Society

Islam and Democracy

The Acceleration of History

Contrary to the European experience, secularization in the Islamic world preceded a religious reformation – with profound negative consequences for political development in Muslim societies. An essay by Nader Hashemi
Germany's Current Debate on Islam

The New Cold War

Germany's debates on Islam are becoming ever more caustic and confusing. Islamic Studies expert Stefan Weidner explains the background to the debates, to help neutral observers to find their way around
Corruption in the Arab World

Bought Loyalties

Corruption and nepotism are widespread in Arab nations. Large-scale bribery is not uncommon, even among leading politicians, as Birgit Kaspar reports from Beirut
Edward Said's "Orientalism"

The Orient beyond Cliché

The Palestinian-American literary scholar Edward Said (1935 – 2003) is required reading for anyone talking about Islam today. His main work, Orientalism, recently came out in a new German translation. Stefan Weidner read it for Qantara.de
Cultural Dialogue

Peaceful Social Change Is Possible

Development policy needs to take a stand in the debate on basic rights, integration and religion, argues Christian von Haldenwang. Western values should be discussed while taking other views and cultures into account
Muslim Life in Germany

Integration Beats Segregation

The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees study "Muslim Life in Germany" shows that Muslims are better integrated than is commonly assumed. There are still deficits, however, in school education and educational social mobility. Sonja Haug sums up the findings
José Casanova: "Europe's Fear of Religion"

Secularism on the Test-Bed

The sociologist José Casanova confronts the paradigm that secularisation is a prerequisite for open and tolerant societies. In 'Europas Angst vor der Religion' (Europe's Fear of Religion) he calls for an end to the strict division between faith and politics. A review by Lewis Gropp
Blogging in Iran

The Electronic Manifestation of Persian Thought

In spite of government filtering, low bandwidth connections, prosecution of the bloggers, and other social and technological problems, the Persian blogosphere has been able to thrive into a community of people with different social and political opinions and fields of interest. By Arash Kamangir
Interview with Heiner Bielefeldt

"The Hard Core of Islamophobia Is Racist"

A ban on the burqa is possible, but a ban on the construction of minarets is unlawful, says the former director of the German Institute for Human Rights, Heiner Bielefeldt. He also considers the "hard core of Islamophobia" to be racist. Christian Rath sends us this interview
Interview with the Historian Michael Borgolte

"Islam Was Always Part of Europe"

Present-day Muslim immigration is returning Europe to its former historical state: the continent was a place of religious plurality from late antiquity on. Ralph Bollmann spoke to the historian Michael Borgolte about the history of Muslims in Europe
Arabic Blogs in Crisis

Over-estimated Agents of Change

What can blogs really achieve? Is too much expected of them? How can they make a difference? Mohammed Sahli, Moroccan blogger and organiser of the Arabic Blog Awards, talks about the development of the Arabic blogosphere, its future and the social role of blogs
Women's Rights in India

The Constitution Can Wait

India does not have a uniform civil code regulating family relationships. The religion of the parties determines which law governs the rights and obligations of a family's members, a situation that, according to Ved Kumari, professor of Law at the University of Delhi, upholds the inequality of the sexes