minute, but the underlying problems stay the same. As President Macron is slowly releasing confinement measures on the mainland (and a week later, also Mayotte), Covid-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities even more.

“We haven’t come to Mayotte to enjoy ourselves. We left because we were facing many problems in our home countries. We left our old lives behind to save our lives”, explains Pierre. He will continue the distribution of food until the situation stabilises. Malek, also, continues his volunteer work as a translator, while waiting for a positive decision from OFPRA and his family to join him. “The internet connection in the villages in Yemen is so bad, I can’t even do video calls to see my wife and daughter”, he remarks. His major hope is to finally settle down and work: “It doesn’t matter if it will be in Mayotte, La Réunion, or continental Europe. All I want is to live in peace.”

Shortly before having to leave his room, Malek has luckily found another temporary accommodation. It is no more than a room in a basement, but at least it is affordable and provides a roof over his head – a gleam of hope in difficult times.

This article was first published on thenewfederalist.eu, the magazine of the Young European Federalists. The content they produce is also published in French, German and English.

Der Beitrag FROM PERSON IN NEED TO HERO INDEED: WHEN MAYOTTE’S ASYLUM SEEKERS BECOME VERITABLE CHANGE MAKERS erschien zuerst auf MH English.

The whole of Italy has been on lockdown since the 9th of March, due to the current Coronavirus pandemic. At first we did not actually realise the importance of what the government was asking of us: stay at home, they said. But we kept going shopping, some people went out with friends in the evening, groups of young people gathered in parks to enjoy the first warm spring days. But the number of infected people rose, the number of deaths started to scare us, and stories from our intensive care units made us realise something very serious was happening.

By Milena Parotti / 21.03.2020

Photographer: Kaitlyn Baker // unsplash.com

“Stay at home” quickly became the only thing that mattered, the answer to every question. It is scary, it is annoying, and it is frustrating – we had plans, like everyone else. I had my whole 2020 lined up: exams, an internship abroad, thesis, graduation. All at once, everything shattered. I felt powerless, I kept thinking “this is not fair”. It took me one or two days to convince myself that I had to put these plans on hold, for now I just had to give up and begin a new life: lockdown life.

Anger and frustration were soon replaced by hope. I am one of the lucky ones; doctors and nurses are working non-stop, risking their own health to save other people’s lives. They are the real heroes of the moment. I am neither the owner of a shop that had to close, nor a mom who has to take care of children at home while still working. I do not have elderly grandparents whose lives are at risk. All I have to do is stay home, it is not so bad after all!

The media and social media are bombarding us with numbers and figures, and despite my mind being constantly on this topic every hour of every day, I have managed to settle into life at home.

Technology is my best friend; I would not survive without the internet, I have to admit. Not only can I keep studying, preparing for exams, and writing my thesis, but there are tons of other things to do with a smartphone or a computer! We all know how easy it is to spend time watching Netflix, but that is not all. You have all the podcasts, the webinars, the MOOCs, the virtual museums, the e-books… I am also using this time to tackle the boring activities from which I always procrastinate, such as cleaning and categorizing my files and my inbox. And of course, I have worked on Meeting Halfway more than usual!

Photographer: Samantha Gades // unsplash.com

Being at home does not mean just spending all day long on technology, though. I have tidied my house, I am finally reading all the books that I always buy and never read, I am playing with my dog more (and luckily because of him I have an excuse to have a short walk everyday), and I have rediscovered the joy of playing cards with my family.

It is hard to stay positive, to focus on hope, to wait endlessly for better times. It is something you never get used to, especially when you really miss someone you cannot see, or when you cannot make any plans for your future. But staying home is the only way we can stop this invisible enemy, so I really want to send a message to all our readers in Europe: stay home, do not gather with friends, even if your government still allows you to do it! Wash your hands, do not touch your face, keep your distance from other people.

We are all together in this, we will overcome it.

Author

Milena Parotti (Italy)

Studies: Public and political communication

Languages: Italian, English, French, German

Europe is… a big family where differences are strengths.

Proofreader

Lucy Gannon (United Kingdom)

Job: Aupair and English Tutor

Languages: English and Spanish

Europe is... a home away from home

Der Beitrag Lockdown life: between fear and hope. erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Elke Schneider / 24.07.2019

European Parliament elections are very important for the European Union. This year we witnessed a big fight between social democrats, right-wing populists, greens and others. But European Union’s small island nation Cyprus had another kind of competition. This year for the first time Turkish Cypriots participated in the elections with strong names and formations. In the end, a Turkish-speaking Cypriot got one seat out of the total six seats that are allocated to the Republic of Cyprus.
Before the elections, I interviewed the 29-year-old Oz Karahan, an important political figure for the Cypriot community. He is the president of the progressive Cypriot nationalist organisation “Union of Cypriots”. He was also an MEP candidate from Sener Levent’s “Jasmine Movement”. He and his organisation are fighting against the political wings that are in orbit of Greece and Turkey in the island and advocating that Cyprus can only be independent by fighting for the idea which is same with their motto, “Cyprus for Cypriots”.

Oz Karahan

Elke Schneider: This election is historic for Cyprus because of the strong candidates that are participating. And no doubt one of them is Sener Levent, the legendary journalist who fights against Turkish occupation and Turkey’s President, Erdogan. Union of Cypriots and yourself are also well-known names that are actively campaigning for the same purposes. Could you share with our readers, how these important political actors came together?

