Society

Gezi Protests in Turkey

A Libertarian and Unifying Movement

Parallels have been drawn between the Gezi movement, the Arab Spring and some Occupy movements in Europe. Nilüfer Göle looks at the causes of the Gezi protests and some of the protester's demands
By Nilüfer Göle
Eco-Islam Pioneer Fazlun Khalid

''Allah Does Not Love the Wasters''

It's not enough to simply pray for a better environment, you have to stand up and take action, says Fazlun Khalid, one of the world's leading eco-theologians. He believes religion can help save the planet. Interview by Franziska Badenschier
By Franziska Badenschier
Interview with the Lebanese Artist Ghazi Kahwaji

''I Believe that Several Paths Lead to God''

The Lebanese artist and writer Ghazi Kahwaji sees the revival of Mediterranean humanism as a basis for intercultural dialogue between Arab and European societies. An interview by Aladdin Sarhan
By Aladdin Sarhan
Tunisia's Economic Crisis

The Decline of the Middle Class

More than two years have passed since the start of the so-called "Arab Spring" in Tunisia. What began as a fight for social justice became an ideological tug-of-war between Islamists and secular forces. But while the elite engage in theoretical debate, the economic crisis deepens. Katharina Pfannkuch reports
By Katharina Pfannkuch
Democracy and Human Rights in Indonesia

A Blocked Constitutional State

The country with the world's biggest Muslim population has now experienced 15 years of democracy. But the political euphoria of the Indonesian "Reformasi" movement has long since given way to disenchantment. Ex-dictator Suharto's old boy network is still very much in place, and radical Islam is on the rise. By Christina Schott
By Christina Schott
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Fighting for Survival

There are now more than half a million refugees from the Syrian civil war in Lebanon, seeking shelter with families, in rented apartments and on construction sites, in ruins and homemade tents, in communal accommodation and occasionally in transit camps. Susanne Schmelter reports
By Susanne Schmelter
Islamophobia

Evidence Does Not Support Fears of Islam in the West

Why has a dichotomy persisted between Muslim and Western societies despite the bulk of academic research dispelling any notion of incompatibility? Director of the Islam in the West program at Harvard University Jocelyne Cesari explains
By Jocelyne Cesari
German Wehrmacht Document on Islam

Ideological Vacuum

If it were not for the fact that the author of a code of conduct for Wehrmacht officers in Muslim countries – the army doctor Ernst Rodenwaldt – was a proven Nazi sympathiser, those in today's anti-Islamic milieu would most certainly hold him for a Muslim sympathizer. Stefan Weidner on an unusual historical manuscript
By Stefan Weidner
Dilwar Hussain on Reform Islam

Going beyond Literal Interpretation

In order to retain the values of the Koran, one must go beyond the literal meaning of the text, says British Islam scholar Dilwar Hussain. Instead, Muslims should try to interpret the dynamic of change of early Islam and apply that to modern times and conditions. An interview by Jan Kuhlmann
Freedom of the Press in Turkey

Tied to the Leash of the State

According to information from "Reporters without Borders", there are more journalists imprisoned in Turkey today than there ever have been since the end of the military regime in 1983. The freedom of the Turkish press is kept within very narrow limits. Yet, is this really such a new phenomenon? Fatih Cicek offers some answers
By Fatih Cicek
Jews in Tunisia

A Shrinking, Vulnerable Community

Jews lived in North Africa before the arrival of Christianity or Islam. On the eve of Tunisia's independence from France, there were more than 100,000 of them in the country. Half a century later, as few as 1,500 remain. Naomi Scherbel-Ball reports from Tunis
By Naomi Scherbel-Ball
Forced Marriage in Afghanistan

Suicide as a Final Resort

Up to 80 per cent of marriages in Afghanistan take place without the consent of the bride, who is often a minor. Many of these brides – particularly those who live in cities – see killing themselves as the only way out. Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi reports on this tragic state of affairs
By Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi