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Veteran rock journalist Vojtech Lindaur is one of the Czech Republic's most prolific and colourful music writers, whose passion for popular music is comparable to that of the legendary American critic Lester Bangs.

Less than a century ago, Europe's Muslim population was concentrated primarily in the Balkans. Nowadays, there are Muslims living all over the continent from Iceland to Georgia. In keeping with this trend, the Czech Republic also has a small but robust Muslim community. There are currently around 20,000 practising Muslims living in this country.

In this edition of Czechs Today, my guest is Jirina Siklova. She has played many different roles in her life, including those of university professor, cleaner, smuggler, prisoner, founder of Prague's Gender Studies Center, sociologist, and even part-time journalist. These days, Czechs are used to seeing Jirina Siklova on TV and reading her articles in various newspapers. When we sat down to talk, Jirina Siklova started by commenting on what she thinks of her profession as a sociologist.

The long and varied career of the Czech film director and editor Miroslav Janek began in Czechoslovakia and continued in the USA, where he emigrated in 1980, at the age of 26. Among a number of interesting projects, he has worked as an editor with Godfrey Reggio, famous for such films as Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqasti. Miroslav Janek was born in Nachod in east Bohemia, and first learned about film from his father, a passionate amateur filmmaker.

Anyone acquainted with Czech military history will likely have heard of ace pilot Frantisek Perina - who fought with distinction for Czechoslovakia in both the Battles of France and Britain during the Second World War. Mr Perina - named to the honorary rank of major general in 2000 - turned 95 just last month - and was honoured by the Czech Army and Air Force. On the occasion of the anniversary of the end of the war, we look back at key moments in Mr Perina's military career - ignored by the Communists for forty years.

The animated film director Michaela Pavlatova is in the limelight for this week's Czechs Today. Her films have received numerous awards at international festivals, including an Oscar nomination.

Just a few years ago a young model and singer named Iva Frühlingova captured headlines in the Czech Republic when she released her first studio album titled Litvinov, at the age of just 21. A CD with a single song in Czech and the rest in French. Frühlingova - originally from northern Bohemia, spent most of her teenage years in France. But after some six years or so, she returned to the Czech Republic. Soon, she began going out with Richard Krajco, and actor and frontman for the popular Czech band Krystof. Theirs was a relationship heavily monitored

Many Czech women have, at least once in their life, come across cosmetics with herbal extracts produced by the Czech company Ryor. But how many have realized that the brains behind the successful brand is a woman? None other than Eva Stepankova. Now in her early sixties, she started Ryor by herself, in the basement of her house, sixteen years ago. Over the years it has become a household name.

In this edition of Czechs Today Jan Velinger talks to Czech film director Radim Spacek, whose projects have combined documentary and fiction elements in new ways, twisting traditional narrative. In the past his subjects have included difficult themes such as suicide and war but also a famous crisis at Czech TV.

We'll open this edition of Czechs Today in a different way than usual. I am not going to introduce today's guest - at least not right away. I have a question to ask instead. What is the job of this young woman called Kristina? She is in her early twenties, very attractive, loves dancing and is a bit of an exhibitionist. Here she describes the previous night's work.