Oz Karahan: First of all, we have an advantage and it is the fact that Cyprus is a small island and everybody who is in the fight knows each other very well. As you know, our beautiful country is under occupation since 1974 and Turkey’s oppression against the Turkish-speaking Cypriots who are trapped in the occupied lands increased dramatically after the “2011 Turkish Cypriot protests”. The Afrika newspaper attacks, which happened on 22nd January 2018, were the point that we realized we have to unite as progressive forces who fight against Turkey’s illegal existence on the island. This is the spirit behind the formation of a joint list from important Cypriot figures who are known in the society and participate in the European Parliament elections.

Elke Schneider: Please tell us a little about yourself personally and your background.

Oz Karahan: I was born in April 1990 and started my political activism at a very early age. Having spent my youth years in Famagusta and being part of different formations, I led the youth organization called “LINOBAMBAKI” which was one of frontier groups in the protests against Turkey in 2011. After my university studies in the Czech Republic, I first moved to the United States and was active in Communist Party USA and later moved to Sweden for a short while being active in Kommunistiska Partiet. I was one of the founders of the “World Union of Turkish-speaking Cypriots (WUTC)” which later became Union of Cypriots. Currently, I am the president of the “Union of Cypriots”, which is one of the biggest organizations that fights for the independence of Cyprus and Cypriots. And now, an MEP candidate from Jasmine Movement.

Elke Schneider: Wow, interesting story. But tell us, why did you become politically active? Was there something that triggered your political activism?

Oz Karahan: I think the best answer is the circumstances. Living under the Turkish oppression and seeing that every day your culture is under attack by some outsiders makes you want to fight back.

Symbol of the progressive political organisation “Union of Cypriots”.

After the occupation, Cyprus had its best chance to be united again with a UN plan named after the Kofi Annan in 2004. This proposal was supported by 65% of Turkish Cypriots, but only 24% of Greek Cypriots. Turkey’s aggression towards Turkish Cypriots got more intense with Erdogan’s political journey to become a more dictator-like figure. But unlike his own citizens, Turkish Cypriots did not obey him and in 2011 there were mass protests against Turkey called “Communal Survival Rallies”. These kinds of anti-Turkey protests erupt time to time in the occupied areas of Cyprus by Turkish-speaking Cypriots.

Elke Schneider: Please, tell us what happened and what is going on in the occupied parts of Cyprus briefly, for the readers who are not so much in the subject.

Oz Karahan: As you know, Cyprus was a British colony until it became independent in 1960. It was the era that most of the colonies got their “independence”. But of course, imperialists were not going to leave an island, a key to the middle east and an unsinkable aircraft carrier – Cyprus – that easy. First, they tried to create an intercommunal conflict in Cyprus by using their puppets Greece and Turkey, shortly after the independence. Many progressive Cypriots from both communities who fought for a united, independent Cyprus were silenced by Grecophile and Turcophile armed formations. And later, following the US-backed fascist coup in Greece, Cyprus had a coup attempt by a group of Greek-speaking Cypriot citizens that eventually resulted in the Turkish invasion.

Elke Schneider: And today…

Oz Karahan: Since then, we have an island that its half is occupied, an unrecognized puppet state in the north which is controlled by Turkey and hundreds of thousands illegal Turkish settlers who were sent to occupied areas from Anatolia. This “illegal settlers” subject is very important since they are the main tools of Turkey to fully colonize the occupied areas and make social, cultural and economic oppression to Turkish-speaking Cypriots who are trapped in the north. Historically, Turkish-speaking Cypriots have never been in good terms with Turkey and the reason behind it is the cultural and social differences between them. Turkish-speaking Cypriots are not ethnically or culturally Turks, even though British and Turkish theses are trying to prove this otherwise, with the artificial history they invented. Divide and conquer was the game played here. Like what happened in many other colonies after colonialists left. Turkish-speaking Cypriots are basically people who converted in Ottoman times to save their lives and prevent taxation. Therefore, the Turkish-speaking Cypriot culture is one of the most secular and anti-religious cultures on the planet, a fact that does not please Turkey. And today, because of the occupation, this European community has to live with Anatolians who have 180 degrees opposite values from them.

Elke Schneider: This is a huge problem. And also, we know that the number of illegal settlers is so much bigger than Cypriots now, in the occupied areas.

Oz Karahan: Exactly. Even though Turkey tries to hide it in order not to not draw the attention of the international community, there are one and half million illegal Turkish settlers living in the occupied areas. And Turkish-speaking Cypriots are only a hundred thousand. Because of Turkey and settlers’ oppression, Cypriots are leaving the island every day and this means that so soon the colonization of the occupied lands will be completed. This is why we are fighting to continue existing in our lands and campaigning in intergovernmental organizations. Because unfortunately today, for all political sides, continuity of current status-quo is what they want. While Turkey is colonizing valuable lands, the Republic of Cyprus’ governments are chasing some kind of “federal” solution that will allow Turkey to stay on the island forever.

Elke Schneider: Tragic… What are the main aims and objectives of the Union of Cypriots? What is your view about the solution of the Cyprus issue?

