Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Comic book author Joe Sacco"Gaza was where the West went to die"
Trailblazing cartoonist and journalist Joe Sacco reflects on Western coverage of the war on Gaza, oral histories, and comics as a medium for critical journalism.
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Post-Assad Syria"Let freedom of the press be enshrined as sacrosanct"
The collapse of the Assad regime must not only mark the end of an era steeped in fear and oppression, but it must also serve as the dawn of a new chapter in the country’s history. Syrian independent media outlets publish their demands to the new government.
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ICC arrest warrantsWhat the Netanyahu warrant can teach us about international law
Arrest warrants issued against Israeli leaders are putting international law to the test. Do Western states only support UN courts when it serves their interests? Can the "principle of universal jurisdiction" save international criminal justice?
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Israel in new Merkel memoir "Freedom"Merkel's reason of state
When Angela Merkel used the word "Staatsräson" in a 2008 speech to the Israeli Knesset, she may not have expected the enduring intensity of the debate it would ignite. In the new memoir "Freedom", the former chancellor reveals her idealised view of Israel, and her reluctance to acknowledge Palestinian perspectives.
From our archive: Christmas in Islam
Politics
More about Politics-
Trump and the Gulf StatesSkeptical optimism in the Gulf
Saudi Arabia and the Emirates hope to reap economic benefits from the Trump presidency. But the Gulf has learned that Washington cannot be relied upon. Meanwhile, the Saudis could push Trump to take a tougher stance towards Israel.
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Dawn of a new eraZero hour in Syria
After more than half a century in power, the Assad regime has fallen. The end of one of recent history's most brutal dictatorships has sparked both joy and deep uncertainty about the country's future. Who are Syria's most powerful factions? And are there any "good guys"?
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Saudi influence in PakistanA perilous road
Saudi-supported ultra-conservative worldviews, abetted by successive Pakistani governments, are changing the very nature of Pakistani society. By James M. Dorsey
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Citizenship law reform in AlgeriaThe tug-of-war over identity
In July of this year the Algerian cabinet passed a controversial law allowing only those with ″exclusive Algerian nationality″ to hold high office. Report by Federica Zoja
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Ali Abdullah Saleh and the conflict in YemenThe lure of power
During the Arab Spring President Saleh faced widespread armed protests and was forced to leave office. Thanks to some unscrupulous wheeling and dealing, however, Saleh may yet pull off his bid to return to power. By Neville Teller
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US presidential electionsHuma Abedin – the woman in the shadows
Huma Abedin, long-time aide to Hillary Clinton, is someone who prefers to remain in the background. The current election campaign has seen her dragged reluctantly into the limelight however – and confronted her with sex scandals and terror threats. By Mey Dudin
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Democracy in PalestineHigh hopes, low expectations
Palestinians who hoped municipal elections would eventually pave the way to overdue national ones voice criticism about decisions that led to their postponement. By Ylenia Gostoli
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The murder of Jordanian author Nahed HattarThe same stinking swamp
There′s not much to choose between the IS terrorist who recently gunned down the Islam-critical author Nahed Hattar in Amman and those who murdered Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi in Tunisia. These murders are the result of the Islamist mobilisation against all those who think differently or have a different political standpoint. By Khaled Hroub
Society
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Podcast with Qantara author Emran Feroz"The question is: which human rights do the Taliban not violate?"
In August 2021, the USA and its allies withdrew from Afghanistan. Emran Feroz joins the "Deep Dive" podcast to shed light on the human rights situation in the country after three years of Taliban rule.
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Syrians in Germany"We have suffered at the hands of this regime, its fall unites us"
Stunned by the sudden collapse of the Assad regime, Syrians take their joy to the streets of Berlin. Some have already started planning their return home.
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Education in the Arab worldStop corrupting the next generation!
