The Hague Polytechnic has announced it will not put up a Christmas tree because it would contradict the institution's multicultural character. Columnist Malou van Hintum asks in the daily De Volkskrant whether the university management has completely lost its marbles: "Accepting diversity in society means making it visible, not hiding it. … We are all different, we think differently, we live differently. Give each other as much freedom and space as possible to express this. This applies especially when it comes to the festive aspects of a belief, whether you're talking about Catholic processions or the heathen Christmas tree which was so quietly incorporated into the religious festival and nowadays decorates any number of secular living rooms, classrooms and shop windows. … By not putting up a Christmas tree the University is undermining the 'international and diverse' character of the institution. This is not politically correct. It is short-sighted and narrow minded. And also terribly boring."  (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Integration, » Netherlands
All available articles from » Malou van Hintum

A school in Stockholm has banned a pupil from attending classes wearing a veil. Because there is no general ban on veils in Sweden the pupil, who lives in the Stockholm district of Åsö, has brought a complaint before the Swedish Ombudsman against Discrimination. Lotta Edholm, responsible for school issues in Stockholm, announces in the opinion forum Newsmill that the case will be looked into: "I am sceptical. But this is precisely what the matter is about: 'What are you allowed to do in the name of religion? How far does religious freedom go? Does religious freedom extend to the freedom of extremist views in a children's environment? I want this to be examined. If the Ombudsman against Discrimination rules that the regulations in Åsö are wrong Stockholm will take this decision to court." (08/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Sweden
All available articles from » Lotta Edholm

People who are satisfied with their lives don't need religion, writes Sue Blackmore in her blog for the left-liberal daily The Guardian: "Popular religious belief is caused by dysfunctional social conditions. This is the conclusion of the latest sociological research conducted by Gregory Paul. Far from religion benefiting societies, as the 'moral-creator socioeconomic hypothesis' would have it, popular religion is a psychological mechanism for coping with high levels of stress and anxiety. ... It is a crutch to which people turn when they are under extreme stress, 'a natural invention of human minds in response to a defective habitat'. Americans, he says, suffer appalling stress and anxiety due to the lack of universal health care, the competitive economic environment, and huge income inequalities, and under these conditions belief in a supernatural creator and reliance on religious observance provides relief. By contrast, the middle class majorities of western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have secure enough lives not to seek help from a supernatural creator." (08/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » United Kingdom, » U.S.
All available articles from » Sue Blackmore

What the ban on minarets in Switzerland shows above all else is how afraid people are of all things foreign, writes the historian and journalist Attila Novák on the opinion page Komment.hu: "As far as European Islam is concerned we have the choice between Scylla and Charybdis, that is between total integration and total rejection. Before the background of historical examples in Europe I would like to caution those journalists and publicists in whose heads Islamic terror organisations and peaceful Muslims are frequently inseparable, and who consequently tend to associate Islamism with the entire Islamic community. ... The minaret law in Switzerland won't stop radical Muslims from spreading their doctrines. ... The law clearly demonstrates how prevalent fears of things foreign are, and that certainly does not bode well for the future." (08/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Integration, » Minorities, » Weltanschauung, » Switzerland, » Europe
All available articles from » Attila Novák

The debate on the Swiss referendum against minarets shows that Europe needs new integration models for Muslims, writes the daily Dnevnik: "At the dawn of Islamic culture minarets were watchtowers lit with torches, and later they were used to call Muslims to prayer. Today four minarets in the heart of Europe are shedding light on a blatant problem. ... The reactions to the Muhammad cartoons in Denmark in 2006, the heated debate in the wake of the speech given by Benedict XVI in Regensburg a year later, the film Fitna by the right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders and before that the murder of the filmmaker Theo van Goh are only the most conspicuous examples. No one expected the integration of Muslim immigrants in Europe to be easy or free of conflict. And current events do not suggest it has failed, but that it's time more attention was paid to how this goal should be achieved." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Europe, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Dragomir Iwanov

