After the beheading of a teacher in a Paris suburb in October, the debate over the relationship between government and religion is raging again.
This week's topic is prompted by a podcast from the New York Times' "The Daily." The main article for people to read will be the podcast in audio or transcript form. But this topic has many interesting perspectives, so the "Extra Credit" section will have an extra helping of contextual articles.
[4,400 words, about 30 minutes.]
If paywalled: https://archive.is/VqB3P
EXTRA CREDIT
- Reported last week, "Student Who Accused History Teacher of Islamophobia That Led to His Beheading Admits She Lied" (600 words): https://www.newsweek.com/student-who-accused-history...
- An article that goes into five historical factors that led to the marginalization of Muslims in France. It was written before the murder of Samuel Paty and optimistically suggests that the situation is at a turning point (6,000 words): https://nationalinterest.org/.../frances-muslim...
- This opinion piece from a Dutch outlet criticizes the de-radicalization policies France has tried to put in place since the attack (3,700 words): https://www.mo.be/.../fight-against-political-islam...
- An opinion piece written just 9 days before Samuel Paty's murder, giving a Muslim's perspective on France's relationship with Islam (2,000 words): https://www.middleeasteye.net/.../france-islam-crisis...
- Article on how some French politicians are blaming American ideas on race and gender for disrupting national unity (1,800 words): https://archive.is/y4vx4
Image: Francois Mori
ABOUT
The Longreads Club is a twice-monthly program hosted by WorldOregon's Young Professionals group where we discuss a long-form article focused on global topics. It's like a book club, but the reading material is shorter. Rather than skim the headlines, we are trying to dive deep and learn from each other to gain a better understanding of world events. No membership or registration required - although it's nice to know who's coming so RSVPs are encouraged. Read the article, show up, and join the discussion!
WHO THIS GROUP IS FOR
Although this event is organized by the Young Professionals Steering Committee at WorldOregon, it is open to everyone. You don't need to identify as "young" nor "professional" to attend. In fact, it is better for the discussion to have a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
