Society

Refugees in Germany

Hanging in the balance

Aged just 14 when he left his native country of Afghanistan, Emdadullah Mohammand spent nine months on the road in his quest to reach Europe. Four and a half years later, however, his asylum status remains unclear. By Esther Felden
By Esther Felden
The Swiss handshake controversy

A mountain out of a molehill

We live in an era when minor issues can apparently become major scandals overnight. Two Syrian pupils refuse to shake hands with a female teacher in Switzerland and the whole of Europe takes offence. By Charlotte Wiedemann
By Charlotte Wiedemann
The scourge of sectarianism

Obstinate mass suicide

In his essay, the well-known Jordanian journalist and literary scholar Fahkri Saleh explores the impact of the scourge – characterised by fanaticism, extremism, introversion and lethal sectarianism – that is currently sweeping the Muslim world
By Fahkri Saleh
Islam and eroticism

Let′s talk about sex, Ali

Religion is often regarded as prudish and anti-pleasure. Ali Ghandour (32), an academic at the University of Munster, sees it differently – and has written a book about sex and the erotic from the perspective of Muslim scholars. Interview by Lukas Wiesenhutter
By Lukas Wiesenhutter
German mini-series: ″Mitten in Deutschland: NSU″

Don't look the other way!

The NSU neo-Nazi terrorist trial barely makes the headlines anymore. A German TV miniseries on their alleged murders also met with little interest. Sarah Judith Hofmann wonders whether Germans are even interested in the case being solved
By Sarah Judith Hofmann
"Aleppo Evil" spreading in Syria

A plague of parasites

The "Aleppo Evil" is spreading rapidly in Syria – an infectious disease spread by sandflies, insects for which the rubble of destroyed cities offers the perfect breeding ground. And once again, the West is looking the other way. By Stefan Buchen
By Stefan Buchen
Palmyra post-IS

A pawn in Assad's game

For Palmyra, Assad is just as bad as IS. Completely rebuilding Palmyra's destroyed cultural treasures would turn it into a kind of Disneyland, says archaeologist Annie Sartre-Fauriat. Interview by Sabine Oelze
By Sabine Oelze
Cultural rapprochement with Iran

Laden with promise

Following the historic Iran nuclear deal that was clinched in Vienna in July 2015 and the subsequent lifting of sanctions against Iran in mid-January 2016, Germany and Iran are now looking for ways to stimulate cultural dialogue and exchange between the two countries. Dorothea Grassmann talks to Ali Fathollah-Nejad
By Dorothea Grassmann
Interview with the social scientist Edit Schlaffer

Mothers Schools challenge extremism

The Austrian "Mothers Schools" programme aims to prevent the recruitment of potential jihadists. Edit Schlaffer, founder of the organisation "Women without Borders", has spent the last ten years researching the root causes of Islamist radicalisation. Her core finding: mothers play a key role. Interview by Iris Mostegel
By Iris Mostegel
Islamic theology in Germany

Mission accomplished?

Rarely does interest in a subject grow so fast. Introduced as a course of study at German universities just five years ago, Islamic theology is now being taught to 1,800 students at five centres around the country. Arnfrid Schenk takes stock
By Arnfried Schenk
Racial profiling in the US

Muslim bashing: the new American norm

In the wake of the Brussels attacks, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump yet again repeated his call for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States of America. With ABC News primary exit polls on 15 March revealing that two-thirds of Republican voters feel Muslims would be better off elsewhere, the current tide of anti-Muslim sentiment has yet to turn. By Joseph Mayton
By Joseph Mayton
Interview with the Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa

The reinvention of Islam

Concepts like apostasy or blasphemy reveal that Islamic theology is caught in a mode of imperial Islamic political thinking, says US-based scholar Ebrahim Moosa. What is needed is a process of critical appraisal. Moosa asks that Muslims rediscover the great lessons of diversity in their history rather than following the reductionist versions that masquerade as Muslim theology today. Interview by Claudia Mende
By Claudia Mende