While the EU is pressing for progress at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the daily Dagens Nyheter points to disaccord between the EU member states: "The states disagree both over negotiation strategies and political content. How far should the EU go in the negotiations - and who should pay for what the EU promises? Until now none of these questions has been answered satisfactorily. ... It would be disastrous if persisting antagonisms between the countries of the EU poisoned the talks in Copenhagen. For this reason the Swedish EU Council presidency should seek to ensure that what has been agreed on is adhered to, and that problems that have not yet been resolved should be deferred so that the EU can act as one." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Europe, » Global

After 23 days on hunger strike at the Spanish airport of Lanzarote human rights activist Aminetu Haidar, from the Morocco-controlled region of Western Sahara, is in critical condition. She is pressuring the Spanish government to allow her to return to her home country. Morocco has meanwhile threatened to break off its cooperation with the immigration and security policy if Spain intervenes. The Spanish daily El País writes: "The threats should be taken back immediately given that clandestine immigration poses a threat to the lives of countless Moroccans the fate of whom Rabat cannot ignore, and also given that security is not just a Spanish interest, but a shared interest, precisely because the threat affects both countries. The rupture in bilateral relations which the case of Aminetu Haidar has caused demonstrates the weakness of the base on which they are constructed. … Rabat and Madrid must return as soon as possible to the path of agreement on their common interests and of negotiation regarding their differences." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Migration, » Social movements, » Spain, » Morocco

US President Barack Obama will be presented with the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo tomorrow. The liberal daily Mladá Fronta Dnes asks why people are making such a big deal out of the award: "Has it ever happened that people got all up in arms over the choice of a chemistry laureate? Or physics? Let's be frank, the jury members aren't computers. They're only human, and have their own sympathies. This is even more clear with the Nobel Prize in Literature. The prize has been given to four Germans - or German-speaking authors - in the past ten years. Nothing against Karl May, but it very much looks like someone on the inside is very fond of German literature. But do the Americans - or the Eskimos - complain? Things are different with the Nobel Peace Prize. It's strange how seriously the decision by five jury members is taken. And every year it's the same thing. The world gets a new godhead, and a third of the people celebrate him, a third vilify him and a third couldn't care less." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Global
All available articles from » Milan Vodička

The EU Commission wants to develop new environmental and social indicators. Until now economic growth has been measured in gross domestic product (GDP). But the new indicators are not without danger, writes the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "The EU headquarters in Brussels hopes the new social indicators will also level differences between regions and 'social groups'. But in this way Brussels is subtly giving itself more authority in social policy and to engage in 'social engineering'. On the continent of diversity a project like this threatens to become sheer levelling. New social indicators could give a more nuanced picture of our societies. Like any statistic, however, in the hands of politicians they are susceptible to manipulation and abuse. And in addition they can lead to the idea that the state has blanket responsibility for the well-being of its citizens." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Philip Plickert

Mankind needs new, revolutionary ideas to master the challenges of the 21st century, Daniel Couvreur writes in the daily Le Soir: "In the year 2009, 220 years after the French Revolution, the world has lost the crystal ball of social, political, economic and philosophical certainties. Will we be able to achieve a better distribution of the world's riches, reconcile people with their leaders and put scientific advances at the service of sustainable development? In 1789 the sans-culottes made a clean sweep of the dogmas and existing institutions to - not without exaggeration - build a freer, fairer and more balanced society. Equipped with a wild chasteness of spirit they wrote new laws under time pressure. … All for the sake of giving mankind a new creative vigour. Mankind and its planet are hungry for a radical change in mentality and behaviour. The future of the world belongs to us provided we carry through our intellectual revolution before it's too late." (08/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Weltanschauung, » France, » Global
All available articles from » Daniel Couvreur

Martin Feldstein, professor of economics at Harvard, questions the advantages of Europe's single currency the euro in the business paper Világgazdaság: "Although the euro simplifies trade, it creates significant problems for monetary policy. Even before it was born, some economists (such as myself) asked whether a single currency would be desirable for such a heterogeneous group of countries.  ... The contrast between conditions in Germany and Spain illustrates the problem. ... Germany recorded a trade surplus of $175 billion in the 12 months through August, whereas Spain has run a trade deficit of $84 billion in the past 12 months. ... If Spain and Germany still had the peseta and the D-mark as their respective currencies, the differences in trade balances would cause the mark to appreciate and the peseta to decline. The weaker peseta would stimulate demand for Spanish exports and reduce Spain's imports, which would boost domestic demand and reduce unemployment." (08/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » Europe
All available articles from » Martin Feldstein

