Secularism in the Islamic world
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Debating secularism and religion in the Islamic world
No threat to faith
Jordanian journalist Mousa Barhouma criticises the recurrent Arab tendency to equate secularism with apostasy and heresy. In his view, Islam does not prescribe any specific form of government
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Enlightenment in the Islamic world
Refuting the 'westernisation' narrative
In his latest work, essayist and seasoned correspondent Christopher de Bellaigue presents the Islamic world in the 19th century in a new light. His main thrust? The Islamic Middle East did indeed experience its own genuine Enlightenment. By Arnold Hottinger
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Criticising Erdogan
Don't romanticise the Kemalist legacy!
The narrative of an "enlightened" and generally democratic Turkey, a country that is currently in the process of being destroyed by Erdogan, should not go unchallenged, says Tayfun Guttstadt
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Islamic debate about human rights
The erroneous 'cultural distinction'
Syrian writer Morris Ayek is critical of those who claim that when it comes to human rights, Islamic countries are "culturally distinct" from the rest of the world. In his opinion, this discourse directly contradicts the universality of Islamic values
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Erdogan′s Turkey
Eroding Ataturk's legacy
On 18 October, the Turkish parliament approved a controversial bill that in future will allow Islamic muftis to register weddings. Critics fear that this will erode the civil rights of women and expose more girls to the dangers of underage marriage. Ylenia Gostoli reports from Turkey
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The restructuring of Turkey
Filling the gap left by Gulen
The crushing of the Islamic Gulen movement has left a gaping void in Turkey that other organisations are now rushing to fill, with people jostling for the tens of thousands of now-vacant jobs. Conservative foundations and religious orders stand to benefit most from the sell-off. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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Christianity and Islam in dialogue
Forget ″them and us″!
Interfaith dialogue can only succeed if its actors stop fomenting value judgements from history. Essay by Alexander Goerlach
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Non-fiction: ″Religious criticism around 1900″
Middle Eastern philosophy's take on Islam
How is the relationship between science, philosophy and religion discussed in the Muslim world, beyond the well-known dictum that Islam rules its states and societies and therefore also determines its morality and aesthetics? A new series by Berlin-based publishers Klaus Schwarz addresses this question. By Sonja Hegasy
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Atheism in the Arab World
The dictators' scourge: Of 'heresy' and humanists
Posing as guardians of the faith, many Arabic regimes abuse their religious power in order to compensate for their states′ lack of democratic legitimacy. Hardly surprising, then, that they regard as atheism as an existential danger. Essay by Brian Whitaker
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Interview with religious scholar Michael Blume
Turning away from Islam: Muslims beat a silent retreat
Is Germany home to a self-assured Islam and Muslims confident in their faith? It doesn't seem that way, says the religious scholar Michael Blume in interview with Christoph Hasselbach. Instead, Islam is in serious crisis
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Arab nationalism and political Islam
Secularism – ″the other option″?
In his essay, Syrian publicist and writer Hammud Hammud debunks conventional Islamist prejudices regarding the concept of secularism and examines the ambivalence of political Islam and Arab nationalism
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Interview with Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im
"We are in the middle of a transformative process"
Islamic scholar Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im of the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, USA, has done extensive research into the ways in which Sharia can be reconciled with the modern secular state. Claudia Mende spoke to him about the different faces of the secular, the separation of state and religion in early Islamic history and why he feels Muslims are in the middle of a reformation process