Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Reform of Iraq's Personal Status LawAre Shiite forces on the verge of victory?
The Personal Status Law in Iraq encompasses regulations on marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance and more. It could soon be amended, with dramatic consequences for women's and children's rights. Feminists and left-leaning political parties have mobilised to defend it.
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Hezbollah's new leader Naim QassemStepping out of Nasrallah's shadow
Naim Qassem is a veteran of Hezbollah in Lebanon. A member since its foundation, he could never escape the shadow of Nasrallah. Now, he's the boss, and a man the Israeli government says is living with a death sentence.
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UAE in GazaSecuring a role in the postwar plan
The United Arab Emirates is supplying vital humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Behind the scenes, it is working closely with Israel and the US to plan for the future of the enclave—and to secure a role for itself—once the war is over.
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Album "Mute" by El KhatOn the edge of anarchy
The Berlin-based Yemenite-Israeli band El Khat use handmade instruments to create a chaotic blend of styles and traditions. Behind the raucous noise, they explore themes of silencing, conflict and displacement.
Politics
More about Politics-
Hezbollah's new leader Naim QassemStepping out of Nasrallah's shadow
Naim Qassem is a veteran of Hezbollah in Lebanon. A member since its foundation, he could never escape the shadow of Nasrallah. Now, he's the boss, and a man the Israeli government says is living with a death sentence.
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UAE in GazaSecuring a role in the postwar plan
The United Arab Emirates is supplying vital humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Behind the scenes, it is working closely with Israel and the US to plan for the future of the enclave—and to secure a role for itself—once the war is over.
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Morocco and the return of autocracyPlaying with fire
According to Moroccan researcher Mohamed Taifouri, the Kingdom of Morocco is gradually returning to its pre-2011 state, openly declaring a break from the accretions of the Arab Spring. The legacy of the 20 February Movement and all that has followed by way of a political renaissance is simply unwelcome ballast, argues Mohamed Taifouri
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Nepotism in Iran's Islamic RepublicAt home with the mullahs
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, which once vowed to eliminate hereditary rule, large family dynasties are increasingly dominating the political landscape. Critical voices assert that the Shah has been replaced by a clerical "king" as ruler of the country, complete with his own court and state nobility. However, some of the hereditary princes are demonstrating remarkable independence. By Ulrich von Schwerin
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Battle for MosulOperation merciless
The battle for Mosul should have been brought to an end a long time ago. Last October, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi promised the city would be liberated within three months. But the battle for what used to be Iraq's second largest city has now been raging for more than seven months. And the number of civilian victims continues its dramatic rise. By Birgit Svensson
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Erdogan′s TurkeyThe repression goes on
Turkey’s government is hounding opponents. Shortly after its narrow – and disputed – referendum victory in April, it extended the state of emergency and ran yet another purge of the police. The media had been silenced before the referendum and cannot hold the authorities accountable anymore. By Hans Dembowski
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Interview with Mohamedou Ould Slahi"The rule of law means nothing to a corrupt regime"
Mauritanian Mohamedou Ould Slahi spent more than fourteen years in Guantanamo. His "Guantanamo diary", which has been translated into numerous languages, won him global acclaim. After a protracted legal battle, Slahi finally released in October 2016. In an exclusive interview with Emran Feroz, he talks about his experiences during his imprisonment
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Presidential election aftermath in IranRouhani, take note!
With the latest presidential election result, Iranians have sent a clear message across the nation and to the world at large. Their voices should be heeded, writes Ali Sadrzadeh in his commentary
Society
More about Society-
Reform of Iraq's Personal Status LawAre Shiite forces on the verge of victory?
The Personal Status Law in Iraq encompasses regulations on marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance and more. It could soon be amended, with dramatic consequences for women's and children's rights. Feminists and left-leaning political parties have mobilised to defend it.
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Tareq Sydiq’s book “The New Protest Culture”Can protests transform society?
From Iran to the Last Generation, citizens in democracies and dictatorships alike are taking to the streets. Tareq Sydiq analyses these uprisings and asks why some fail while others dramatically change the system.
