Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue
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Attar’s "The Conference of the Birds"
There is no person whose soul has not suffered
Fariduddin Attar’s "The Conference of the Birds", one of the seminal works of Islamic mysticism, has recently been published in sumptuously illustrated German translation. It makes an excellent introduction to the Persian poet. By Gerrit Wustmann
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Muslims and Jews in the Maghreb
A whispered history
The history of Jews and Muslims is far more entangled than you might imagine – but you have to listen out for it. In "Recording History", Christopher Silver takes us on a sonic journey into twentieth-century North Africa, to a forgotten world of records and recording artists – and the music that defined an era. Interview by Tugrul von Mende
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No Europe without Islam
"Europe's history is rooted in migration"
Like Christianity, Europe's history is one of migration. Both have strong roots in the Orient and in cultures thousands of years old. Cultural historian Bernhard Braun invites us on a journey of discovery
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Nathan Englander's "kaddish.com"
Guilt and belated mourning rights
In Nathan Englander's novel "kaddish.com", a Jewish man is plagued by feelings of guilt and regret for disregarding the rules of the Kaddish (prayer for the dead) for his deceased father a decade before. A witty yet simultaneously melancholy novel for all readers, not just people of faith. By Volker Kaminski
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Elizabeth II and the Muslims
"To be there for our fellow human-beings"
When she ascended the throne, millions of Muslims still lived under British rule. Later, Elizabeth II appealed for tolerance in a multi-religious society. She was the first British queen to visit a mosque
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Mohamed Abla awarded Goethe Medal
Telling stories through art
Mohamed Abla is the first visual artist from Egypt to be awarded the Goethe-Institut’s Goethe Medal, Germany’s highest honour in the area of foreign cultural policy. Stefan Weidner sheds some light on the artist’s work
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Cem Kaya on Turkish pop culture
As multi-faceted as Asia Minor
Known for his documentary films about Turkish pop culture, German-born director Cem Kaya's latest work "Liebe, D-Mark und Tod" (Love, Deutschmarks and Death) focuses on the musical culture of Turkish migrants in Germany. He talks to Schayan Riaz about his creative processes, German-Turkish relations and of course, about the music
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Death of Iranian writer Abbas Maroufi
Engaged in cultural dialogue
Following a serious illness, writer, publisher and journalist Abbas Maroufi has died at the age of 65 in a hospital in Berlin. He was best known for his novel "Symphony of the Dead". By Pedram Habibi
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Istanbul in 24 hours
What's it like to live in a fractured city?
Turkey is so much more than its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Christiane Schloetzer has selected twenty-four of Istanbul's sixteen million inhabitants, creating a portrait of the Bosphorus metropolis based on their life stories. By Rainer Hermann
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Young Persian fiction
"Dort": weird fiction fresh from Iran
Literature by young Iranian authors is rare in German. Publisher and translator Arash Alborz aims to change this with his literary magazine, 'dort'. Do the first two editions live up to that promise? Gerrit Wustmann took a look for Qantara.de
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Laury Silvers' "Sufi Mysteries Quartet"
Sleuths on a Sufi path
Rarely has the world of crime-writing taken such an interesting turn. Richard Marcus spoke to American Muslim historian and novelist Laury Silvers about her four detective novels set in Baghdad under the Abbasid caliphate and the advantages of self-publishing
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Ibn Rushd Fund for Freedom of Thought
Ibn Rushd Prize 2022: Religious Freedom
This year's Ibn Rushd Prize, focusing on religious freedom, goes to Nayla Tabbara (Lebanon) and her organisation Adyan Foundation and Saad Salloum (Iraq) with his organisation Masarat.