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Winston Churchill: Crusade against the Empire of the MahdiGenesis of Jihadism?
Winston S. Churchill's war report from the Sudan is being rediscovered. The uprising against Anglo-Egyptian rule in the Sudanese provinces at the end of the 19th century was also the beginning of Islamic jihad, according to the publishers. Joseph Croitoru has been reading all about it
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Interview with Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid
"I am a Witness to the Changes in Islam"
Leading Islamic reformist and literary scholar, Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, believes that individual freedom is an essential prerequisite to faith. Everyone, therefore, also has the right to convert to another faith. He talked to Erhard Brunn about some of his ideas
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Criticism of Islamic Theologian Muhammad Kalisch
Doubt about Muhammad's Existence Poses Threat to Islamic Religious Education
Muhammad Sven Kalisch is an Islamic researcher at the University of Münster. He is also the first person in Germany to hold a Chair of Islamic Religion. Kalisch's recent public admission that he is unsure whether the Prophet Muhammad was actually a historical person has got him into hot water. Peter Philipp has the details
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Portrait Albert Memmi
A Sober Look at Freedom
With his "Portrait of the Colonised" Tunisian-French sociologist and writer Albert Memmi laid forth a seminal work of decolonialism in the 1950s. This work was followed recently by "Portrait of the Decolonised", in which he draws a very sobering balance. Kersten Knipp visited the son of Jewish Arab parents in Paris
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Protest against Planned Family Law in Iran
"Free Pass for Polygamous Men"
Iran's women rights activists are alarmed. The government has passed a new law for the "protection of the family". But this law is anything but family friendly. It systematically restricts the rights of women. A protest is forming among Iran's women rights activists. Dorna Hatamlooy reports with the details
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Guided Tours for Muslims in Berlin's Jewish Museum
Discovering a Different Belief
The Jewish Museum in Berlin offers guided tours that highlight the parallels between Judaism and Islam. The guides are all Turkish Muslims and the tours are aimed primarily at Muslims. Panagiotis Kouparanis reports
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Gender Roles in Iran
Between Taboo and Transcendence
How entrenched are gender roles in Iranian society? The exhibition "Naqsh – Insights into Gender and Role Models in Iran" surprises visitors to the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin's Pergamon Museum with a multi-faceted discussion. Ariana Mirza visited the exhibition to take a look
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Warblogs
"Riverbend" – a Voice of Reason
Weblogs are considered as supplementary information sources. Subjective, committed, more direct than the foreign perspectives of normal correspondents, they report from isolated conflict zones. "Warblogs," like "Riverbend", in particular, provide us with information from combat areas and trouble spots. By Amin Farzanefar
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The Turkish Soap Opera "Noor"
More Real than Life
From Saudi Arabia to Morocco: Every evening the Turkish series "Noor" draws millions of people to their television sets. The show is about love, intimacy and equality; no social taboo is ignored. Alfred Hackensberger reports
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Study "Islam goes Internet"
Cyber Islam and Online Fatwas
Islamic associations are increasingly joining others in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the World Wide Web. In her study "Islam goes Internet. Websites of Islamic Organizations on the World Wide Web," Dr. Alev Inan traces the development of Islamic websites. Götz Nordbruch spoke with her about the study
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"Manege" Youth Club
A Tiny Oasis in Berlin's Neukölln District
Often language alone is not enough to help people of different backgrounds communicate, which is why the leaders of a youth club in the Neukölln district of Berlin, where many immigrants live, use colour, music and movement. Naima El Moussaoui reports
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Christians in Algeria
"Law and Order" Politics against Missionaries
In Algeria the state is attempting to enforce an Arab-Muslim "dominant culture". Most notably it is targeting Christian converts and Protestant evangelical sects. By Bernard Schmid
Most read articles
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Journalists in Gaza
A new generation bears witness
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Syrian activist The Darvish
"Queerness is freedom and freedom is indivisible"
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Middle East conflict and the Gaza war
"Wake up to the reality of what is happening"
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Book review: Fatima Daas' "The Last One"
Confessions of a Muslim woman
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Sex tourism in Egypt
A bride for the summer
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Iraqi women filmmakers
The power of stories and moving images