Hasnain Kazim: Der Islam und ich

„Islam and Me"

WHAT MY FAMILY, MY NORTHERN GERMAN HOMELAND, AND MY
LIFE IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES HAVE TAUGHT ME ABOUT ISLAM

“Mr. Kazim, why do you hate Islam?” – “What do you have against Muslims?” – “Why do you show so little empathy towards the suffering Palestinians?”
Hasnain Kazim, a scion of a Shia Muslim family and having grown up evangelical Christian himself, takes such accusations to heart. In
this pointed essay, he engages with his ambivalent relationship to the religion to which a large part of his family belongs. He has himself lived for years as a correspondent in Muslim-influenced countries, in Pakistan and Turkey. Along the lines of global political events and personal experiences, he paints his personal picture of Islam, addressing familial constraints as well as questions of equality. The struggle for democracy, religious tolerance, and human rights, which is also being fought within Islam. A text that articulates the unease of many people and simultaneously counters generalized "Islam criticism".

Hasnain Kazim is a native of Oldenburg and the son of Indian-Pakistani immigrants. He grew up in the Alte Land, outside Hamburg, and in Karachi, Pakistan, studied political science, and pursued a career as a naval officer. He wrote for
the dpa South Asia office in Delhi and from 2004 to 2019 for SPIEGEL and SPIEGEL ONLINE, most of the time as a foreign correspondent in Islamabad, Istanbul, and Vienna. For his work, he has been awarded multiple prizes, including the "CNN Journalist Award". He continues to live as a freelance author in the Austrian capital and has published several books, including "Kale and
Curry", "Suddenly Pakistan", and "Crisis State Turkey". The paperback "Post from Karlheinz", which collects his dialogues with angry readers, was on the bestseller list for many weeks. "Charge at Them with Roaring!", a guide to proper arguing, also became a bestseller shortly after publication. This was followed by "My Caliphate. A Secret Diary on How I Islamized the West and Made Germans Better People" and the accompanying "Caliphate Cookbook. Wisdoms and Recipes". Lastly, in 2024, "Germany Tour. In Search of What Holds Our Country Together. A Political Travel Report" was published.

An event of the Hanseatic City of Stade in cooperation with the Cultural House Seminar Hall.

Advance ticket sales end on September 25, 2026, at 12 noon. Remaining tickets are available at the box office for the price of €17 (reduced €12).