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All things to all people?

A Muslim visits the Vatican and discovers the breadth of attitudes and beliefs represented by the many people who cross its threshold every year. Is the Holy See gradually transcending its Christian roots to become a place of spiritual pilgrimage for all? By Mulham Al Malaika

Left-wing terrorist turned Islamist

Bernhard Falk is no stranger to prisons. A convicted left-wing terrorist, he spent 12 years behind bars. Now he looks out for imprisoned Islamists. Germany's domestic intelligence agency considers him a danger to society. By Matthias von Hein and Esther Felden

The metamorphosis of Christian L.

To Sabine Lappe, Christian was a dream child. But her beloved son became an IS terrorist who died in Syria. The bereaved mother shared her story with Esther Felden

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 how can Saudi Arabia’s cancellation of the hajj be justified theologically? By Lena-Maria Moeller and Serdar Kurnaz

Ramadan – a feast for spirit and soul

In Islamic mysticism, Ramadan is more than just a period of prescribed abstinence, signifying an opportunity for inner contemplation. Marian Brehmer explores the spiritual dimensions of the month of fasting against the background of Sufism

Faith as silent spirituality

All his life, the German philosopher and poet Johann Gottfried Herder grappled with issues of the Orient and Islam, preaching his vision of a society shaped by humanity, tolerance and the individual, spiritual practice of faith. By Melanie Christina Mohr

German monoculture is a thing of the past

Germany, a nation of immigration – a phrase that was once revolutionary. Now, it's quite simply an assessment of everyday life. An essay by immigration researcher Dieter Oberndorfer

Success 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

A question of mutual interest

Finding somewhere to live, pursuing asylum claims and other bureaucratic procedures distract refugee writers from their creative vocation and their self-esteem suffers. In the eyes of everyone else, they are mere refugees, the mastery of their own language a relic from an ever-receding past. How can authors adapt to their new countries? Must they remain prisoners to writing about yearning and nostalgia? By Rama Jarmakani

UEFA Cup 2016: The Teutonic preoccupation with race