Society

On the death of Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui

The man who captured humanity

In India and beyond, there has been great sadness at the loss of the renowned Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui, whose images captured the human face of South Asian news. He died while on assignment in Afghanistan. By Natalie Mayroth
By Natalie Mayroth
Moosa Raza's "In Search of Oneness"

What do the Bhagavad Gita and the Koran have in common?

Despite over a thousand years of co-existence, India's Hindus and Muslims often know little about each other's religious traditions. In an effort to promote understanding and reconciliation among the two communities, Moosa Raza, an Indian scholar of Islam, compares the sub-continent’s two most important sacred scriptures. By Marian Brehmer
By Marian Brehmer
Amina Wadud's "Qur'an and Woman" revisited

"Inequality between men and women is contrary to Islam"

Penned by pioneering American female imam and champion of gender equality within Islam, Amina Wadud, "Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective" (1999) had a huge impact on academic thought across the Muslim and non-Muslim world. Now it has finally been translated into French – reason enough to re-examine her groundbreaking premise. By Malika Hamidi
By Malika Hamidi
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh

The ordeal of "abandoned wives" left behind by UK families

Many marriages to British Asian men are accompanied by false promises of improved finances. Later when the men abandon their wives to return to the UK, some brides' families find themselves saddled with debt. By S. Khan
By S. Khan
Richard W. Bulliet's "Methodists and Muslims: My life as an Orientalist"

The agency of historians. Or what Edward Said missed out on

Is it legitimate for a historian to compare 11th century Nishapur with 20th century Rockford, Illinois? What possible motive can there be for studying Middle Eastern societies if you have no biographical ties with the region? Eminent Middle East historian Richard Bulliet answers these and other questions in his witty memoir "Methodists and Muslims: My life as an Orientalist". Sonja Hegasy read the book
By Sonja Hegasy
Islamophobia in Germany and Europe

European Muslims face increased online and physical attacks

Muslims in Europe regularly experience threats, witness attacks and are the target of hate across national borders. Now the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organisation, is to examine the problem and make recommendations to policymakers on how they can better tackle Islamophobia. By Christoph Strack
By Christoph Strack
EURO 2020: Racism in football

Racists, not missed penalties, are the problem

The final defeat against Italy hurt England – but the racist insults against Saka, Sancho and Rashford were far more painful, revealing the deep rift running through English society. Commentary by Joscha Weber
By Joscha Weber
Egypt and social media

Qawem group saves Egyptian women from sextortion

Social media make many things possible – including the unwanted circulation of intimate private photos. This has given rise to new forms of crime and sexual blackmail. An initiative in Egypt is assisting victims. Ihad Zidan reports from Cairo
By Ihad Zidan
COVID-19 and the ongoing impact

Coronavirus in the time of Delta

While Europe and North America experience something like a return to normality with relatively high vaccination provision and take-up rates, the rest of the world is struggling to contain the Delta variant. Qantara takes a look at how countries across the Islamic world are coping
Imran Khan's democracy and press freedom

Pakistani military keeps journalists on a tight leash

Fearing persecution and facing threats to their lives, journalists tread carefully in Pakistan. The brave and bold who pose awkward questions are most at risk, writes Pakistani journalist Warda Imran
By Warda Imran
Interview with Turkish human rights lawyer Canan Arin

"Women in Turkey are fighting to keep their rights"

As 1 July approaches, the date when Turkey will officially pull out of the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, Qantara.de speaks to Canan Arin, one of the co-founders and most well-known voices of the Turkish feminist movement. Interview by Ceyda Nurtsch
By Ceyda Nurtsch
Pride Month 2021

Malaysia seeks stricter sharia laws for "promoting LGBT lifestyle"

A Malaysian government taskforce has proposed amendments to sharia law that would allow action to be taken against social media users for insulting Islam and "promoting the LGBT lifestyle"