Oz Karahan: We support and promote Cypriotism (Cypriot nationalism) with its progressive values. We believe in a unitary Cyprus with the principles of “one nation, one flag, one homeland, and one state”.

In this European Elections, Turkish Cypriots had another strong candidate who won a seat in the Parliament, Niyazi Kizilyurek. He is a professor and strong believer in federalism. And he was a candidate from one of Cyprus’s biggest political parties, AKEL. Many believe that AKEL made this move to split votes of Jasmine Movement. However, there is a difference between Niyazi Kizilyurek and Oz Karahan, and that is their view about Turkey. Niyazi Kizilyurek has very strong relations with Turkish institutions and politicians. That is why he hesitates to talk clearly when Turkey subjects open. But Oz Karahan and other candidates of the Jasmine Movement have a long history of openly fighting against Turkey.

Elke Schneider: You are right now participating in the elections with other political parties which are funded by big corporations and financial groups. How do you think that you will overcome this big resource differences between you and them?

Oz Karahan: As you know, many political parties are funded by some interest groups, which is simply a disgusting situation. It is the same for Cyprus. Yes, you are right about one point, the fact that they have money, they have employees who are getting paid for campaigns for their candidates, yes they do fancy and expensive PR campaigns, yes they are backed by the political parties who are guards of the status quo. But we do not need any of these anyway. We are a grassroots movement and we get our support directly from ordinary Cypriots who care for their future and children. And we believe that this is the biggest richness and PR.

Elke Schneider: I would like to ask you the last question, about your plans after 26th May, if you get elected. What will the main issues that you will fight for in the European Parliament be? The reason that I am asking is because we saw some of the candidates making statements about their support for Turkey’s accession to the European Union, from the biggest Greek Cypriot political party. What is your opinion about this?

Oz Karahan: My opinion about the point you mentioned last is that those statements are simply treason. It is a fact that some political parties and politicians are in a state of eclipse of reason. But it is a bit sick to tell these things about the country that illegally occupies half of your country. Not only that, we are talking about a dictatorship regime that locked countless journalists, students, academicians and political figures in jails. So, I am speechless when I hear these kinds of statements from any Cypriot, because these are not the things that some patriot or even humanist would say. Other than all of these, Turkish regime is targeting people like Sener Levent who are fighting for independence of Cyprus and Cypriots. However, some Greek-speaking Cypriot officials do not hesitate to pose in family photos or fly to Turkey for romantic dinners with Erdogan’s cabinet just weeks after the Afrika newspaper attacks in 22nd January 2018. Let’s forget for a second the facts that Turkey is the country that illegally occupies half of our little island. We are Cypriot citizens and this is the concern we get from our own government(!) for defending our state. This is twisted but this is the environment that we continue our struggle. Let me answer your first points in the light of this. If I am elected, I will do whatever I can to inform and raise awareness of the international political environment about what is happening in Cyprus and the importance of stopping Turkey’s colonization plan of the occupied areas.

Cyprus is one of the smallest countries of the European Union. But the polarization of its tiny community is one of the biggest. But blaming its people for this situation is like taking the easiest way out. In the end we are really talking about a tailor made safe land for western imperialists to control Near Asia and they are the ones who are creating this social and political mess. So supporting people like Oz Karahan or organisations like Union of Cypriots for their fight against the colonialists is a duty of all of us, all progressives of the world.

Author

Elke Schneider

Der Beitrag An interview with Oz Karahan erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Julia Mayer / 03.06.2019

The role of media is essential to the core of a democratic society. The media informs, controls, and promotes the development of opinions. The principles of our democracy can be guaranteed only through a free and open media, this is done through information, critical reflection on the facts, and the discovery of irregularities. The media are just as fundamental to the political and economic spheres, as they are for those of culture and society. It contributes to the stability of the political system and the steady evolution of society. The complete autonomy of the media is essential in this regard. But will it continue to succeed if freedom of expression is put under restriction?

The organisation, Reporters Without Borders, documents the presence of violations of the freedom of the press and informs us of it on a global scale. It also informs public opinion in case the journalists or their collaborators are in danger. In its annual report, it shows the horrendous extent of these crimes; in 2018, 348 journalists were kidnapped, and 80 killed. Also, 60 people were kidnapped and 3 have disappeared without a trace.

Murdered journalists

Following 2017’s annual report, we can observe that 15 more people were killed in 2018 than in the year before. 61% of the journalists killed in 2018 were victims of targeted attacks; they were not killed while at work, but were attacked due to their journalistic work. Through their service illustrating the criminal activities of public figures and in this way they contravene the interests of these groups.
In the countries for which it is most dangerous for journalists we find Afghanistan, Syria, and Mexico. This last one is not currently at war. Nonetheless, many Mexicans deal with the press with hostility, since they work towards dismantling corruption and the activities of organised crime.

Imprisoned journalists

In this regard we also see a rise of 7%. The number of professional journalists that have been imprisoned has grown in regards to the preceding year, and at the same time, the number of independent journalists and bloggers imprisoned has also grown. More than half of all arrested journalists are from only 5 countries. These are, according to the data, China, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. These countries, after having brought their journalists under control, are now attempting to be able to easily act against online journalists in the future. Often, ignoring orders for their release, the imprisoned journalists continue to be detained and the sentences simply ignored.

