Jews in the Islamic world
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Portrait of the Israeli performance artist Adi Liraz
Provocation as a search for identity
Berlin-based Israeli artist Adi Liraz works the history and stories of the women in her family into her fabric artworks, re-telling them for posterity. In the process, she challenges existing narratives about home, femininity and identity. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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Moroccoʹs Jewish legacy
The Rabbi of Essaouira
The presence of Jewish tradesmen helped shape the character of Essaouira in Morocco. Traces of the portʹs Jewish heritage are evident to this very day. Every year Jews from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Essaouira, keeping memories of the city’s Jewish character alive. By Claudia Mende
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Anti-Semitism
There is no tradition of anti-Semitism in Islam
Some are suggesting that Muslims are bringing anti-Semitism to Europe. However, it was in fact Europeans who took anti-Semitism to the Arab world in the first place. Diplomats in particular played an contemptible role. An essay by Professor Peter Wien
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Germany’s anti-Semitism problem
Jew, Israeli, Zionist
The political scientist David Ranan doubts that anti-Semitism is more pervasive among Muslims than non-Muslims. Currently, however, this thesis is being perverted and used to serve questionable political ends. By Sonja Zekri
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Muslim anti-Semitism
Pointing the finger
In the wake of Donald Trump's declaration that he would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, enraged Muslims took to the streets in Germany, some of them chanting anti-Semitic slogans. German politicians swiftly responded, outdoing each other with each condemnation. In this essay, Stefan Buchen explains why this should not be let pass without comment
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Judaism in Iran
The minority perspective: ″Jews and Muslims respect each other″
Iran is frequently at odds with Israel, despite having the second biggest Jewish community in the Middle East. For the director of Tehran's Jewish Committee, Siamek Morsadegh, that′s not necessarily a contradiction. Interview by Theresa Tropper
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″Haymatloz″ – a film documentary
How Ataturk rescued the Jews
Highlighting a chapter of German-Turkish history that has largely been forgotten, Eren Onsoz′ ″Haymatloz″ tells the stories of five German Jewish academics who emigrated to Turkey in the 1930s, to be welcomed with open arms. By Heike Mund
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Islamic law
The trust deficit
What the Middle East needs today is not Islamic law, but wide-ranging efforts to rebuild trust among and within communities and in private organisations and government. By Timur Kuran
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Islam′s non-violent tradition
Neglected heritage
In view of the threat of Islamist terrorism, Muslim intellectuals and leaders who emphasise non-violence and democracy tend to be ignored internationally. They deserve attention. Some Muslim traditions actually fit modernity quite well. By Hans Dembowski
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Judaism in Afghanistan
Kabul's one remaining Jew
Afghanistan's Jewish minority currently consists of one single Jewish man. But the nation on the Hindu Kush has a unique Jewish history that has been largely forgotten after years of conflict. By Emran Feroz
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″The Secret Handshake″
An Iranian and an Israeli band tour together
The political situation between their home countries may be tense, but that hasn't stopped an Iranian and an Israeli band from jamming together. Now the musicians are joining forces to tour Germany. By Heike Mund
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Interview with Nabil Al Raee of the Freedom Theatre
"We need more time to be more free"
Based in Jenin refugee camp, the Freedom Theatre is one of the few Palestinian cultural institutions that has succeeded in making a name for itself abroad, touring from India to the United States. Ylenia Gostoli caught up with Nabil Al Raee, who directed the Freedom Theatre's first production in 2006 and has been involved ever since. Al Raee, from Al Arroub refugee camp near Hebron, discusses the company's new production and how it fits into the theatre's rich and controversial history of "cultural resistance"