The fact that he knew the Tyrolean State Anthem off by heart, a song that pays tribute to the heroic death of freedom fighter Andreas Hofer, could have been interpreted as outstanding ambition. And it goes without saying that he mastered the Tyrolean dialect too, he grew up in Tyrol after all. But Emran Feroz, born in Innsbruck, describes that all of this was not enough in order to be perceived as a Tyrolean. In the late 1970s, his father made his way from Kabul to Europe by bus, where he wanted to study. And since his home country was subsequently invaded by the Soviets, he did not want to go back there. Years later, Emran Feroz visited his father’s homeland as a journalist and human rights activist; because he wanted to better understand the situation in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, he has been a popular expert on an international level. After his book “Der längste Krieg. 20 Jahre War on Terror” (The Longest War. 20 Years of War on Terror) he has now published his autobiography: “Vom Westen nichts Neues. Ein muslimisches Leben zwischen Alpen und Hindukusch“ (All Quiet in the West. Muslim Lifestyle between Alps and Hindu Kush).

As part of Journalismusfest Innsbruck, Emran Feroz is in-studio guest of Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF Ö1 editor Renata Schmidtkunz in her programme “Im Gespräch” (In Conversation). 

Renata Schmidtkunz
Host, editor, director of documentary films at Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF, director of programme „Im Gespräch“ (In Conversation), Ö1
Emran Feroz
Journalist and author