caliphate

Illustration of the elephant Abu al-Abbas

Khaled Diab August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 0 Comments abbasid, abu nuwas, andalusia, apostasy, caliphate, charlemagne, christendom, christianity, constantinople, crusade, Egypt, eu, europe, european commission, harun al-rashid, infidel, irene of athens, islam, middle east, muslims, saddam hussein, slaves, umayyad

When a Christian king and a Muslim caliph united against their common foes

Despite the official holy war between Islam and Christendom, Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid and Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne exchanged lavish

How not to make Europe great again

A new alliance of Italian, Polish and Hungarian far-right parties promises a renaissance that will make Europe great and Christian again. The trouble is the original Renaissance was not Christian, and Europe has never been better.

After ISIS, former Yazidi sex slaves are caught between trauma and taboo

Safia, a Yazidi teenager from Iraq, was captured by the Islamic State, sold into sexual slavery, raped, tortured and made pregnant, leaving deep psychological scars. Her ability to come to terms with the trauma are thwarted by taboo, shame and her forced separation from her daughter.

The shocking similarities between white supremacists and Islamist extremists

Despite their conviction that they are polar opposites, white supremacists and Islamist extremists share much in common, including a hatred for minorities and the enemies within, a persecution complex, and nostalgia for past glories.

The unlikely demonisation of Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie made a very unlikely target for the fury of conservative Muslims, which is why the opportunistic fatwa issued by a Khomeini in serious decline took the novelist and the world by surprise.

In search of the lost city of Londonistan

Our intrepid and fearless reporter visited the fabled capital of the European Caliphate, Londonistan. What he discovered was shockingly, surprisingly, confoundingly, almost frighteningly… ordinary.

Islam for Donald Trump and the politically incorrect

Mr Trump, if you really want to know “what the hell is going on” with Islam, I invite you and all the other bigots out there to join me on a mind-expanding journey through Islam(s), passing through the main thoroughfares and back alleys of history, society, culture, politics, theology and, above all, people.