Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Refugee rights in Egypt"We are in a legal vacuum"
Egypt hosts more than one million registered refugees, most from Sudan. Recent legislation has stripped away protections, creating chaos in the country's asylum system and violating international law, says Nour Khalil, director of Refugees Platform Egypt (RPE).
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Egyptian activist pardonedAlaa Abd El-Fattah is free
After years in prison, democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah is free. Egypt's president has officially pardoned the 43-year-old. Read by a selection of texts by and about one of the key figures of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
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Syrian activist The Darvish"Queerness is freedom and freedom is indivisible"
Belly dancer and queer organiser The Darvish arrived in Berlin in 2016, where they found a welcoming community and room for self-expression. But they warn that, as German politics shifts to the right, this community is under threat and its spaces are vanishing.
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Syria's shadow economySex work, captagon and currency
Having grown significantly during the war, Syria's informal market for sex, drugs and money continues to thrive. Meanwhile, weak regulation is discouraging investment in the formal economy.
Politics
More about Politics-
Sumud FlotillaTunisia at the forefront of global convoy to Gaza
More than 50 boats are set to sail to Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's blockade. While European activists dominate headlines, the mission unites participants from over 40 countries, including many from Tunisia, where solidarity with Palestine runs deep.
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The new SyriaA history of violence
For the first time in eleven years, Yassin al-Haj Saleh returned to his homeland. The Syrian writer and dissident found a country torn apart by internal conflicts and beset by worries about the return of tyranny. A historical analysis.
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At Khomeini's serviceBritain complicit in the crushing of Iran's Tudeh party
Recently the British National Archives released the correspondence of former high-ranking British diplomats posted to Iran in the early eighties. The letters indicate that the United Kingdom put its weight behind crushing the Iranian opposition Tudeh party in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution. By Iman Aslani
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USA, Israel and the PalestiniansTrump's sham attempt at peace
As we digest the details of Donald Trump's Vision for Peace, we need to ask ourselves just one question: does this draft guarantee an Israeli and a Palestinian baby born today equal civil rights, freedom of travel and a self-determined life in security and dignity twenty years from now? By Inge Gunther
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Interview with Middle East expert Lara Friedman"A kosher stamp for Israel to retain control over the West Bank"
As expected the Trump administration released its Israeli-Palestinian peace blueprint on Tuesday, a plan that ignores the Palestinians at the expense of lasting peace. Middle East expert Lara Friedman spoke to Wesley Rahn
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U.S. foreign policy in the Middle EastSlave to the Trumpian impulse
Beyond the latest crisis with Iran, current U.S. Middle East policy is nothing if not chaotic. Many fear that the Trumpian approach could irreparably damage future U.S. administrations and international order as a result. By Stasa Salacanin
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Interview with democracy activist Iyad el–BaghdadiJeff Bezos, blackmail and MbS
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is accused of being behind the hacking of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' smartphone. Diana Hodali talked to democracy activist Iyad el–Baghdadi, who cooperated with Jeff Bezos' security team, about the background to the attack
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India and big businessComplicit in Modiʹs Hindu nationalist agenda
Having re-invented himself politically following the Gujarat porgroms of 2002, Narendra Modi has – to the delight of big business – consistently pursued a tough line in market-driven economic policy. Buoyed by this support, the Indian Prime Minister is now intent on realising a darker agenda of discrimination and repression. By Dominik Muller
Society
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Egypt's TikTok crackdownSuzy el-Ordoneya and the politics of social media fame
A police crackdown in Egypt is targeting TikTok influencers. Among them is Suzy el-Ordoneya (Suzy the Jordanian), whose rapid rise has brought her into conflict with official state morality.
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Kafr Nabl, SyriaTraces of the revolution
When the Syrian revolution began in 2011, Kafr Nabl went from a sleepy, provincial town to a hub of resistance. Today, it resembles a ghost town. Its story may help ensure the revolution's original ideals are not forgotten.
