Society

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
Research project into "spaces of participation"

Hubs of political protest

From Casablanca to Manama, from Cairo to Istanbul: coffee shops, youth clubs mosques and public areas all play an important role in modern protest movements. A research project at the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) in Berlin is now taking a closer look at such spaces of resistance and hope. By Jannis Hagmann
By Jannis Hagmann
Documentary: "The Green Prince"

A friendship that inspires hope

Green is the colour of Hamas. The documentary "The Green Prince" tells the story of a Palestinian who turned informer and worked for the Israeli secret service for years. Igal Avidan watched the film and spoke to its director, Nadav Schirman
By Igal Avidan
Launch of the digital television channel Alchemiya

A dose of positivity in dark times

A new London-based media start-up seeks to counter the warped portrayal of Islam. The digital television channel Alchemiya intends to showcase only positive content. Sounds a bit cheesy? Perhaps it is, says Jannis Hagmann, but it just might be a smart business idea and one that will catch on
By Jannis Hagmann
Nobel Peace Prize 2014

Serving stereotypes about the subcontinent?

According to Florian Weigand, Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi richly deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize this year. However, he adds that the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision to honour a Pakistani and an Indian is symbolic politics; the international community has no idea how to achieve sustainable peace in South Asia
By Florian Weigand