Society

Spotlight on bridge-builders: Omid Nouripour

Taking a stand against the "overemphasis of difference"

Omid Nouripour fled Iran for Germany with his family at the age of 13. Today, he is foreign policy spokesman for Germany’s Green Party. He argues that societal differences should be seen as potential and vehicles for peace in foreign policymaking. Profile by Ceyda Nurtsch for Qantara.de
By Ceyda Nurtsch
Humanitarian aid in the Middle East

UN agency for Palestinian refugees faces imminent collapse

Financial woes had been part and parcel of UNRWA's work for years. In 2018, however, President Donald Trump dealt the organisation a deadly blow, deferring payment of U.S. yearly contributions of more than $300 million. Now the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees is facing insolvency. Financial aid for millions of refugees is at risk. By Kersten Knipp
By Kersten Knipp
De-radicalising young people

Is there a way to stop jihadists in Europe?

What drives young men into the arms of Islamist extremists – and how can they be re-integrated into society? Five years after the deadly attacks in Paris, urgent questions remain. By Matthias von Hein
By Matthias von Hein
Radicalisation debate

The exclusion of European Muslims nurtures Islamists

Austria's chancellor is seeking to criminalise "political Islam". The move would put non-violent, non-radical Muslims under blanket suspicion and is hardly helpful in the fight against Islamism. In her commentary, Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi says that Islamism is easier to counter if you work together with Muslims on equal terms
By Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi
India, a crumbling democracy

Narendra Modi's vendetta against free-thinking academics

Dozens of academics, writers and civic activists have been arrested in India on charges of sedition, terrorism and inciting violence. Sruti Bala asks why a country that sees itself as a global power in the knowledge economy of the future is turning on its public intellectuals?
By Sruti Bala
"A Slave Between Empires: A Transimperial History of North Africa"

Decolonising Maghreb history

M’hamed Oualdi presents the story of a manumitted-slave-turned-dignitary in the Ottoman province of Tunis and the posthumous conflicts over his estate as a case study to deconstruct the modern history of Tunisia and the wider Maghreb region. Muhammed Nafih Wafy read the book
By Muhammed Nafih Wafy
After the Islamist attacks in France and Austria

"Placing Muslims under general suspicion is not the solution"

Rather than suspecting Muslims in general, we need to co-operate more with Islamic scholars, Muslim congregations and associations, writes Muhammad Sameer Murtaza in his commentary, invoking the power of selfless love – charity – that unites Christians, Jews and Muslims
By Muhammad Sameer Murtaza
Jews, Christians and Muslims

"We are in dire need of a culture of dialogue"

Berlin's "House of One" project, instigated by Jews, Christians and Muslims, will finally begin to take physical shape in early 2021, following a lengthy period of preparation. With the terrorist attack in Vienna fresh in their minds, the representatives of the three world religions feel uniquely challenged. By Christoph Strack
By Christoph Strack
Relgions for Peace in Lindau

"Women are the ones who ensure religion survives"

Organised by interfaith NGO Religions for Peace, an international conference in Lindau on Lake Constance is dealing with the peace-building role of women inspired by the faith of their respective religions. Some 600 participants from around the world meet virtually to discuss the central challenges of our time. By Christoph Strack
By Christoph Strack
COVID-19 and fake news in the Middle East

Arabs find comfort in coronavirus conspiracy theories

In the Arab region, fake news relating to COVID-19 claims that people who have been cured "convert to Islam" or that "Muslims are immune" to the disease. Long-established conspiracy theories have a bearing on the rumours. Another contributing factor is that people have no faith in the authorities. By Mona Naggar
By Mona Naggar
Terrorist attack on Nice church

French Muslims grieve following another Islamist outrage

Muslims in Nice condemn the attack on the Basilica of Notre Dame. At the same time, there is great frustration at the readiness of some to equate the perpetrator with the Muslim community in general, which mourns the attack as much as the rest of France. By Marina Strauß
By Marina Strauss
Interview with Melisa Erkurt on her book "Generation haram"

"Teachers must be taught not to become racists in class"

Melisa Erkurt came to Austria from Bosnia as a child with her parents. As a journalist, she now writes about education, which is also the subject of her latest book “Generation haram”, which focuses on education’s so-called losers. Interview by Schayan Riaz
By Schayan Riaz