Kidnapped journalists

Following the previous arguments, it is no surprise that the number kidnapped journalists has grown by 11% in comparison to the previous year. This is especially in the countries of the Middle East that are in wars, and are many journalists are kidnapped for political and economic motives. Syria, Yemen, and Iraq are those particularly affected by this problem.
These results also include those who have disappeared. Those who belong to this category have disappeared without any evidence for either their death or a kidnapping.

What is the situation of the freedom of the press in the European Union? How can it be improved, both in Europe, and worldwide?

As we have already clearly shown, the worldwide reports regarding the freedom of the press have dramatically worsened in comparison to the preceding year. However, how is the situation if we focus on the EU?
Firstly, we must take into account Article 10 of the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) which protects freedom of opinion along with the freedoms of press and information. Therefore, all European citizens can express themselves and their opinions freely. Freedom of the press, pluralism and independence are essential parts of the path towards freedom of opinion. Nonetheless, even countries of the EU like Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have had to face accusations of censorship. For example, media laws in Hungary brought in in 2011 have enforced strict censorship. It is incredibly important to observe how the media is regulated, since those who possess the means of information, have the power to influence and dominate said information.
To hinder these actions and to guarantee and promote pluralism, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a May 2015 resolution in defence of journalists who find themselves in armed conflicts. With the campaign #ProtectJournalists, 14 points of access to legal assistance, protective measures, and aid were instituted. At the same time, Reporters Without Borders have documented all attacks and violent events that journalistic professionals have faced.
The same organisation has requested in 2018, through an international commission made up of high level representatives, the creation of the fundamental right to free and independent information. In November, the commission published an “International declaration on information and democracy”, according to which “the global information and communication sphere” must be protected for the good of the human race.
For the occasion of the international “Freedom of Press Day”, MEPs called for the defence of the media, pluralism and independence. Additionally, various objectives have been established , in order to allow future journalists to be able to access better support and institute an authority for independent regulation, which an observe and point out threats towards journalists. Also, we expect that there will be new rules looking to prevent deceptive legal actions. These objectives are very much encouraging and if acted upon will allow real progress, at least within the EU, and will act as an example for other nations.

Conclusions

The media play a key role in our democratic society and are essential for the sharing of information at the European level. It is therefore incredibly important to protect the freedom of the press, to punish its abuse and infractions against it, to denounce attacks against journalists and adopt measures to protect it.

Sources:

https://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/jahresbilanz/2018/

https://www.bpb.de/gesellschaft/medien-und-sport/medienpolitik/189218/funktionen-der-medien-in-einer-demokratischen-gesellschaft-i-und-ii

https://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/fileadmin/Redaktion/Presse/Downloads/Jahresbilanz/181217_Jahresbilanz2018.pdf

https://www.dw.com/de/rangliste-der-pressefreiheit-europa-wird-zum-krisenkontinent-f%C3%BCr-journalisten/a-43511838

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/eu-politikerin-lochbihler-die-pressefreiheit-in-europa-ist.694.de.html?dram:article_id=416496

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/de/headlines/society/20180322STO00326/eu-abgeordnete-fordern-schutz-von-journalisten-und-unabhangigkeit-von-medien

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/de/press-room/20180426IPR02615/eu-muss-sich-starker-fur-den-pluralismus-der-medien-einsetzen

Author

Julia Mayer (Germany)

Studies: Public Management

Languages : German, English, and French

Europe is… a community that unites, founded on peace and common values, unique in this way, essential for our coexistence.

Translator

 

Param Barodia (Great Britain)

 

Languages: English, French, Spanish, and Gujarati.

 

Studies: Hispanic Studies and French

 

Europe is... a project for the betterment of us all.

 

Der Beitrag Media professionals: killed, imprisoned, and kidnapped! erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Antoine / 09.03.2019

Antoine took this decision because he wanted to get out of Paris, to discover new things and especially to make himself useful! He had already been a volunteer with Utopia 56 in Paris (an organisation that gives aid to refugees), and he knew the association was also working in Calais. He thought: why not?

On the 24th October 2016, the refugee camp in Calais was destroyed by law enforcement. But that doesn’t mean to say there’s no-one there anymore. After all, migrants have tried to get to England since the fall of the Berlin wall.
The refugees are hiding in the region, largely sticking to groups of their own ethnicity. There is a sea of Eritreans, Afghans, Somalians…

Unfortunately, Calais is not the only place that has seen an influx of refugees; there is also the large Grande-Synthe camp next to Dunkirk, mostly made up of families. On 6th September 2018, it also underwent an eviction of more than a thousand people. But this isn’t really a solution to the problem, because they all come back to try to get to England, every time they are driven away.

Refugees in the rain ©Utopia56

But why are the refugees coming to Calais? The people Antoine shared a mobile-home with explained migrants come to Calais to be able to go to England. There it is much easier to work, rent a house, send your children to school while being undocumented.

They also told Antoine that some refugees have started their lives there, had worked for years and then one day the police showed up, asked to see their papers and sent them back where they came from: which is to say, on the other side of the world, where they knew no-one and wasted no time leaving again to go back to England, braving all the dangers of the journey. Moreover, before reaching England, some had already tried to live or seek asylum in many European countries without success. Some also wanted to join family that already lived in England.

