Friday, March 29Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Author: Yara Farag

French identity: a threatened concept?
Features

French identity: a threatened concept?

France, a country where people are made to believe in the consoling myth of equality to all citizens ‘without distinction of origin, color of skin or religion’. It is clear that terrorist attacks in France have tailored the opinions of many people both social and political, along with reviving the notion of ‘French identity’. The phrase ‘French identity’ nowadays usually emerges following a terrorist attack in French society. It is also often discussed when explicitly referring to the banlieues (suburbs) and their residents, most of whom are people from the Maghreb region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and whose appearance, which may cause provocation amidst this social turbulence, typifies the perceivable element of their identity. When the concept of ‘French identity’ is discussed, the que...
Islam: Religion of Peace ?
Opinion

Islam: Religion of Peace ?

Following the recent horrendous Paris and Beirut attacks, with in mind previous similar horrific ones, ridicule, laughter, irony are the responses of many people across the world when coming across the question of whether Islam is a religion of peace. On the other hand, many more insist that Islam IS a religion of peace. Who is right ? (more…)
Opinion

Third Culture Kid Life

Whenever we hear the word immigrant we firstly assume it is an adult in search of better prospects. With the word immigration being rife, which has become part of local and national political debates, we often forget to reflect upon second generation immigrants. It was at the age of 8 when I moved from Egypt to Italy with my mum and brother, where my dad was already living and working. That, for me, meant being exposed to a completely different culture, an unfamiliar language and, above all, different norms and values. On my first day of school, I had the feeling of having lost all points of reference, a feeling of lack of approval, a feeling of fear and vexation, which resulted in me becoming a tearful infant. I had to immerse myself in an unfamiliar cultural environment, I was stri...