Society

Interview with Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im

"We are in the middle of a transformative process"

Islamic scholar Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im of the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, USA, has done extensive research into the ways in which Sharia can be reconciled with the modern secular state. Claudia Mende spoke to him about the different faces of the secular, the separation of state and religion in early Islamic history and why he feels Muslims are in the middle of a reformation process
By Claudia Mende
Attempts to decriminalise hashish in the Arab world

To legalise or not to legalise

In a number of Arab countries, people have launched campaigns to have hashish legalised. So far, their efforts have met with little success: there is still stiff opposition from both conservative politicians and religious circles. By Reda Ghoneim
By Reda Ghoneim
The Kurdish football club Amedspor

"Disciplinary measures are unfortunately part of our team identity"

Despite fielding a succession of repressive measures, the Third-League club Amedspor from Diyarbakir is clocking up the sporting victories. For Kurdish fans from Istanbul to Hakkari, the team represents a beacon of hope in difficult times. By Sonja Galler
By Sonja Galler
Controversial study about Muslim kindergartens in Vienna

The unwelcome glare of publicity

According to a report in the Austrian weekly ′Falter′, Professor Ednan Aslan is said to have allowed civil servants working for the Austrian Foreign and Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz to manipulate his findings for political ends. Allegations he vehemently denies. A commission has now been set up to investigate. By Canan Topcu
By Canan Topçu
Non-fiction: ″Stolen Girls″ by Wolfgang Bauer

What hides in the woods

Satellite images of Duhu, Gubla or Gulak reveal little. A road flanked by scattered settlements runs through sparse terrain. Somewhat further away, the Sambisa forest. North-eastern Nigeria – home to the Islamist terrorist organisation Boko Haram, described by Wolfgang Bauer in his shocking and poignant reportage ″Stolen Girls″
By Jutta Person
Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid

Innocence incarcerated

Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan, took some photographs at a Muslim Brotherhood demonstration. As a result he has spent almost four years in prison – without any verdict having been passed. By Karim El-Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
The nature of Islam

Neither violence nor peace

The holy scriptures contain passages that can be used to justify both violence and peace. It depends entirely on us religious people what we do with this heritage, writes Armin Langer
By Armin Langer
Iran and Saudi Arabia

Chalk and cheese

Iran and Saudi Arabia are more than just two regimes, they are also two societies. And these are fundamentally different. Charlotte Wiedemann assesses the differences, from their fundamental attitude to life, to the pace and scale of modernisation
By Charlotte Wiedemann
Sunnis in Iran

The Zahedan network

Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Balochistan Province, is one of the few Iranian cities with a Sunni majority population. Here, Sunnis can still practise their faith in relative freedom. Recently, however, the city has become a focus for radical Sunni groups. Philipp Breu reports from Zahedan
By Philipp Breu
Islamic State′s destruction of Mosul

Razed to the ground

Islamic State recently blew up Mosul′s landmark Al-Nuri mosque. The extent of the damage is only likely to be fully revealed when the jihadists are finally driven out of the city. By Joseph Croitoru
By Joseph Croitoru
Berlin′s new mosque

Liberal Islam is a chimaera

The hostile reactions to the opening of a "liberal mosque" in Berlin are no great surprise. They are not, however, evidence that Islam is incapable of reform, says Loay Mudhoon
By Loay Mudhoon
DITIB Central Mosque in Cologne

A place to pray, a place to meet

For many Muslims in western Germany, a dream has finally come true. Years behind schedule, the Central Mosque in Cologne finally opened its doors in the middle of Ramadan. The faithful can now pray there every day. Ulrike Hummel went along to see it
By Ulrike Hummel