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Social media and the ArabellionThe myth of the Facebook revolution
Today, six years after the so-called Facebook revolutions of the Arab Spring, the hopes once placed in the social media have largely vanished. Authoritarian regimes in the region have long since succeeded in taking control of these channels and using them for their own ends. By Niklas Kossow and Ilyas Saliba
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Churches in Syria after the fall of East AleppoTime for a new beginning
Christian Churches in Aleppo have welcomed the government troops' victory. But after five years of war, it is important that they abandon the paradigm that the Assad regime is the protector of religious minorities and work tirelessly to overcome the religious divide. By Claudia Mende
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Iran's economy after the nuclear agreementState firms win most foreign deals
When world powers agreed in 2015 to lift sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, the deal's supporters in the United States, Europe and Tehran hoped renewed trade and investment could boost Iran's private sector and weaken the state's hold on the economy. But a Reuters review of business accords reached since then shows that the Iranian winners so far are mostly companies owned or controlled by the state, including Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. By Yeganeh Torbati, Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Babak Dehghanpisheh
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Social media against Islamic extremismAn invisible battle
If we are to counteract the scourge of Islamic misinterpretation and defend what is intrinsically a religion of peace, argues Abdalhadi Alijla, we need educational, civil society and means-tested programmes coupled with a stronger political will
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Egypt′s Coptic ChurchThe cost of a cornerstone
Despite a new law aimed at facilitating the construction of Christian houses of worship, the situation on the ground looks somewhat different. By Flemming Weiss-Andersen, Eva Plesner and Elisabeth Lehmann
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Satirical news website NoktaraA laughing matter
A satirical website by and for German Muslims! Seriously? Well, yes and no. The people behind the German satirical news website Noktara are out to make people laugh and dispel a few cliches. To find out more, Dunja Ramadan spoke to Soufian El Khayari and Derya Sami Saydjari
Culture
More about Culture-
Album "Mute" by El KhatOn the edge of anarchy
The Berlin-based Yemenite-Israeli band El Khat use handmade instruments to create a chaotic blend of styles and traditions. Behind the raucous noise, they explore themes of silencing, conflict and displacement.
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Taqi Akhlaqi’s book "Versteh einer die Deutschen"German quirks from an Afghan perspective
Taqi Akhlaqi came to Germany for four months on a scholarship to work on a new novel, where he experienced a range of cultural shocks. He recounts this experience in his highly readable new book “Versteh einer die Deutschen” (Surely someone must understand the Germans).
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Interview with the Egyptian theatre director Laila SolimanRevolutions past and present
In 1919, Saad Zaghloul demanded the independence of Egypt from the British Empire and went down in history as an Egyptian revolutionary. Almost one hundred years later, in 2011, the world watched the 25 January revolution with bated breath. Laura Pannasch spoke to Laila Soliman about her theatre performance "Whims of Freedom", which draws parallels between the two popular uprisings
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Crowdfunding for translations of Arabic literatureA new way to reach a wider readership
The "A Bird is not a Stone" crowdfunding campaign may not have gotten as much press as British scientists seeking to fund a moon landing through online donations, but it certainly made a ripple among Arabic literary translators. The success of this campaign showed that crowdfunding can be an important tool in bringing Arabic literature into European languages. By Marcia Lynx Qualey
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Photography: Ara Güler retrospectiveThe man who photographed Istanbul
The exhibition "Ara Güler: Photographs 1950–2005" at the Willi Brandt House in Berlin runs until 1 February 2015. The focus of the exhibition is the Turkish metropolis Istanbul, a city that Güler has spent his entire life documenting. Felix Koltermann visited the retrospective
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Album review: "East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem" by David Broza"A combined effort of the mind, the heart and the soul"
David Broza is one of Israel's most popular and best-selling recording artists and a long-standing supporter of the peace movement in his country. His latest album "East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem" features artists from Israel, Palestine and America and was recorded in a Palestinian-owned recording studio in East Jerusalem. Richard Marcus listened to the album and spoke to the artist
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Yusuf IslamThe "Peace Train" is rolling again
Yusuf Islam is the most famous convert to Islam in the world and one of the most successful pop stars of the 70s. Now, the man known to millions as Cat Stevens is back on tour in Germany. By Hans Joachim Hennig
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International slam poetry workshop in BonnBuilding trust through slam poetry
Last October, the organisation Netzwerk politik|atelier organised a one-day poetry slam workshop entitled "Slamming für 2020" in Bonn for emerging talented poetry slammers from the Arabic-speaking world and Germany. At the end of the workshop, the participants presented their future visions of how people can live together on both sides of the Mediterranean. By Fabian Pianka
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