On Tuesday the rating agency Fitch downgraded the creditworthiness of Greece from "A-" to "BBB+". The left-liberal daily To Vima calls for resolute action from the Greek government: "Our country stands in danger of seeing its rating fall even further if nothing is done to stop it. This could bring the Greek securities market to a standstill, and subject the Greek economy and banks to considerable hardship. ... It is becoming increasingly clear that the government is in danger of losing its ability to act, and consequently it must act quickly. It must promote competent people, define what must be done to ensure recovery and in what time frame. ... It must gain the tolerance and approval of society, and it must encourage its members to participate to improve their lot. Failing that the danger is ... that pressure from  the markets will force the government to accept European economic controls - something that will only further unsettle the population, which is already keyed-up in the extreme." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Antonis Karakousis

Tallinn's city council plans to halve the funding allocated to preparing the city for its year as European Capital of Culture 2011. A scandalous measure, according to news portal Delfi: "The city of Tallinn and the Estonian government will be playing with fire if they make such radical cuts in the organisers' budget. You get the impression that both on Toompea (the government's seat) and in the lower part of town [where the town hall is located] everyone is squeezing their eyes shut, and that's very sad. The status of European Capital of Culture is a unique opportunity for Tallinn and for all Estonia. If we could see even a little bit beyond the end of our noses we would quickly realise that the Cultural Capital project provides huge and direct advantages. Even according to the most guarded prognoses Estonia can expect up to 200,000 cultural tourists, and perhaps a lot more - and it's not just the material gains we're concerned about here." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Cultural Policy, » Tourism, » Estonia

The US city planner David Owen sees the big city as an ecological paradise - especially his hometown New York, because it is both green and compact. The same goes for London, writes Simon Jenkins in the conservative daily The Evening Standard: "Londoners are much like New Yorkers. They use space intensively and energy efficiently. They mostly occupy long-constructed buildings, sharing walls, roofs, ceilings and heating systems with others. They also share transport, street lights and entertainment. They walk, cycle or use public transport (mostly electric) to get to work or play. Londoners crowd roads, shops, restaurants, theatres, pubs. They communicate with each other without having to take long journeys. They do not heat, light and cook in isolated homesteads, where almost every journey requires the carbon emissions of an internal combustion engine." (08/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Energy, » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Architecture / Cities, » United Kingdom, » U.S.
All available articles from » Simon Jenkins

A paedophile has been exposed on Latvia's largest social network draugiem.lv (for friends). The daily Diena is appalled: "The 45-year-old man had downloaded an entire photo exhibition, including a picture of a naked boy in the bath who is barely seven years old. Three years ago our newspaper launched an experiment with a fictitious girl called Maria and since then there has been a growing number of warnings that draugiem.lv is by no means being used only for making new friends. … It is also shocking that a little boy who at his age shoud be at school is being photographed sitting in the bath of some 'uncle'. Let us hope the police uncover the person who took the photos just as quickly, and then the social authorities must find out who is responsible for this child, for they too, be they the parents, the grandparents or his guardians, deserve to be punished." (09/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Online media, » Latvia
All available articles from » Guntis Bojārs

The anise-flavored spirit raki is the (alcoholic) national drink of the Turks. This week the country is celebrating raki week. The daily Eleftherotypia explains the cultural dimensions of raki consumption: "On Saturday ... the daily Cumhuriyet published a whole-page advertisement for the Turkish ouzo Yen Raki. No other paper in Turkey has ever published an ad like that. ... For years raki - and alcohol in general - has been a bone of contention between strictly religious Muslims and secular Turks. The state authorities near to the pro-Islamic governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) try to reduce consumption by making things 'difficult' for restaurants that serve alcohol. In Turkey you can even separate people along ideological lines according to the alcohol they consume. Those who drink wine are generally considered Europeans, and those who drink raki are seen as citizens of Anatolia." (08/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Religion, » Turkey
All available articles from » Aris Abatzis