Religious controversies

Roughly one fifth of people now living are Muslims. Their societies are located in every corner of the globe and vary in language, ethnicity, political ideology, nationality, culture, and wealth. Yet we tend to imagine this 1.5 billion people, despite such diversity, as a cohesive and united whole, defined above all by their Muslim identity.

Sweden has now suffered its first major terrorist attack in its capital Stockholm, with four killed and many injured. A suspect for the terror attack, an Uzbek citizen by the name of Rakhmat Akilov has been arrested. He has confessed that he is the one who carried out the terror attack on orders from ISIS.

'Jihad and Death: The Global Appeal of Islamic State' by Olivier Roy, translated by Cynthia Schoch (Hurst, 130 pages, £16)

After every jihadi attack in the West, fevered media debate centers on familiar questions. Who are these people? What is their relation to ISIS? How to stop them? Why do "they" hate "us"?

It was a fine morning in the early 1960s when a parcel arrived at the high school in Aghios Kirykos on the eastern Aegean island of Icaria. It was addressed in a broad hand "To Mr Chrysostomos Fountoulis, Meteorologist." NASA was marked as the sender.

One year ago Belgium was reeling from an attack by three suicide bombers on Brussels airport and a metro station in the capital.

Thirty-two people were killed and others were injured. The perpetrators were identified as Islamists extremists who were all Belgian nationals.

Austria is planning to introduce a ban on burkas. The full covering of the face will now be illegal at public places like state and municipal institutions, reported Nova TV.

The ban will be in force not only for burkas but also for niqabs which leave a slit for the eyes.

Garments which cover the entire body but not the face will not be banned.

Turkey has issued a message of commemoration for the millions of people who lost their lives during the Nazi Holocaust on Jan. 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day, saying the country would stand against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

"We commemorate the millions of people who lost their lives during the Holocaust with respect," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

Bulgarian deputies passed the law on banning the wearing of garments that cover or hide the face, more popular as the law on banning burkas.

The logical answer is to go for the "moderate" Frankenstein. In reality, a better answer could be "neither," since it will only be a matter of time before the "moderate" Frankenstein willingly metamorphoses into the real Frankenstein. Such are the options in Syria. 

Islamists have betrayed all hopes of being a part of democratization processes in Muslim countries. Turkey is no exception. Far from it, Turkey is the most significant example of that betrayal because it was once the most hopeful.