With curricula still focusing on fighting Christians, the torments of the grave, not to mention children being burnt in Hell, a revolution in Islamic religious education would appear to be long overdue. Mousa Barhouma argues in favour of teaching pupils noble Islamic ideas and humane values without overtaxing their intellectual maturity
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Syrian refugees in LebanonThe house of 18 women
Domestic violence, sexual abuse and child marriage – when Syrian women in Lebanon don't know where to turn, they can find refuge at the women's shelter "Al Dar". A visit to the Bekaa Valley. By Iris Mostegel
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Feminists in TurkeyLooking to big sister
The extent to which the ruling AKP party will be able to reshape Turkey according to Islamist notions will depend in part on whether it is able to impose its conservative policies in the field of women's rights. By Joseph Croitoru
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A report by Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar″Pinning our hopes on a murderer″
When the news of repeated break-ins at her parents′ house reached Parastou Forouhar in January, the artist, who lives in Germany, travelled to Iran to deal with the situation in person. The house that had belonged to her parents, political activists Daryoush Forouhar and Parvaneh Eskandari, before they were murdered by the secret service, had been completely vandalised. An account by Parastou Forouhar
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Refugees in GermanyHanging in the balance
Aged just 14 when he left his native country of Afghanistan, Emdadullah Mohammand spent nine months on the road in his quest to reach Europe. Four and a half years later, however, his asylum status remains unclear. By Esther Felden
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The Swiss handshake controversyA mountain out of a molehill
We live in an era when minor issues can apparently become major scandals overnight. Two Syrian pupils refuse to shake hands with a female teacher in Switzerland and the whole of Europe takes offence. By Charlotte Wiedemann
Culture
More about Culture-
Tunisia's Carthage Film FestivalDecolonial cinema
The Carthage Film Festival in Tunis aims to counter the Global North's dominance in the world of film. Until Sunday, a diverse range of films from Africa and West Asia will be screened. But can the festival truly fulfil its own ambitions?
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Palestinian director Dima Hamdan"There is no pride when gay men are blackmailed"
Winner of the prestigious Iris Film Prize, Dima Hamdan's short film "Blood like Water" addresses how Israel uses the social stigma of homosexuality in Palestinian society to blackmail gay men.
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"The Physician" by Noah GordonThe long road from international bestseller to film
The novel "The Physician" was one of the biggest international successes of the last few decades. So it's all the more surprising that it wasn't made into a film years ago. A big-screen version has now finally been released – with a German production team. By Regina Roland
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North Africa and the Arab Spring in FilmBetween Rebellion and Ideals
North African countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria are currently experiencing a boom in cinema that is critical of society and committed to political change. Yet, every country follows its own path. By Aude Gensbittel
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The Lebanese Graphic Designer Maya ZankoulIllustrations against Ignorance and Oblivion
The young Lebanese graphic designer Maya Zankoul projects a differentiated picture of her home country in her humorous cartoons – rejecting media stereotypes of bombs, war and terror. An interview by Juliane Metzker
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Recreating Palestine in LiteratureA Nation Crafted From Words
"We have a country made of words", reads a famous poem by the Palestinian writer Mahmud Darwish. In his essay, the well-known Jordanian journalist and literary scholar Fakhri Saleh explores the effect that the loss of homeland has had on Palestinian literature and self-perception
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The Arab Museum of Modern Art in QatarCan Mathaf Restore a Pan-Arab Artistic Identity?
In 2010, Mathaf (the Arab Museum of Modern Art) was opened in the Gulf state of Qatar. In his essay, Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi provides an overview of pan-Arabism in recent decades and looks at what this museum can do to restore a pan-Arab cultural identity that has been neglected and in some cases even vilified for decades
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Yotam Feldman's Documentary "The Lab"Palestinians as Guinea Pigs?
Is the Middle East conflict one of the fundaments of the successful Israeli weapons industry? This is the question posed by director Yotam Feldman in his film "The Lab" – which reveals some surprising connections. By Kersten Knipp
From the Syria archive: Assad's regime of terror
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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