Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Reporting on PalestineGermany cannot imagine the suffering in Gaza
For some, the widespread publication of images of starving children from Gaza is a sign of a major shift in the German political and media discourse. Palestinian journalist Asmaa al-Ghoul disagrees.
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Public space in SyriaWhere Damascus goes to breathe
Before the war, Mount Qasioun was a refuge for the people of Damascus, a rare space for freedom and intimacy. After Assad's fall, it was briefly reclaimed as a public space, but now large-scale private developments threaten to take it over.
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Transitional justice in Syria"Accountability is more important than punishment"
Can there be justice after the horrors Syria has endured? Sociologist Mohammed Bamyeh sees signs that the country's new leadership wants to confront the past, but warns against the dangers of selective justice.
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New biography of Ali KhameneiThe man pulling Iran's strings
Ali Khamenei is one of the most powerful figures in world politics, with influence extending far beyond Iran. Who is the man who, since 1989, has steered the Islamic Republic with an iron grip? A new biography by Ali Sadrzadeh sheds some light on the mystery.
Politics
More about Politics-
Stateless in SyriaWill al-Sharaa naturalise foreign fighters and their children?
Thousands of children born to foreign militia members and Syrian mothers remain stateless. As the government considers granting citizenship to fighters, their families—including the widows of deceased fighters—wait for clarity.
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Political Islam in JordanWhat's next for the Muslim Brotherhood?
An official ban on the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan has brought the movement to a critical crossroads. Its political arm is struggling to preserve its platform and avoid the fate of its counterparts in Egypt and Tunisia.
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Öcalan's call for disarmamentWhy the PKK failed
The Kurdistan Workers' Party has pursued multiple goals over the decades and failed to achieve any of them. Now the communist-nationalist movement is facing a turning point, and possibly its end
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German foreign policyHunger in Gaza—made in Germany
Starving children in Gaza, growing criticism in Germany and political leverage that remains unused. Berlin must not stand idly by and watch this atrocious catastrophe unfold.
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Suwayda, SyriaNot a local conflict, but geopolitics in disguise
Sectarianism in Syria is a longstanding political project. Institutionalised under colonial rule and exploited by Assad, it's now being weaponised by the new regime and Israel, as the massacres in Suwayda make brutally clear.
Society
More about Society-
Sectarian violence in SyriaAssad's long shadow
In Syria, "minority protection" has long been used as a pretext for pitting religious and ethnic groups against each other. We Syrians must refuse the weaponisation of our identities, because the new government is counting on division.
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History and reconstruction in SyriaDictatorship, dispossession and a missing mosaic
A school, a military base, an archaeological site: from French colonial rule to Assad, this family home was seized and repurposed by successive regimes. Now, its owners are fighting to reclaim it.
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Iran's monarchistsProducing nostalgia, courting war
Through satellite TV, viral content, and alliances with Netanyahu and Trump, Iran's monarchist elites are staging a comeback. From exile they are attempting to co-opt Iran's opposition by recasting the Pahlavi dynasty as a golden age of freedom.
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Sudanese music in CairoFinding joy in the face of war
While war rages at home, for Sudanese wedding singers in exile in Cairo, celebration has become a form of resistance.
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"Christ in the Rubble" by Munther IsaacThe Christian case against the war on Gaza
Munther Isaac, a West Bank pastor, rejects Bible-based justifications for war and calls Gaza a "moral compass". In "Christ in the Rubble", he presents a view of the war that is polarising without being destructive.
Culture
More about Culture-
Afghan poet Matiullah TurabA critical voice even the Taliban listened to
Afghan poet Matiullah Turab has unexpectedly died. Turab saw himself as the modest voice of a tormented people—and even the extremists listened.
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Books on Israel-PalestineThe perennial question of the West
New publications on the Israel-Palestine conflict: Alena Jabarine writes about inequality and arbitrary violence in the West Bank, Omar El Akkad settles scores with the West and Gilbert Achcar analyses the ideological roots of Hamas and Zionism.
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Moroccan Gnawa festivalA Sufi tradition on the world stage
A festival in Morocco is bringing Gnawa music to the mainstream. Shaped by migration, slavery and a long struggle for recognition, the once marginalised Sufi tradition is now internationally renowned.
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"Carmen" on the Egyptian stageRewritten to fit the patriarchal script
A stage production of "Carmen", adapted from Prosper Mérimée's French novella, has captured the attention of audiences and critics in Cairo. While the French novella portrayed Carmen as a free-spirited rebel, the Egyptian adaptation tells a different story.
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"Dis-orienting the Maghreb" by Sadik RddadPlural identities in colonial Morocco
In his new book, Moroccan scholar Sadik Rddad revisits colonial-era British and American travel writing, challenging Edward Said's view of Orientalism and its flattening of Maghrebi identities.
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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Bangladesh's low-wage textile industry
Microcredits – no silver bullet against poverty
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Reporting on Palestine
Germany cannot imagine the suffering in Gaza
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Sex tourism in Egypt
A bride for the summer
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Sectarian violence in Syria
Assad's long shadow
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Prostitution in Tunisia
The big reveal
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Spotlight on bridge-builders: Tahir Della
Campaigning in Germany for "a society of the many"