Charities in Calais In Calais, eight associations are based in a warehouse. They all do different work, such as providing food, education, access to healthcare. The co-ordination and co-operation between them is quite uncomplicated and they are all very compatible with each other. Because of this they have been able to pool their skills and facilitate communication between themselves.

Despite the large number of volunteers, Antoine found them all to be very professional. There were 120 of them when he was on site during summer, but in winter that number gets a lot smaller.

The volunteers in the warehouse do so many different things! Cooking, making tea, sorting donations, mending clothes, chopping pallets to give wood to refugees: the work is very varied.

It is on a scale of gigantic proportions: they made tea in 120 litre tanks all day long, 20 of the volunteers cooked 1,200 meals per day in a kitchen up to professional hygiene standards.

Each day, several different jobs were offered to Antoine and it was completely up to him to pick the ones he wanted to do. The warehouse also needs people with specific skills; people who know how to do something useful like knowledge of car mechanics, video editing, photography or hairdressing would all be a bonus to the warehouse! This is by no means an exhaustive list, and the warehouse is open to all suggestions!

Sorting donations ©Utopia56

Antoine tells us about the food and clothes distribution to refugees with Utopia 56.
The teams were made up of three to a van, accompanied by a team leader. There were five designated distribution points with hours for when distribution would take place.

During the day, the volunteers asked the refugees if everything was alright, let them use their generators to charge their phones, and offered hygiene kits and water. They talked, drank tea and played cards with them while their phones charged.

In the evenings, on top of what they did during the day, the volunteers handed out food cooked at the warehouse to them, and clothes. There was a team of coordinators who made sure their more specific needs were taken care of, such as sheltering vulnerable people, and ensured everything ran smoothly for the volunteers.

Food distribution ©Utopia56

Someone asked Antoine if he was not scared during his first distribution. His answer is: no not at all! Before his first time distributing, he attended training for three hours in the warehouse. His team leader explained his role to him before they left, what he should and shouldn’t do, and guided him throughout the distribution.

Utopia 56 first sends new volunteers to daytime distributions, because these are more straightforward, then moves them to the evening sessions. Antoine always tells: All in all, I’d say that doing distribution to everyone who comes out of the forest is quite overwhelming, but Utopia 56 takes good care of its volunteers.

The atmosphere with the refugees was great. It’s easy to make friends with them. First and foremost, the team leaders and field co-ordinators know them well and encourage getting to know the refugees.

Getting ready for distribution ©Utopia56

At the end of his stay, Antoine taught two Somalians how to play the card game Egyptian Ratscrew (la bataille corse) which they played together. Communication was quite simple, because the majority speak English or French at some level.

Antoine did a distribution one evening when it was raining and the atmosphere was less congenial. He could already see them getting angry with each other. According to ‘long term’ volunteers, you need nerves of steel to do distributions at night, in winter, in the cold and snow.

The police The French government is paid by the British government to prevent migrants from going to the UK. So the French police do everything to make migrants leave the region. The implementation of this policy includes demolishing different camps and a number of tactics to counter refugees, and also the volunteers that help them.

A report on this topic was published on the 7th August 2018. It is available in English (here) and French (here).

Despite these somewhat alarming facts, and CRS (French riot police) intervening in the case of an improperly-parked van in front of the warehouse, Antoine never heard anyone say “today I had a run-in with the police”. The only ones who really had trouble with the police were long-term volunteers who had more trickier, ‘delicate’ jobs.
What’s more, all the work the associations do is completely legal and should really be being carried out by the French state.

A peaceful distribution during the day. We are waiting for phones to charge while drinking tea ©Utopia56

The media The media isn’t talking about Calais anymore. Why? When the jungle was still there, the refugees were much more visible. Now they live hidden away out of fear of the police, but they’re very much still there! The government is pursuing a policy that intentionally makes refugees invisible.

Antoine’s experience Antoine loved the experience with the other volunteers. These were anywhere between 18 and 75 years old, and came from all over the place! They were English, Irish, Spanish, Italian, German, Czechs, Americans, Congolese and Indians. A funny anecdote is the American who came to visit France for three months: he heard all these people speaking English and never left!

Every morning, everybody met up in the yard for a little outdoor meeting with all the newest updates and information for that day, and also some stretches. Then, everyone went their own way to start their day’s work.
In the kitchen, music was turned up to full volume. Antoine washed reusable cups every morning with his Catalan team for a gentle start, then he joined another team. All the volunteers talked to each other fairly naturally. At midday, they ate the food made in their kitchens, the same food the migrants ate. They were good times of sharing and coming together.

In the evenings, everybody slept at the campsite in their mobile-homes. There were little parties here and there every night. They invited each other to eat at each other’s houses, it was very friendly. Antoine slept in a caravan with two British volunteers that had been there for over a year, and a girl from Hong Kong who had been there for 4 months. They were very welcoming to him!

Willingness to give your time to help others is an integral part of being a volunteer, so everybody helped each other. An example of this solidarity is a friend who every morning asked everybody in the warehouse whether they wanted a tea or coffee, and brought it to them.

Antoine came back from Calais with a lot of motivation! He took his volunteering back up at the Paris branch of Utopia 56. He then decided to join the emergency housing team, and then the association’s communication team, working from home on very varied tasks, such as organising information conferences in universities or organising meetings between future hosts and and our volunteers, or helping to design our new website. He also asked all his friends to organise Utopia 56 conferences in their schools to improve the association’s visibility.

