Faith

Ricky Mohabbat’s Journey: From Vocational School to University, but Always Feeling Like an Imposter

16 February 2025
Journalist Ricky Mohabbat (31) made a documentary about his loneliness as a first-generation student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

'Early Muslims were actually open to knowledge and stories from outside'

13 February 2025
Religious studies scholar Yusuf Çelik researches Jewish influences on Islam.

Corien van Zweden wrote a book based on her father's diaries: 'It felt like I was trespassing forbidden ground.'

Marjolein de Jong17 April 2024
Writer Corien van Zweden studied theology at VU Amsterdam, but lost her faith after a trip to Pakistan. "I got the craft of writing in return."

VU alumna Nynke Sietsma wrote a book about her deceased son

Marjolein de Jong4 March 2024
Journalist Nynke Sietsma (43) lost her son Berend to cancer at the age of four and wrote the poignant book B.

'I have often had to fight against the label 'refugee''

Marjolein de Jong20 November 2023
Wahhab Hassoo, who fled from Iraq, reached VU Amsterdam through vocational education. Now, he's on the list for parliamentary elections.

Millennial Pastor David van der Meulen: A Modern Beacon in the City

Marjolein de Jong11 September 2023
David van der Meulen isn’t a typical pastor. He doesn't align with one church and mostly connects with millennials that don’t identify with religion.

‘The West will have to run just to keep up with countries like China’

Marjolein de Jong12 May 2023
Philosopher and political scientist Haroon Sheikh explores the intersection between new technologies such as AI and changing global relations.

Like father, like son: ‘I tried to keep him away from political science’

Marjolein de Jong10 February 2023
A double interview with former Member of Parliament Joël Voordewind and his son Manuel. Both men studied political science at VU Amsterdam.

Availability of university admission essential for refugees

Marjolein de Jong8 November 2022
Halleh Ghorashi fled to the Netherlands from Iran in the 1980s and became professor of diversity and integration at VU Amsterdam.

‘People’s faith may change, but they don’t become unbelievers’

Marjolein de Jong8 November 2022
Professor André van der Braak does research into the fact that it is becoming more normal to combine religions, something he does in practice too.