Bridge Initiative

The Bridge Initiative is a multi-year research project on Islamophobia housed in Georgetown University

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Bridge Initiative Research Publications Europe

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Editorial

09 Jan 2025 | Politics

Reflections on Interfaith Relations: A Decade After My Time as Allianz Visiting Professor at LMU

In the fall of 2013, I arrived in Germany as the Allianz Visiting Professor for Islamic Studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), a role that marked a significant milestone in my academic career. This position, endowed by Allianz AG, was part of a continuing guest professorship for Jewish and Islamic Studies, aimed at bringing internationally renowned scholars to Munich to foster intercultural and inter-religious understanding. (Allianz Gastprofessur | Freunde islamischer Kunst) read the complete article

Factsheet

26 Nov 2024 | Individuals

Factsheet: Walter Rosenkranz

Walter Rosenkranz is a long-standing politician of the far-right FPÖ. In 2024, he was elected First President of the National Council, which is the second most powerful office in Austria. Rosenkranz has a long history of making Islamophobic statements and policy proposals, and has transnational links with anti-Muslim actors. read the complete article

Article

14 Nov 2024 | Policy/Law

Hostile Policies, Daily Struggles: How Islamophobia Shapes Life for Muslims in Europe

Over the past decade, Europe has seen a pronounced shift to the right, as far-right parties across the continent have moved into the mainstream. A significant driver of this shift has been the persistence and visibility of Islamophobia within European society. Anti-Muslim attitudes are widespread, and many elected officials have capitalized on these sentiments. By using Muslim communities as scapegoats, they deflect attention from policy shortcomings, and have instead gained support by appealing to negative perceptions of Muslims.  read the complete article

Article

28 Oct 2024 | Policy/Law

Populism and Prejudice: Insights from Global Islamophobia and the Rise of Populism

In the newly released book Global Islamophobia and the Rise of Populism (edited by Professor Sahar F. Aziz and Professor John L. Esposito), a group of scholars and international experts examine the rise of Islamophobia and populism across various countries, from India to Europe. Each chapter explores how anti-Muslim stereotypes and narratives have been strategically employed by politicians and governments to win electoral support, creating a harmful, discriminatory, dangerous, and sometimes deadly environment for Muslims.  read the complete article

Factsheet

15 Oct 2024 | Individuals

Factsheet: Herbert Kickl

Herbert Kickl is the current leader of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), one of Austria’s major political parties that has shared power in various coalitions over the past three decades. It regained power, especially after mobilizing against immigrants and Muslims and is one of the main factors in the institutionalization of Islamophobia in Austria with many links to far-right anti-Muslim actors around the globe. Kickl invented the most successful anti-Muslim political campaigns of his party with slogans such as “Home, not Islam” (Daham statt Islam). read the complete article

Factsheet

06 Aug 2024 | Law Enforcement

Factsheet: Operation Luxor

Bei der Operation Luxor handelte es sich um eine groß angelegte Polizeiaktion, an der 940 Beamte beteiligt waren und die am 9. November 2020 in Österreich gegen mehr als 70 Personen und Einrichtungen durchgeführt wurde. Die Regierung behauptete, die Aktion ziele darauf ab, „die Wurzeln des politischen Islams zu kürzen“. Im Jahr 2021 entschied ein österreichisches Höchstgericht, dass die Razzien rechtswidrig waren. In den drei Jahren seit den Razzien wurde nicht eine einzige Person verhaftet oder verurteilt. Dieses „ Lehrbuchbeispiel von Regieren mit Kriminalität und Furcht “ wurde unter Bundeskanzler Sebastian Kurz durchgeführt, der für seine antimuslimische Politik bekannt war. read the complete article

Article

26 Jul 2024 | Military

UN Creates Srebrenica Genocide Remembrance Day

To commemorate the 29th anniversary of the “worst single atrocity in Europe since World War II”, the United Nations General Assembly voted in July 2024 to establish the “International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.” This day is meant to honor the lives over 8,000+ Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica who were forcibly taken from their homes and brutally slaughtered in mass executions by Serbian ethno-nationalist forces during the genocidal reign of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. read the complete article

Article

28 Jun 2024 | Politics

E.U. Far-Right Parties Dominate 2024 Parliamentary Elections

Every five years, the European Union (EU) holds continent-wide parliamentary elections to select 720 lawmakers to represent them in decision-making at the EU level. In the run-up to the June 2024 EU parliamentary elections, the current EU Parliament President, Roberta Metsola from Malta, urged Europeans to vote, especially given that  right-wing ultranationalist political parties were polling strongly. read the complete article

Article

03 Jun 2024 | Organizations

Factsheet: ALP Services

Alp Services ist ein privates, weltweit tätiges Sicherheitsunternehmen mit Sitz in Genf, Schweiz. 2023 wurde aufgedeckt, dass Alp Services für die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate arbeitet und die größte Desinformationskampagne gegen Muslime in Europa durchführte, die erfolgreiche Geschäftsleute, Organisationen und Einzelpersonen mit der Muslimbruderschaft in Verbindung brachte, um sie zu verleumden und ihren Ruf zu zerstören. Die Kampagne stützte sich auf islamfeindliche Tropen, indem sie muslimische Personen und Organisationen in Verbindung mit dem Islamismus brachte. read the complete article