Here are the eight charities who run from the warehouse:
L’Auberge des Migrants
Refugee Community Kitchen
Help Refugees
Mobile Refugee Support
Refugee Women’s Centre
Refugee Info Bus حافلة المعلومات للاجئين مسیر راهنمای پناهندگان
SALAM Nord/Pas-de-Calais
UTOPIA 56 (who Antoine came to work with in Calais)

Author

Antoine (France)

Translator

Rebecca Wenmoth (United Kingdom)

Der Beitrag A volunteer in Calais: let’s help refugees! erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Anja Meunier / 24.7.2018

Claus-Peter Reisch, Captain of the Lifeline.
Photo: Anja Meunier

The Lifeline is a rescue ship from the civilian sea rescue organisation MISSION LIFELINE, whose crew rescues people from drowning in the Mediterranean. After the ship took 234 people on board in June, first Italy then also Malta forbade them from docking at their ports. It was only after five more days that the ship was allowed to land in Valetta, the capital of Malta, but legal proceedings were immediately started against Claus-Peter Reisch and the ship was seized. We met Mr Reisch at the sidelines of the ‘Ausgehetzt’ (’stop the hate speech‘) rally in Munich.

MH: Mr Reisch, your ship the Lifeline is stuck in Malta right now and cannot leave. Why is that?

Reisch: It’s not just our ship that’s stuck in Malta and not able to leave, but all three ships normally stationed in Malta are not allowed to leave. One because the Maltese traffic authority forbids it, and we are not allowed to because the ship has been seized as evidence in the trial against me. We’re actually just talking about whether or not a certificate is valid, a certificate that has neither expired nor is a fake. The world doesn’t make sense anymore. We’re not talking about sea rescues anymore and that is actually the subject that I care about.

Sea rescuers and refugees on a rubber boad. Photo: Danilo Campanilla / Mission Lifeline

MH: At the moment are there any other civilian ships carrying out sea rescues in the Mediterranean at all?

Reisch: There are three ships out there still, but they are being operated from Spain and are also taking the refugees to Spain. They have to transport the people over long distances, this way the ships are kept out of the sea rescue area. We don’t get to choose which ports we take the people to; they are assigned to us by government agencies. We don’t have a choice of where we bring the people to.

MH: Critics of sea rescues say that if there weren’t any rescue ships, fewer people would brave this crossing. Have you seen any evidence of this in the past weeks, now that fewer sea rescue boats are out there?

Reisch: No, the exact opposite. More people are dying than ever. July 2018 will go down as the most deadly month in the history of sea rescue. The smugglers don’t care if people survive. The deal’s been done, they’ve got their cash, and the people are just being dumped in the sea.

Rescued people on the ship. Photo: Hermine Poschmann / Mission Lifeline

MH: The boats you come across in the sea are often completely unseaworthy. Why is it that the refugees let themselves board these boats?

Reisch: Well, you know, the people have never known sea. They come from sub-saharan countries, from the Sahara. There isn’t any sea there, there’s a sand sea. And then at some point they see this amount of water that they’ve never seen before in their life and then of course lots of people get scared. But if they don’t board the boats on their own, they shoot two or three people on the beach and the others then get on.

MH: The fact that the people are taken to Europe afterwards and not back to Libya or other African countries is often criticised. What is the reason for this?

Reisch: There are several reasons for this. One reason is that we receive the port assignment, the so-called Port of Safety, from the Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome. They assign us a port and we have to go there. I have no free choice in this. The second point is that there is the Geneva Convention on Refugees, and it states that you cannot bring people back to a country from which they are fleeing. I would have to bring the people back to Libya. I am not allowed to do that. I would be guilty of an offence if I did that. Moreover it would be extremely dangerous for my crew, myself, and the ship if I were to enter Libyan waters. A civil war is being fought there, and who voluntarily travels to a country in the midst of a civil war? Tunisia is also ruled out. It is not a country fighting a civil war but it is also not a safe country. The people there are deported in so-called chains of deportation and Amnesty International is reporting about torture and suchlike in Tunisia.

The Lifeline in the Mediterranean. Photo: Hermine Poschmann / Mission Lifeline

MH: The accusations against you and the seizing of the Lifeline and other ships have attracted a lot of media attention. What’s your view on the atmosphere surrounding sea rescues?

Reisch: I think that many people have been reminded that people are dying over there in the central Mediterranean en masse, especially because of the current absence of independent sea rescuers. Incidentally, these ships rescue “just” 40% of the people, the rest is done by merchant vessels, and also partly by the military, which is supposed to be made illegal now as well. If we don’t do it then no one will, and the people will simply die there.

MH: What skills should you have if you want to get involved on deck with civilian sea rescues? Who is needed?

Reisch: At Mission Lifeline we are always happy to welcome operators, experienced ship mechanics, marine technicians, engineers. They have a very important position on the ship. Navigators are also in demand, along with paramedics, electricians, emergency doctors or surgeons and experienced nurses. We also need female members on the ship because we get a lot of women and small children and they just have a different relationship with a female doctor or nurse than with a man.

