Society

Internet Fatwas

Strong Impact on the Lives of Believers

Religious fatwas have "invaded" the lives of Muslim men and women through various media outlets with the internet in the lead. Fidel Sbeiti reports
Islam in Germany

On Overemphasizing Religion

Endless debates and controversies on "the Muslims" and "Islam" in Germany continue to rage while a whole range of problems is completely ignored – the legal and economic situation of immigrants. By Mark Terkessidis
Universities and Euro-Islamic Dialogue

No Long-term Strategy in Sight

Students from the German-Jordanian University are currently arriving in Germany to improve their language skills at courses. Mona Naggar on this project and other forms of cooperation between German and Arab universities
Muslims in Germany

German Author Wants to Read The Satanic Verses in Mosque

Günter Wallraff created quite a stir when he proposed the reading of Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" in a mosque in his native Cologne. Peter Philipp spoke with Wallraff about Salman Rushdie, integration in Germany and the tolerance of German Muslims
Turkey

Women on the Rise?

The new Turkish Parliament has twice as many women representatives than previously. Turkish women's rights advocates emphasize, however, that it is not just the number of women in Parliament that counts. Ayse Tekin reports
Humour in Arab Culture

The Prophet's Candid Camera

Is it permissible to make jokes about the Prophet Mohammed? Has the increasing politicisation of Islam had an effect on humour in the Arab world? Just two of the questions discussed at a conference on humour held recently in Berlin. Antje Bauer went along for a laugh
Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid

The Power of Dialogue

Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, exiled Egyptian theologian, promotes renewed dialogue with the Islamic world – a dialogue that seeks to connect with representatives of moderate political Islam as well as the "silent majority" of the Islamic world. Mahmoud Tawfik reports
Bosnia's Multiethnic Denominations

Interreligious Dialogue for Reconciliation

The peaceful coexistence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Bosnia-Herzegovina has not been a simple matter in the aftermath of the war in the 1990s. Today, however, there are several interreligious dialogue initiatives, many sponsored from abroad. Mirjana Dikic reports
Baden-Württemberg's Conscience Test

Zeitgeist of Fear and Prejudice

The conscience test, conceived by the interior ministry in the German state of Baden-Württemberg to check whether potential German citizens have the right moral convictions, reflects current German attitude towards Muslims, says Ülger Polat
Integration and Immigration Policy in Germany

Immigration Law as "Integration Prevention Law"

In his commentary Memet Kiliç, criticizes the tightening of immigration law in Germany. Instead of promoting integration, the "old defensive spirit" of the law on aliens is creeping into immigration law, says Kiliç
Germany's Second Integration Summit

In the Shadow of the Boycott

A number of Turkish associations have boycotted Germany's integration summit and want to take the issue of Germany's tightened immigration laws to the Federal Constitutional Court. German politicians, meanwhile, have dismissed the boycott as a complete overreaction. Peter Philipp reports
Al-Jazeera's Coverage of Salman Rushdie's Knighthood:

Reading into the Minds of Millions in the Islamic World!

Al-Jazeera did not treat the knighthood awarded to the Indian-born British writer Salman Rushdie as a literary or cultural item. Instead, it created a major political news story. A commentary by Fidel Sbeiti