Society

Intercultural Gardens

The Gardens of Others

The concept of "intercultural gardens" sounds auspicious: Fallow land is developed into community gardens where people from different cultural backgrounds can plant crops. However the example of the intercultural garden in Cologne, Germany, shows that integration work can also be counter-productive. Pouyeh Ansari reports
Women's Rights in Iran

A Strategy of Slow Steps

Thirty years after the Islamic revolution in Iran, the situation has improved for women, but there are still major shortcomings. This is clearly illustrated by the case of the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner and lawyer Shirin Ebadi, who herself has come under pressure from the authorities. Katajun Amirpur reports
The Media in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Between Self-censorship and Prohibition

Despite short phases of relative freedom for Iran's press, the scope for journalists who are critical of the government has narrowed steadily. Ghasem Toulany looks back over the last thirty years
Integration in the Netherlands

Tolerance instead of a Multicultural Illusion

Asis Aynan, son of Moroccan immigrants, author, and journalist, criticises the Netherlands for its double standards in dealing with Muslim migrants as well as for abandoning multiculturalism since the country's swing to the right. Arian Fariborz had the chance to discuss these issues with him
Muslims in Germany

Seeking Clarity on Religious Law

Imams have a strong influence on Muslims living in Germany. One of their tasks is the issuing of fatwas - religious opinions on Islamic law which can serve as behavioral guidelines for Muslims in specific situations. Heiner Kiesel reports
Interview with Ekin Deligöz

"Farewell to a Sharia Mind-Set"

Timo Berger asks Ekin Deligöz, a member of the German Bundestag, for her views on development in Turkey, the role of the EU, and a possible model for a modern Islam on the Bosporus
Interview with Nihad Abu al-Qumsan

When Sexual Harassment Becomes an Everyday Occurrence

The prominent Egyptian women rights activist Nihad Abu al-Qumsan, director of the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, is fighting for the passage of a law that would make sexual harassment a criminal offence. Harassment on the streets of Egypt is now occurring at an alarming rate. Nelly Youssouf spoke with Nihad Abu al-Qumsan in Cairo
Humanitarian Commitment in Afghanistan

"Keep out of the Way of Soldiers"

Every time that Reinhard Erös, a former Colonel in the Medical Corps of the German Army, travels to Afghanistan, his pockets are full of money – donations to help children in the Hindu Kush. He uses these funds to build schools in the east of the country. His most important rule is not to stand out as a foreigner. By Andrea Grunau
Edward Said's "Orientalism" in Arab Discourse

Instrumentalised on All Sides

Edward Said published his seminal work 'Orientalism' thirty years ago. For western academics, the book emerged as the manifesto of theoretical decolonisation – but how was his intellectual legacy received in the Arab world? Markus Schmitz has the answers
Dekha Ibrahim Abdi's Mission of Peace in Kenya

A Simple Message – We Can Solve Conflicts

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi has a difficult mission – she wants to make peace in Kenya. She mediates between opposing parties, from the village to the national level, and received the alternative Nobel Prize in 2007. Claudia Mende met the mediator in Munich
Iconophobia in Egypt

A Taliban Future for Egypt?

How likely is it that Egypt will opt for a Taliban future? Will Egyptians awake one morning to discover that the statues in the temples of Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel are no more? This may seem rather exaggerated, but recent years have seen the country's religious fundamentalists turning more and more to fanatical iconoclasm, says journalist Samir Grees
"A Most Wanted Man" by John le Carré

A Society under Suspicion

In his latest novel, John le Carré, former spy and grandmaster of the espionage novel, tells a tale of increasing surveillance, a paranoia focused on terrorism, and the power of the international secret services. It's a disenchanting novel says Eren Güvercin