Society

Turning away from Shia in Iran

''A Tsunami of Atheism''

Iran's moral guardians are concerned: while Islam is increasing in political importance throughout the Arab world, people in the Islamic Republic of Iran are leaving the mosques in droves. As Ali Sadrzadeh found out, young people seem especially susceptible to the attractions of sects or Christianity
By Ali Sadrzadeh
Islamic Jurisprudence in Qatar

Putting the Gulf on the Legal Education Map

The small emirate of Qatar is extremely ambitious – and wants to position itself as a motor for the region, also in the field of jurisprudence. Laura Overmeyer spoke to the German legal expert Günter Frankenberg, who is aiming to set up an innovative legal research institute in Doha
By Laura Overmeyer
Justice in Iran

Petty Criminals Sent to the Gallows

Iran has begun handing down death sentences for robbery – a crime that previously carried much less severe punishments. In socially and politically uncertain times, the regime is increasingly resorting to Draconian measures in the hope that these will serve as a deterrent, reports Stefan Buchen
By Stefan Buchen
Turkish Businesswomen

Female Power for Turkey's Economy

Turkey's largest companies are increasingly assigning women to key positions and corporate boards. Of the top executives in these companies, 26 percent are women - well above the EU average. Ayhan Simsek and Selcuk Oktay report
By Ayhan Simsek
Interview with Pinar Selek

''I Can Feel a Huge Amount of Solidarity''

The sociologist and author Pinar Selek spoke with Hülya Köylü Schenk on her sentence of life imprisonment in Turkey and on the solidarity she has been receiving from many levels of society
By Hülya Köylü Schenk
The Uprising of Women in the Arab World

Fighting Patriarchal Tyranny

The group "The uprising of women in the Arab world" is taking a courageous stand for gender equality. However, the activists face significant resistance: from old ways of thinking, patriarchal chauvinism – and even from Facebook. Laura Overmeyer reports
By Laura Overmeyer
Interview with Father Paolo Dall'Oglio on Syria

Hoping for a Victory without Revenge

Paolo Dall'Oglio has lived in Syria for over 30 years. Founder of the Deir Mar Musa monastic community north of Damascus, he has always been committed to interreligious dialogue with the Muslim world. Last June, he was banished by the regime. Father Paolo Dall'Oglio talks to Antonella Vicini
10th Anniversary of the Death of Annemarie Schimmel

Searching for the Inner Life of Islam

As one of the most eminent western scholars of Islam, Annemarie Schimmel is still held in high esteem in the Islamic world. But despite being a kind of a mystic herself, the German got entangled in the fraught relations between East and West. Ten years after her death, Stefan Wild takes stock of her life and work
By Stefan Wild
Interview with Doug Saunders

''Muslim infiltration is a myth''

In his book "The Myth of the Muslim Tide", Doug Saunders puts theories from critics of immigration under the microscope. He talked to Aygül Cizmecioglu about extremism, xenophobia and successful integration
By Aygül Cizmecioglu
Right-wing Extremism and Islamophobia in Germany

Sending out a Political Signal

In this essay, Aiman Mazyek, chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, warns against the trivialisation of anti-Islamic tendencies and right-wing extremist violence, both of which are increasingly posing a threat to social peace in Germany
By Aiman Mazyek
John R. Bowen's ''Blaming Islam''

Deconstructing Populism

John R. Bowen, anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis, is fed up with the myths, misinformation and cheap populism surrounding the issue of Islam and Muslims in the West. In his book, he debunks the falsehoods that have crept into the everyday political discourse about the religion and its adherents. A review by Paul Hockenos
By Paul Hockenos
Camps for Syrian Refugees in Zaatari and Atma

Cut off from the Rest of the World

Refugee camps are other-worlds where a tent becomes a home, a field of mud is a playground and where thousands of displaced Syrians are trying to adapt to a new, grim reality. Karen Leigh went to see for herself
By Karen Leigh