Koran | Quran

Islam and language activism

The politics of Qur'an translation

Around the world, the Qur'an is being translated into marginalised languages, reflecting a global trend toward preserving cultural heritage. These translations often serve political goals, but can also save endangered languages from extinction.
Halal Food

Financial Times: How to make lab-grown meat halal

Meat grown in a lab could be considered halal, according to advice from Islamic scholars in Saudi Arabia to a U.S. food start-up, as the industry starts to explore certification for products to fit religious dietary rules.
Sweden Koran burnings

Playing to the radicals

As Sweden grapples with the diplomatic fallout of a series of Koran burnings, radicals on all sides are rubbing their hands and exploiting the moment. Birgit Svensson travelled from Baghdad to Stockholm to get the full picture
Koran-burning in Sweden

The Iraqi Christian turned radical

It was an Iraqi with Christian roots – Salwan Momeka – who staged the burning of the Koran in Stockholm last week. In doing so, he wanted to get even with his countrymen. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
Islamic feminism

Evolving gender rights

In her latest book – "Journeys Toward Gender Equality in Islam" – legal anthropologist and activist Ziba Mir-Hosseini talks to six leading Muslim reformists about gender, women's rights and the latter's evolution over time. Interview by Tugrul von Mende
Islam in Europe

The big history of Albania's tiny Koran

For generations, this postage stamp-sized book has been passed down through one family -- surviving wars and one of the world's most fanatical "godless regimes".
Egypt's female Islamic chanters

These Egyptian artists are challenging traditional norms by performing 'inshad', a form of Islamic chanting typically done by men.
Turkey-Syria earthquake

Polarising religious narratives

Religious discussions on the causes and aftermath of the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria have dominated Arab discourse recently, revealing the urgent need to support marginalised, humanist religious voices and those placing the human above polarisation and the instrumentalisation of events. By Mustafa Karahamad
Blasphemy, iconoclasm, Islamophobia?

Islamic art – understanding the richness of the Muslim world

How is one to convey the history of Islamic images of Muhammad freed from today’s polarised politics? What are the challenges and pinch points of this particular academic endeavour?
Protests in Iran

Rethinking Sharia and democracy

According to a recent survey, half of all Iranians say that they have left Islam as a religion, while two-thirds believe Islamic law should be excluded from their legal system. In the following essay, Ahmet T. Kuru explores the implications
Jesus and Mary in the Koran

The message of mercy

Jesus – Issa in Arabic – doesn’t merely enjoy the highest place among the prophets in the Koran. He is also revered in Islam’s mystical tradition for his message of love and mercy. By Aziz Fooladvand
Islam’s conscientious thinkers

People of reason vs. people of the hadith

Past attempts to reconcile logic and belief within Islam tend to be dismissed today – not because they lack merit, but because they were politically defeated, argues Mustafa Akyol