Essays
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Germanyʹs Islam debateThe need to meet Islam critics head on
At a recent Berlin event, researchers talked about how to achieve a more nuanced discussion on Islam and Muslims. Were academics more proactive about presenting their empirical findings in the public arena, Rene Wildangel argues, they could play a major role in countering populist disinformation
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The integration litmus testSuccess for some means failure for others
The presentation in the media of the outstanding success stories of refugees in certain professions or in their studies misses the mark, in the opinion of Syrian author Housamedden Darwish. He believes that life after flight and integration into a new society should not be represented as some kind of test
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Authoritarian rule in the Arab worldNurturing the Arabellion phoenix
The restoration of authoritarianism after the turmoil of 2010/11 lured some analysts into drawing the over-hasty conclusion that the Arab Spring had been doomed to failure from the start, because the citizens of these countries lacked political maturity and a real desire for change. A miscalculation, argues Emad Alali in his essay
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The Republic of Iran turns fortyA theocracy at the crossroads
In its 40th year, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in a state of disintegration, says one of the country's strategists. The theocracy has arrived at a crossroads and the world cannot be indifferent to its future direction. Essay by Ali Sadrzadeh
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Media and politics in the Arab worldThe despotsʹ henchmen
The murder of well-known Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi highlights the difficulties facing media in post-revolutionary Arab states. The freedoms temporarily gained after 2011 have long since fallen victim to the authoritarian restoration. By Loay Mudhoon
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The Kurdish YPG and the future of northeastern SyriaAssad smiles from the sidelines
In northeastern Syria, the U.S. and Turkey are wrangling over how to deal with the Kurdish militias. The regime could score points from this – and gain control with Russian support. An analysis by Kristin Helberg
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70The red herring of 'Islamic human rights'
Muslims who grant themselves the right to adopt a human rights declaration based on their own religion need to allow followers of other religions to do the same, argues Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi in her essay
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The headscarf debateDon't ban – educate and emancipate!
Why resort to bans on specific religious practices, when we live in an age and a form of society where one can open oneself to permanent processes of education? If piety and self-determination are to be brought into line with a liberal, democratic society, argues Emel Zeynelabidin, then other measures must be applied
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War reportingFacts must be respected – even in Syria!
Amid the increasing complexity of the Syrian conflict, a growing number of "critical citizens" are assigning greater credibility to conspiracy theories on the Internet than to UN investigations that are required to meet scientific standards. Essay by Kristin Helberg
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U.S. sanctions against IranThe lonely "axis of evil"
In the new Cold War between the USA and the Islamic Republic the theocracy is taking on the status of the defunct Soviet Union, writes Ali Sadrzadeh. Tehranʹs powerbrokers have, however, come up with several strategies to counter Trump's tightened sanctions policy