2020 in review: Qantara's 'Top Ten'
1. Violence against women: Femicide on the rise in Turkey
The recent murder of Turkish student Pinar Gultekin by her ex-boyfriend has sparked outrage in Turkey. Women's rights activists are calling for the government to tackle the widespread problem of femicide in the country, but their calls are being met with silence from the government and in some cases even tear gas and rubber bullets by police. By Daniel Bellut
2. COVID-19 pandemic: How is Turkey dealing with the corona crisis?
Going by the official numbers, Turkey is doing well, especially in comparison to other countries. But does this impression correspond to the reality? There are significant reasons to doubt that it does. By Tayfun Guttstadt
3. Women′s rights in Islam: Can feminism be Islamic?
Islamic feminism is a relatively new concept and not without controversy. Indeed many wonder whether it is possible to reconcile feminism with Islam – a religion critics regard as inherently patriarchal. By Salma Khattab
4. COVID-19 pandemic: The world’s religions and coronavirus
As COVID-19 sweeps across the globe, it is forcing religions to adapt and take action to prevent infection. But experts warn against using the crisis to fuel conspiracy theories. Christoph Strack reports
5. Religion and media in Turkey: Reviving Sufism with Yunus Emre
The TV series "Yunus Emre: The journey of love" was a massive hit in Turkey when it first aired four years ago. But this popular television spectacle is not the only evidence of a renewed interest in Sufi spirituality in Turkey. Marian Brehmer reports from Istanbul
6. Spain and Ibn Arabi′s heritage: The great master of Murcia
Ibn Arabi was born 850 years ago in Murcia. The influence of this mystic on Islamic spirituality was second to none. Nevertheless, few in modern-day Spain have even heard of him. An account by Marian Brehmer
7. Sexual repression in the Arab world: Anguish, love and poetry
The film "The Source" tells the story of women living in a North African village who enter into a "love strike" because they are fed up with doing all the work. In conversation with Paul Katzenberger, director Radu Mihăileanu talks about marital rape, parallels with the West and the poetic qualities of the Arabic language. By Paul Katzenberger
8. Goethe and Islam: Religion has no nationality
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe may have had his reservations about Islam – as he did about Christianity – and he certainly wasn′t shy of criticising it, but his credo was without doubt built on the foundations of non-negotiable tolerance. By Melanie Christina Mohr
9. Muslims and the COVID-19 pandemic: No pilgrims in times of coronavirus?
Saudi Arabia has called on Muslims across the world to put their hajj preparations on hold for the time being. The corona pandemic is impacting one of the central pillars of Islamic life. But can Saudi Arabia’s cancellation of the hajj be justified theologically? By Lena-Maria Moeller and Serdar Kurnaz
10. Interview with James Morris: Ibn Arabi's vision for a fully human global civilisation
Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) remains one of the most influential Arab philosophers and mystics. James Morris, Professor of Islamic Theology at Boston College, explains why his writings are still popular and why, today, they give the most productive answer to fundamentalist approaches in Islam. Interview by Claudia Mende