Society

The Salaam-Shalom Initiative

Breaking down artificial walls

A year after its launch, the Salaam-Shalom Initiative has become one of the biggest intercultural groups in Berlin with dozens of events in mosques, synagogues and community centres. Armin Langer looks back on an eventful year
By Armin Langer
On Raif Badawi, Charlie Hebdo and non-violent Islamism

"We are all in this together, like it or not"

The shocking events of recent weeks – from the attacks in Paris, the flogging of Raif Badawi, and massacres in Nigeria and Pakistan – are all connected, writes Elham Manea, and they all deserve our equal and unreserved outrage and attention
By Elham Manea
German–Israeli–Palestinian research co-operation

Science in the shadow of war

The conflict in the Middle East has been making negative headlines in the international media for decades. Less attention is paid to initiatives in the region that specifically and deliberately bring people from the different sides of the conflict together, such as an academic project involving German, Israeli and Palestinian scientists. By Thomas Kramer
By Thomas Krämer
Historical roots of the current Middle East crisis

The end of an artificial construct

After the First World War, many people hoped for a lasting order that would bring peace. The mandate system, which was supervised by the international community, was supposed to bring a new form of "benevolent" imperialism to the Middle East. However, the region is still dominated by the problems that were created at that time – more so today than ever before. By Jakob Krais
By Jakob Krais
Muslims and the Paris attacks

"I distance myself from these murderers – not as a Muslim, but as a human being"

Canan Topcu is a freelance journalist with a Muslim background. Following the Paris attacks, she experienced the same knee-jerk reaction that comes after every Islamist act of terrorism: Muslims are called upon to distance themselves from the perpetrators. She finds this irritating and hurtful, especially as Muslims are also victims of Islamist terrorism
By Canan Topçu
Rebuilding Gaza

Left out in the cold

Every day, hundreds of people go to the Shamali warehouse in Shejaia, Gaza, where they hope to get the cement they need to re-build their homes after the devastating Gaza offensive of summer 2014. Almost five months on, reconstruction has virtually not begun. Many families across Gaza are living among the rubble of their semi-destroyed homes, unable to fix them because of the lack of cement caused by the blockade. By Ylenia Gostoli in Gaza
By Ylenia Gostoli
Reactions to the Paris attacks

Religiousness is not the problem

The brutal attacks perpetrated by Islamist terrorists in Paris have shocked Europe and the world. Although Felix Steiner is angered by the fact that these attacks discredit not only Islam, but belief in God in general, he is adamant that there can be no compromise on tolerance
By Felix Steiner
Resistance to Pegida

"Intolerance must not be tolerated"

Against the backdrop of the Pegida protests, politicians in Germany must finally recognise that Islamophobia is a form of racism. Unfortunately, most decision-makers in this country are still a long way off doing that, says Armin Langer, co-ordinator of the Salaam-Shalom initiative in the Berlin district of Neukölln
By Armin Langer
Syrian refugees in Lebanon

"We will perish here!"

Fearing a terrorist attack, the Lebanese army has hermetically sealed off the town of Arsal. More than 100,000 Syrian refugees have been trapped there for months. They fear for their own security and the impact of winter. Juliane Metzker reports from Arsal
By Juliane Metzker
Study on attitudes in "Post-migrant Germany"

Do you love Germany?

A new study entitled "Post-migrant Germany" set out to investigate attitudes on national identity in Germany. According to the results, these attitudes are ambivalent: people in Germany are open-minded, yet many in mainstream society have major reservations with respect to Muslim immigrants. By Claudia Mende
By Claudia Mende
Qantara review 2014

Your favourite articles of the year

This year, roughly 450 English-language articles were published on Qantara.de. These articles covered a huge variety of topics from the civil war in Syria, the rise of IS, and the Gaza conflict to elections in Tunisia, Turkey, India and Egypt. We also took a closer look at Islamophobia in Germany and worldwide, integration in Europe, and women's rights and freedom of speech in the Islamic world, not to mention a fascinating and colourful range of topics from the world of culture
Interview with Zara Faris

"Feminism is about stereotypes on how women should live"

Zara Faris is a British researcher and speaker of Kurdish/Pakistani descent. She has a quarrel with feminist theology, and her views on gender and Islam have provoked a lot of debate. Claudia Mende spoke to her about these subjects
By Claudia Mende