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The destruction of Idlib"I'd rather suffer bombs than Assad"
The battle for Idlib is likely to be the last, bloody conflict in the Syrian war. Refugees have fled the city in droves, but Huda Khayti is determined to stay and fight for her Syria – using peaceful means. Diana Hodali reports
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Ruud Koopman's "Das verfallene Haus des Islam"Cherry-picking for a distorted image of Islam
Why are predominantly Muslim countries lagging behind when it comes to democracy and human rights? Dutch sociologist Ruud Koopmans uses a lot of figures to underpin his theory that it is all down to religion. According to Daniel Bax, however, his approach is rather too simplistic
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Urban renewal under ErdoganIstanbul shantytown residents in limbo
Amid recent fears of earthquakes, Turkey has rolled out a new urban renewal plan. But past plans have failed to helped quake-prone neighbourhoods, due to a market dominated by construction firm interests. Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul
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Uighur repression in ChinaBeards and hijabs behind bars
A newly leaked document confirms how China is imprisoning Muslim minority Uighurs based solely on their religion. Naomi Conrad met with a whistle-blower and visited relatives of those held captive
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Human rights in the Islamic worldBattle cry "blasphemy"
Many predominantly Muslim countries have penal laws against "blasphemy", "defamation of religion" and "apostasy". In practice they serve as highly effective weapons to settle personal animosities, family vendettas and land disputes. By Thomas Krapf
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Muzoon Almellehan awarded German peace prize"If you have an education, no-one can take it away from you"
Education is the key to the future. Muzoon Almellehan has known this since she was 14 years old. But she lives in a Jordanian refugee camp. And since then she has been fighting for better education for children in crisis zones. By Bettina Baumann
Culture
More about Culture-
Artists in SyriaReclaiming space, testing limits
Since Assad's fall, Syrian artists and intellectuals have been seeking ways to respond to a transformed reality. Four cultural workers reflect on the shape of the cultural sphere in the new Syria.
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Afghan poet Matiullah TurabA critical voice even the Taliban listened to
Afghan poet Matiullah Turab has unexpectedly died. Turab saw himself as the modest voice of a tormented people—and even the extremists listened.
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The Silk Road Ensemble"The Music of Strangers": A quest for perfect harmony
The Silk Road Ensemble has been a leading force on the cross-cultural world music scene for almost twenty years. A new documentary – ″The Music of Strangers″ – tells the story of the project. By Marian Brehmer
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Interview with director Tamer El Said"In the Last Days of the City": Between light and dark
″In the Last Days of the City″ is Egyptian director Tamer El Said′s debut film. Although it premiered to great acclaim at the 2016 Berlinale and has gone on to win more than ten awards, it is still hasn't been released in Egypt. Tugrul von Mende spoke to El Said as the film opened in Germany
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"The Ministry of Utmost Happiness"Novelist Arundhati Roy: "India is colonising itself"
Described as the "conscience of India" in Time's 2014 list of 100 most influential people, author Arundhati Roy has a voice that counts. Speaking in Berlin, she introduced her long-awaited second work of fiction. By Sabine Peschel
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Album reviewLost Somali tapes: ″Sweet as broken dates″
Ostinato Records recently released an amazing compilation of Somali music, ″Sweet as broken dates″, which reminds listeners that – despite the prevalent images of a land torn apart by civil war – Somalia was once a country with a thriving cultural tradition. Review by Richard Marcus
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Sabahattin Ali"Madonna in a fur coat": Longing for love of a different kind
For years, people in Turkey have been passing around an unconventional love story set in 1920s Berlin. Ulrich von Schwerin asks what it says about Turkish society when a novel by a long-ostracised author, written over 70 years ago, now has cult status
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The Kurdish peopleNishtiman music project: Transcending what divides
They come from Iraq, Iran and Turkey; some live at home, others in exile – all, however, are Kurds. The musicians of the Nishtiman ensemble have a mission – to restore the cultural integrity of their homeland. By Stefan Franzen
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
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Islamisten und die politische Linke
Fragwürdige Allianzen
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Fatima Daas' preisgekrönter Roman "Die jüngste Tochter“
Bekenntnisse einer Muslimin
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Ägyptischer Aktivist überraschend „begnadigt“
Alaa Abd El-Fattah ist frei
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Protestflotte „Global Sumud Flotilla“
Kurs auf Gaza
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Geflüchtete in Ägypten
„Wir sind in einem rechtlichen Vakuum“
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Stadtpolitik in Kairo
Zu Fuß gehen unerwünscht