Society
Topics
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Virginity in EgyptDouble Standards and Hypocrisy
Operations to restore a woman's virginity are prohibited in Egypt, but are often performed all the same. They reflect a rejection of old concepts of morality which equate virtue with an intact hymen. Nelly Youssef reports
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Muslims in Britain
The Issue of Intellectual Leadership
The July bombs in London have dominated discussion of British Muslims in 2005. But even more important than the social problems of young Muslims is the quality and character of Muslim leadership
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Weblogger in Iran
Hoder's Virtual Struggle for Freedom
In Iran there are currently over 100,000 weblogs serving as an outlet of expression. One of the pioneer bloggers is Hossein Derakhshan (Hoder), whose appearance on the web set off a small-scale media revolution in Iran. Golrokh Esmaili reports
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Swedish Study on Circumcision
The Correlation of Genital Mutilation and Infertility
Around the world 6,000 girls are circumcised every day, the majority of them in Africa. Now a Swedish study has found that the practice has a significant impact on fertility. Maja Dreyer reports
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Amr Khaled
"I Want to Move Arabic Youth!"
The Egyptian-born preacher Amr Khaled motivates and galvanises Arabic youth. One of his theses is that Muslims who live in Western societies must also respect the values of those societies. Mona Naggar reports
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Muslims in Germany
Islam Implicated as Motivating Factor behind Social Conflicts
The political and social climate for Muslims in Germany has deteriorated significantly within the last year, says Ebehard Seidel, as for instance the newly introduced "convictions tests" in the state of Baden Württemberg show
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Racial Violence in Australia
Tense Situation on Sydney's Beaches
Shortly before Christmas, Australia was shocked by the most serious racial violence in its history. The fifth continent's reputation as a model multicultural society has been severely tarnished. Sebastian Krüger reports
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Follow the Women
Pedalling for Peace
In order to raise awareness of how the current situation within the Middle East affects the lives of women and children, over 200 women from 23 countries cycled through Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Sophie Nicholson was with them
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Cycling as a Bridge to Understanding
Peace Cyclists in Damascus
On an international cycle tour from Germany to Egypt, twenty cyclists from Dresden are spreading the message of "peace and understanding." En route through the Near East, the Saxonians arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus shortly before Christmas. Manuela Römer reports
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Islamic Studies in German Schools
An Equality Policy of Small Steps
In an interview with Qantara.de, Dr Michael Kiefer, an expert in Islamic Studies, talks about the experience that has been gained and the controversies that have arisen since "Islamic Studies" have been taught in German schools.
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Women in Europe and the Arab World
Struggling with Gender Roles
Life for women in Europe is generally portrayed as being worlds apart from women in the Arab world. At a German-Arab media conference now held in Rabat, Morocco, participants learned that this is not necessarily so. Martina Sabra reports
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"AktionCourage"
No Place for Xenophobia
Discrimination of any kind is an attack on human dignity, say the initiators of "AktionCourage". That's the name of a one-of-a-kind organization that is fighting against racism and for dialogue with Islam throughout Germany – above all, in schools. By Petra Tabeling
Most read articles
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Book review: Fatima Daas' "The Last One"
Confessions of a Muslim woman
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Standard Arabic, Darija, French or English?
Morocco – a linguistic cold war
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Israeli documentary "1948 – Remember, Remember Not"
The perspectives of others
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Attar’s "The Conference of the Birds"
There is no person whose soul has not suffered
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Women's voices
Iranian literature in times of uprising
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Sumud Flotilla
Tunisia at the forefront of global convoy to Gaza