euro|topics - Nathalie Versieux

04/12/2008

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Versieux, Nathalie

2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

Libération - France | 05/05/2008

The second life of German churches

In Berlin's Neukölln district, a mosque recently opened in a building that was formerly a church. Nathalie Versieux, the newspaper's Germany correspondent, reflects on the event. "At first sight it is difficult to comprehend why this location has caused so much excitement. ... Nevertheless the building has provoked a lively controversy. ... 'The new tenant is called Muhammad' wrote the Tagesspiegel newspaper. ... But what should be done with such churches now that they have lost their original purpose? In just 17 years, 20 Protestant churches out of a total 2,000 and 20 Catholic churches out of 200 have been closed. ... The pressing nature of the issue has led German bishops to adopt a code of conduct: destroying a church may be considered only as a last resort. Selling a building to another religion is out of the question. ... The subject is all the more delicate because Islam is growing here, adding to the perplexity of Germany's Christians."

Libération - France | 05/04/2008

'The Satanic Verses' a disappointment at the theatre

Nathalie Versieux comments on the recent theatrical adaptation of Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses,' playing at the Hans Otto theatre in Potsdam. "The police surveillance is discreet, and the angry demonstrations by religious extremists that the organisers dreaded are inexistent. Most German Muslim organisations called for moderation. On the stage as well, not much happens, despite the gesticulation, the cries, the sound and lighting effects that dramatist Eric Laufenberg seems to like. ... Laufenberg's production often looks like a bad comedy, and the play will not go down in the history of German theatre. ... But the critics insist above all on the absence of intercultural dialogue that the theatre promised. There isn't much more to say about the play other than it exists."

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