Salut!

Tariq Ramadan: Dreyfus-level persecution or a case of Jekyll and Hyde?

The National asked me to write about the curious case of Tariq Ramadan, the renowned Islamic scholar, academic and commentator who currently sits in a French jail held on suspicion of raping at least two women. A third French case is also the subject of inquiry and other women, in Switzerland and the US, have made allegations of sexual abuse since the first cases came to light. The National's editor kindly permits reproduction of my work here ...

The first of several women to accuse the Swiss academic Tariq Ramadan of rape says she wants neither to ruin nor humiliate him, but to spare others what she claims to have suffered.

France and Islam: a divided religion in a divided country

The mosque at Lunel, a small southern town from which up to 30 people left to join terrorist groups in Syria or Iraq, or to accompany those doing so: see this previous item

I recently completed a fairly comprehensive three-part series for The National* on France and Islam - and many of the issues of tolerance, integration and radicalisation that arise from such a broad subject. In the footnote, you will find links to each of the published items as they appeared at the newspaper's website.

For weeks, I badgered Ahmet Ogras, president the Conseil Français du Culte Musulman (the French Muslim Council, or CFCM) for an interview. Despite the demands of Ramadan, he finally agreed but, unfortunately, a little too late for inclusion in the series, though I had hoped to squeeze in a short article to accompany the last instalment.

An appearance at Salut! is modest consolation but it feels right to find space at least here for Mr Ogras's thoughts, especially with the Emmanuel Macron initiative on the organisation of the religion in France thought to be imminent ....

Lunel and jihad: a troubling case study from a sleepy French town

For those wondering why nothing new has appeared at Salut! in heaven knows how long, here is a partial answer. Work - the paid-for variety - has got in the way of most other things. I have been beavering away on a project for The National* discussing the state of islam in France, with particular reference to a major and imminent initiative from the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

The whole series - not quite complete - can be seen by checking my link as a National writer: just click this phrase.

Here, then, is just one of the pieces already published. It followed a long awayday in the small town of Lunel, which many young Muslim men - some followed by women - chose to leave and fight on foreign fields ... the pbotos are mine, too, and you can see why I decided not to offer any of them to The National's picture desk:

How Emmanuel Macron has emerged as an international statesman despite familiar domestic problems

Apologies for the lack of recent posts.It has been busy one way or the other. Here are my thoughts on Emmanuel Macron's impact on world diplomacy at the same time as habitually truculent unions make life difficult in France. It is reproduced with consent from The National ...

As French unions and students confront the government in a show of strength to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the rebellious Paris Spring, the target of their anger, President Emmanuel Macron, is enjoying remarkable success on the world stage.

Unbowed by poor poll ratings, the youngest president in French history has quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with, reminding many observers of his audacious pre-election declaration that he would rule like Jupiter, the king of ancient Roman gods.

Cuba: Obama's olive branches, Trump's stinging nettles

Here is a piece - for The National - inspired by a lovely week in Cuba. It pretty much speaks for itself. Above you see Joelle and I with our friends Lesley and Bill Taylor, plus some bloke's head appearing between the two couples.

But what is it with press officers? You lodge a straightforward question on a Tuesday and, when asked for a deadline, mention Thursday midday. The reply, which appears to have taken relatively little effort, finally comes without apology late afternoon on the Friday, more 24 hours after the article is submitted. Maybe Marks and Sparks can explain (I did still manage to reflect a little of what they said and reproduce the statement in full in a footnote*) ...

Salut!'s seasonal greetings: happy Christmas/joyeuses fêtes

There could be few more suitable images to illustrate my Christmas message to all readers of Salut! (I say "all" but my friend and Salut! contributor Bill Taylor's correctly suggests that I surely don't offer warm greetings to everyone I know).

The photo shows my great pal Pete Sixsmith winding down after another hard day's work as Santa in the North East. It is not strictly true to say he accepts the work as a means of avoiding having to watch Sunderland play, though that is certainly one of the perks.

I decided Pete's photo so brilliantly captured the spirit of the season that it should appear with my greetings at each of the Salut! sites: this one, Salut! Sunderland (footie), Salut! Live (folk music/folk-rock) and Salut! North (North-eastern nostalgia).

The curse of mobile phones. For once Macron's control freakery is justified

Older children at play ...

We all have them but our feelings about their use and abuse are mixed. I am guilty of using mine excessively; so are many others. In France, Emmanuel Macron's government has decided enough is enough and will ban pupils from using mobile phones at school from the start of the next academic year. From my column for The National* ...

A quick look around fellow passengers on the Dubai or Paris metros, or the London Tube, reveals a uniform pattern. Nearly everyone is on a mobile phone.

Much less often these days do we hear a traveller blurt out: “I’m on the train” to someone at the other end of the train line and phone line. It was once a jarring accompaniment to any public transport journey. How much more discreet to text and how much simpler when the message amounts to an apology for being late home.

“How on earth did we manage before mobiles?" it is often asked.

Johnny Hallyday nous quitte. A musical Englishman mourns

For those who appreciate non-corporate, independent music - not just folk - I marked the death of Johnny Hallyday by reproducing in full an essay written 10 years ago (for that site) by Robb Johnson, a challenging left-wing British singer-songwriter. I thought it was an excellent appraisal of a man whose work had somewhat passed me by. Me? I salute the voice, the style and the huge esteem in which Hallyday is held in the francophone world. Read this: https://www.salutlive.com/2017/12/johnny-hallyday-est-mort-the-essential-essay-on-a-french-rock-legend.html I have never been a fan; he was as corporate as any other. Yet Robb's words, which shall be published here as well as at Salut! Live, will encourage me to delve more deeply into the Hallyday legacy. France knows his place. See the welter of coverage at FranceInfo. Even if you do not read French, you'll get the idea. There will be a day of "popular hommage", a parade on the Champs-Elysées, a burial in the French Caribbean.

The cynical British view - "famous rock star not many have even heard of"- has a germ of truth but is reduced to rubble by what follows ....

Ten seconds of London terror but keeping a sense of proportion

Eight days on, I still find it hard to articulate my part in the Oxford Circus terror attack that wasn't. I had just walked from Oxford Street to Piccadilly Circus and was on the first floor of Picture House Central having bought tickets for Call Me By Your Name (beautifully shot but no, I didn't enjoy it). Read on to see what happened next (from a Comment piece for The National*). It's all to do with the psychology of terror, the way we react in potentially traumatic circumstances ...

From New York's Halloween murders to Merah's Paris trial; minor victories against terror

The capture of Sayfullo Saipov alive after the recent New York attack, and the partial conviction Mohamed Merah's brother Abdelkader in a high-profile Paris terrorism trial may seem unlikely reasons for modest satisfaction as the world tackles extremist violence. In their own ways, however, that is exactly how both they may be seen ...

Nearly three weeks on, the Halloween murders in New York and the end of a major terrorism trial in Paris are hardly forgotten, but the initial deluge of media coverage has slowed to a more orderly flow.

All too soon, further atrocities will give fresh reminders that military defeat of ISIL does not rid the world of the violence it inspires. More actual or would-be perpetrators, and their accomplices, will be brought before courts. But the legacy of both events, in two major cities grievously touched by terrorism, offers valuable aid in the cause of prevention.

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