Rescued people on the ship. Photo: Danilo Campanilla / Mission Lifeline

MH: How can those who don’t dare undertake this difficult job at sea support the rescuers from land?

Reisch: Firstly, and in any event, of course though donations. We finance this ship exclusively through donations. Mission Lifeline costs €2500 a day. We need a relatively large amount of diesel, we always have repairs to make. That is completely normal for such ships. We are also looking for people who could help us in media relations, or in the office.

MH: Do you have any concrete demands to make of the governments, the EU or politics in general?

Reisch: Well, of course, firstly sea rescues must never be criminalised. At the moment they’re trying to force us into this corner, which is completely unviable. I used to be a businessman, I don’t need to earn money from people smuggling, which we also don’t do. Those are entirely unfounded allegations. That has to stop. We need to be given a status so that we can sail with our ships and our qualified crews, that’s very important. And above all we have to start tackling the reasons for fleeing. We’ve been talking about it for 30, 40 years, but nothing’s been done about it. It’s all just chatter with no action.

For more information on how you can support the sea rescuers please click here.

Author

Anja Meunier (Germany)

Studies: Mathematics and Economics

Languages: German, English, Spanish

Europe has… beautiful countries, interesting people, a great lifestyle. And needs to stay together.

500px: Anja Meunier

Translation

Sarah Robinson (United Kingdom)

Studies: French and German Language and Literature

Languages: French, German, English

Europe is… complex and invaluable.

Der Beitrag When people die because their rescuers are standing trial erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Can Yildiz / 17.2.2018

If we think about Iran, normally we immediately associate it with veiled women and a lifestyle shaped by religion and restrictions. The reality, however, is different. Women play a really active role and exert a greater impact on Iranian society than many people could imagine. For instance, 60% of the students in Iran are females. This percentage, which is almost the same in Europe, is remarkable, if we consider the fact that Iran is a theocratic republic. As far as education is concerned, Iranian women don’t miss anything. In the 1960s, at the time of the monarchy, they actually explicitly encouraged the education of women.

In 1979, women played a fundamental role in the overthrowing of the Shah, hoping it would help to create a more democratic and free society. The outcome of the Islamic Revolution, however, was exactly the opposite: oppression and restrictions. Of course, that was a cause for great disappointment among Iranian women, who were confident and well-educated.

The subsequent discrimination of women today remains deeply rooted in the Middle Eastern Islamic Republic. Although Article 3 of the Constitution obliges the state “to eradicate unjust discrimination, to guarantee equitable access to all resources and spiritual areas to everyone,” in the Islamic Republic that does not automatically guarantee gender equality as well.

In fact, women cannot pursue certain types of careers, such as being a judge, and legal depositions made by women are worth half of those made by men. And the discrimination continues in everyday life: domestic violence is a daily occurrence and many common activities, like going out, are simply impossible or can have serious repercussions on Iranian women and girls.

With all these restrictions, however, we should not forget that we are talking about confident and well-educated women, who are fighting against oppression and are using all the freedom they have been given. Women have not been completely excluded from the labor market; today, they are journalists, teachers, and they even sit in the Parliament. At least in the big cities, the strict dress regulations are liberally interpreted.

If there is another revolution in Iran, women will be at the front line for self-evident matters: freedom, equality and an autonomous life.

This article was first published on thenewfederalist.eu, the magazine of the Young European Federalists. The content they produce is also published in French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Italian.

Author

Can Yildiz (Germany)

Studies: European Law

Languages: German, French, English, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, Spanish

Europe is… liberty, peace and progress.

Translator

Chiara Cettolin

Proofreader

Sarah Robinson (United Kingdom)

Studies: French and German Language and Literature

Languages: French, German, English

Europe is… complex and invaluable.

Der Beitrag Freethinking prisoners: Women in Iran erschien zuerst auf MH English.

By Saskia Schäfer / 11.7.2017

In Gunter Gaus’ long interview in 1964 Hannah Arendt described how, as a young child at home, she was not at all made aware that she was Jewish. She said her entirely areligious mother never used that word at home, and this part of her identity was first made known to her at some point through other children’s antisemitic comments on the street. Later, in school, she was instructed to leave the classroom immediately should teachers make any antisemitic comments – mostly about Eastern European Jewish children – and to relay the exact wording to her mother, who would then complain to the headmaster.

Her opinion on the crucial importance of Jewish identity solidified over the years, even before the Holocaust. In the interview she said: ’When you are attacked as a Jew, you have to defend yourself as a Jew. Not as a German or as a citizen of the world or of human rights or something.’

And the neighbours? How does one defend those who are branded as not belonging based on their identity?

In these times of strengthening nationalism with ethnically homogenising perceptions of identity, it is not only Jewish Europeans, but also to a growing extent Muslim Europeans who are subjected to multiple attacks. In Germany these range from the inadequate attempts to come to terms with the executions of nine Turkish-German and Greek-German micro-entrepreneurs by the extreme right, to around ten racially motivated crimes carried out every day in 2016. Muslims, male and female, grandsons and granddaughters of former migrant workers, and those that wish for an open and diverse society are banding together and trying to counter the growing nationalistic fury. But with what? ‘More headscarves on talk shows, more religious diversity in school lesson,’ some say; ‘the abolition of the privileges held by the old-established religions,’ others counter.

