Society

Interview with Hossein Derakhshan

Iran's 'blogfather' turned Internet sceptic

Hossein Derakhshan, a.k.a. Hoder, pioneered the blogger revolution in Iran. Released from prison following a term of six years, he barely recognised what the Internet has become. Interview by Julia Hitz
By Julia Hitz
New peace initiatives for the Middle East conflict

Two states, one homeland

A group made up of Israelis and Palestinians has some unusual ideas on how to resolve the Middle East conflict. It′s a peace initiative based on the notion that no side should lose. By Inge Gunther
By Inge Günther
Political Islam and violence

A question of power

In his essay, the renowned Shia theologian and philosopher Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari considers the significance of political power and violence in Islamic systems of government
By Hassan Yussefi Eshkevari
Eco-tourism in Jordan

Guests of the Bedouin

The Feynan EcoLodge in southern Jordan is one of the few socially and ecologically sustainable tourist destinations in the Middle East. The project, managed and run by a group of local Bedouin, gives visitors an intriguing insight into a culture in transition. Claudia Mende reports from Feynan
By Claudia Mende
Civil rights in Lebanon

″Reclaiming Beirut′s public space″

In June this year, Beirut′s largest green space, Horsh Beirut, re-opened to the public after an extended period of closure. Thanks to a strong campaign led by the NGO Nahnoo, citizens are once more able to enjoy strolling under the pines. By Changiz M. Varzi
By Changiz M. Varzi
Secularism in the Islamic world

Part I – It′s a knotty problem

The well-known Saudi analyst Khaled al-Dakhil posits that if it was secularism that led the West out of the Dark Ages and into the Enlightenment and if, at the same time, secularism means atheism and a lack of religious faith, then it was the latter, rather than faith, which paved the way to science, insight and freedom
By Khalid al-Dakhil
Berlin Imam Mohamed Tahi Sabri

″Muslims, go and vote!″

Imam Mohamed Tahi Sabri deplores the rise in Islamophobia in Germany. With state elections in Berlin scheduled for this weekend, he has been trying to mobilise the Muslim vote – no easy task. By Chris Cottrell
By Chris Cottrell
Animal rights in Morocco

Stay of execution for strays

Late summer in Agadir. Hay bales are piled up along the roadside; lorries full of bleating sheep rattle past: Eid ul-Adha, the Islamic feast of sacrifice, casts a long shadow. But while butchers everywhere are sharpening their knives, in the no-man′s-land to the south-east of the city, the former rubbish processing plant near Tikiouine is home to an embryonic pilot project celebrating life: ″Dar Imouddar″ – The House of Animals. By Regina Keil-Sagawe
By Regina Keil-Sagawe
Iran's stadium ban on women

Excluding the people

Iranian women′s rights activist Darya Safai fights the stadium ban for Iranian women from her exile in Brussels. An interview on her protest during the Olympic Games in Rio, the hypocrisy of international sports organisations and Ali Khamenei′s unreformable regime. By Kai Schnier
By Kai Schnier
Interview with Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh

″I oppose the false Muslims″

The Iranian religious scholar Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh has been studying the origins and language of the Koran for decades. Ulrich von Schwerin spoke to him about his efforts to develop a new approach to the Koran, thereby saving the Prophet′s true message from what he perceives to be an erroneous interpretation of Islam
By Ulrich von Schwerin
Syrian refugee Nather Henafe Alali

Part II: ″Why I am here″

″A German artist once asked me why some people leave their country, while others just stay there and die. The question was put in a friendly way, but there was something very bitter about it. As if he was asking why I didn’t dutifully stay in Syria and wait for my death,″ writes Nather Henafe Alali in his second column
By Nather Henafe Alali
US presidential election

Ever the aliens

Donald Trump has sparked a backlash after criticising the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier. It′s another reminder of the challenges faced by Muslims in the US military. By Brandon Conradis
By Brandon Conradis