Essays
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Jihadism debateBeyond the Mediterranean
Our image of Arab countries tends to be dominated by terror and violence. Yet many people across the region are working hard to defend their freedoms and fight for a decent life – under difficult circumstances. An essay by Asiem El Difraoui
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The secularisation of MuslimsSilent withdrawal
While the emerging religious demography only counts members of the Church as Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims etc. are counted as religious from birth – with no option to leave their religion. This skews the statistics and our perceptions. By Michael Blume
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The West′s Islam debateFor all our freedoms!
Society is constantly changing and each of its members has the right to help shape it. Only once everyone can be anything they want to be – when a woman wearing a headscarf can become a government minister and someone named Ahmad a constitutional judge – will we have evolved from being screwed-up countries of immigration to successfully integrated societies. By Kristin Helberg
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Secularism in the Islamic worldPart II – Clouding the issue
In the second part of his essay on secularism in the Islamic world, Saudi analyst Khalid al-Dakhil addresses the ready confusion, found particularly in Islamic writings, of secularism as a concept and separating religion and the state as a legal-political reality. What is the difference?
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The West and the Islamic worldDiplomatic hubris
European nations suspend civil rights in an era of terror, but preach to others about the rule of law. What might they do to regain credibility in the Middle East? By Sonja Hegasy
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Integration in GermanyWhat is required of us
Our country needs to respect and value minorities more and to empathise with them more. It also needs an honest debate about what we – not they – must bring to the table, writes Lamya Kaddor
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Our attitude to violenceThe bad guys are always the others
Our standards for gauging violence have become apolitical, causing us to be horrified only by the deeds of individuals. Critical thinking is no longer possible. An essay by Charlotte Wiedemann
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Western involvement in the Middle EastA rotten legacy
Whatever else they were guilty of, the two authors of the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, George Bush and Tony Blair, displayed an astonishing ignorance of history. By Roger Hardy
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Turkish-Russian relationsFarewell America
Despite numerous conflicts between Russia and Turkey in the past, the two countries appear to be moving closer together. This current rapprochement is due to the West′s waning attraction, argues Stefan Buchen
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SufismLifting the lid
Many Western devotees of Sufism view it as a more liberal brand of Islam. That is a misunderstanding. An essay by Stefan Weidner