Ten years ago the Ethnologue Arjun Appadurai wrote a book about ‘The Fear of Small Numbers’ where he examines the origins of so-called ethnic conflicts. In it he argues that the liberal political theory had originally provided special rights for minorities, which it understood as procedural and temporary amalgamations of people. This is how thinkers like John Stuart Mills and Alexis de Tocqueville wanted to protect political systems from the ‘tyranny of the majority.’ After the European categorisation of different races and ethnicities had then gained acceptance through colonial policy and been disseminated through censuses and maps, these special rights were often delegated to so-called ‘substantial minorities’, that is to minorities that were almost unalterably defined by their ethnic or religious affiliation. Instead of taking a stand for land reforms as exploited farmers one year, and advocating the establishment and outfitting of schools as educationally oriented fathers in the next, the concerns were attributed in the long term to certain ethnically assigned minorities and majorities, and not just from without, but also by the members of these declared minority categories themselves.

These prayer flags in the Yunnan province of Southwestern China signal the presence of the Tibetan ‘ethnic minority’ there. But is a categorisation into different ethnicities justified? © Hannah Illing

I have encountered similar tensions between different possibilities of self-representation of so-called minorities in my own research into public discourses on Islam in Indonesia, the most highly populated majority Muslim country in the world. Since the beginning of democratisation in 1998 the members of both smaller and larger Muslim organisations, as well as LGBTQ Muslims, have increasingly been subject to attacks there. They are accused of using the practices and symbols of Islam even though they are apostates and therefore not Muslims. These allegations appear in different forms and on different levels. An example is the rumour that followers of Ahmadiyya, a now globally active organisation founded in the late 19th century in then British controlled India, have modified the Islamic profession of faith, which would amount to a grave insult to the Prophet. This rumour does not correspond to the actual practices of Ahmadiyya. In actuality praying Ahmadis recite the profession of faith five times a day during their worship. Even the most senior politicians regularly fuel this rumour by, for example, proclaiming at conversion ceremonies: ‘Thank God, the former Ahmadis recite the profession of faith!’ Such statements quickly turn into headlines, and so rumours endure that the Ahmadis are insulting the Prophet. When in 2011 a physical assault on a group of Ahmadis in West Java ended in the death of three Ahmadis, the perpetrators were not only given very light punishments, but the allegedly provocative behaviour of the Ahmadis was highlighted and one of the group was imprisoned for several months after being identified as an agitator.

The Ahmadis have begun to fight back against this and a change in the representation of Ahmadis in the media is being observed. It is becoming obvious just how much they haven’t had a chance to speak in the first place. Their defence was instead taken over by human rights activists. After the attack in West Java Ahmadis themselves were also eventually invited onto the talk shows, and after a handful of speakers emerged, their perspectives were also mentioned in articles. But just how can the Ahmadis defend themselves? Which arguments will be listened to? My discourse analysis shows that two interpretational schemata dominate above all: the argument of religious freedom for minorities, and nationalism. Both are powerful discourses in Indonesia. My hypothesis is that today human rights and nationalism are barely functioning as life lines for the Ahmadis who have been discriminated against and marginalised. But I argue that the severe reduction in public discourses can have dangerous longterm consequences for these two sole interpretational schemata. As the political scientist Elizabeth Shakman-Hurd has demonstrated in her newest book in the field of International Relations, the reduction of identity to one dominant aspect closes the door to the possibilities of diverse alliances. If the majority of Indonesian Muslims don’t see the Ahmadis as brothers and sisters in faith, then it depends on their acceptance of human rights and the strength of national sentiment as to whether or not they will tolerate the existence of the Ahmadis. And indeed, if they see the Ahmadis as human beings at all. We are well aware of how quickly societies change, how quickly categories assigned to groups can be excluded from the community. The shaky tolerance founded on one or a few identity markers gives rise to the twofold danger of this marker losing importance in a society, or of the corresponding category falling out of the group to which it was understood to belong.

What this means for the current situation in Europe, is that it may not only be about defending my neighbours’ right to their otherness, but of consistently questioning to what extent this otherness actually exists. The Swiss Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan believes that European Muslims are not a minority at all, but are simply European citizens. Instead we have to draw on the complexity, temporality, and variability of identities. The identity of the working woman, the father, the girl playing handball, the class parent, the female chemist. Societies have to move beyond the fantasies of homogenisation brought on by strengthening nationalisms and the splintering into more and more fragmented identities, and they must find a way to acknowledge specific identities without putting them in the way of the fluid and constantly renegotiating formation of procedural and problem-oriented alliances.

This article was first published on thenewfederalist.eu, the magazine of the Young European Federalists. The content they produce is also published in French, Spanish, German and Italian.

Author

Saskia Schäfer (Germany)

She is a political scientist, received her PhD from the Freie Universität Berlin and has completed research stays at Columbia University in New York and at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include discourse and media analysis, religious and political authority, secularism, public morality, Islamic feminism and Islam. Saskia Schäfer has carried out extensive research in Southeast Asia.

Translator

Sarah Robinson (United Kingdom)

Studies: French and German Language and Literature

Languages: French, German, English

Europe is… complex and invaluable.

Der Beitrag (Not) A minority: Muslims between inclusion and discrimination erschien zuerst auf MH English.