Hamed Abdel-Samad & Ijoma Mangold

Is freedom in Germany under threat? According to Hamed Abdel-Samad, the open societies of the West are not only endangered by authoritarian external opponents, but also by right-wing, left-wing and religious fundamentalists within. In his latest book The Price of Freedom (2024), the political scientist warns that radical minorities have been underestimated for decades and allowed into the country through migration. But they do not tolerate what has made them great: Freedom of expression and equality for all. Identitarians from the right and the left are poisoning the public climate, while anti-Semites and enemies of the state are becoming increasingly popular in society. Together with journalist Ijoma Mangold, Abdel-Samad discusses the dangers this poses to our society and how we can preserve our freedom and openness.

The political scientist and journalist Hamed Abdel-Samad is a member of the German Islam Conference and is one of the most prominent Islamic intellectuals in the German-speaking world. A fatwa was issued against him in 2013 for breaking taboos and he has lived under permanent police protection ever since.

Ijoma Mangold is a journalist, literary critic and author. After five years as head of literature at Die Zeit, he is now its cultural and political correspondent.