Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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The murder of Ben BarkaNew revelations from Israel's archives
The book "L'Affaire Ben Barka" reveals new details about the assassination of Moroccan opposition leader Mehdi Ben Barka. Long-secret Israeli documents show the role of Mossad in one of the 20th century's most mysterious murders.
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Jafar Panahi's film "It Was Just an Accident"Humanism and humour
In the Iranian director's most critical film yet, Jafar Panahi presents a cross-section of society, takes aim at the practice of torture and shows fearless women claiming space. But there's still room for comedy.
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Historical photographs of SyriaAn obsessive archivist
Ahmed Hasan sold his house to pursue a passion for historical photographs. His collection traces Syria's history through everyday life.
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Education in SyriaReturning pupils face language barrier
Eleven-year-old Ali spent six years in Germany. Now back in Syria, he is struggling with Arabic, his native language, as the new government appears overwhelmed by the task of reintegrating returning schoolchildren.
Politics
More about Politics-
Syria's economyAusterity and liberalisation won't rebuild the country
Syria's government is pursuing economic growth through liberalisation, foreign investment and cuts to state spending. These moves benefit the new elite but won't lift the majority out of crisis.
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Religion in the armed forcesMilitary imams to be introduced in Germany
From 2026, Germany's Bundeswehr will recruit chaplains for Muslim soldiers, responding to calls from Islamic associations that go back over two decades.
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IS: the winners and the losersThe time is ripe for Bashar and his cronies
In future, under the pre-text of waging a ″war against terror″, autocratic regimes in the Arab world will adopt an even harder line against opposition groups in their own countries. There is likely to be little objection from the West, which is still reeling from the most recent IS attacks, writes the Moroccan journalist Ali Anouzla
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Jihadist terrorism in TunisiaThe tragic fate of shepherd boy Mabrouk Soltani
"It′s the first time in the history of Tunisia that the head of a corpse sat in a refrigerator overnight, while the rest of the body lay in the mountains." Uttering these few words Mohammad Soltani informed camera teams about the tragic fate of his brother Mabrouk Soltani. By Iman Hajji
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Western involvement in SyriaFewer bombs, not more!
Only when the West has helped to end the war in Syria, or at least Assad's airstrikes, can it count on Syrian support in the fight against IS. To protect Syrians in their homeland, Germany in particular should be advocating no-bombing zones, says Kristin Helberg
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Airstrikes against ISSolidarity yet no strategy
Western airstrikes will fail to have any significant impact on the terrorist militia as long as the Syrian rebels, prevented from focusing their efforts on the jihadists by the ongoing offensive staged by Assad′s regime, have to defend themselves simultaneously against IS and Assad. A commentary by Bente Scheller
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Interview with Arun KundnaniViolence comes home
After the Paris attacks, what are the logical and tragic consequences of a war with no geographical limits? In this interview, Arun Kundnani unveils and critiques the ramifications of the ″war on terror″, from the conservative and liberal rhetoric of the intellectuals and commentators who have emerged, to the theories of ″radicalisation″ which have fuelled counter-terrorism programmes in the West
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After the Paris attacksThe emotional helplessness of Muslims
In the wake of the Paris attacks, there is a growing sense of resentment and exhaustion within Muslims communities in Europe at having to repeatedly distance themselves from terror under the guise of Islam. An essay by the blogger Busra Delikaya
Society
More about Society-
Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi"Intersectional long before the term was coined"
A seminal feminist text by Nawal El Saadawi has been translated into English and German for the first time, over five decades after it first appeared in Arabic. Publisher and translator Sophie Haesen explains why it should be essential reading worldwide.
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War crimes in SyriaThe starvation of Yarmouk on trial
A new trial of Syrian war crimes suspects has opened in Koblenz, Germany. It's the first since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, and the first ever to charge starvation as a war crime.
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Curriculum initiative by British MuslimsUsing religion to fight terrorism
On the initiative of the Islamic scholar Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, British Muslims have introduced an "anti-terror curriculum" designed to supply Muslim clerics with arguments against the misuse of theological arguments by terrorist organisations such as IS. By Stefan Weidner
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Christian minorities in IranIran's persecuted converts
The Iranian-American woman Naghme Abedini has been fighting for her husband's release from an Iranian jail for some time now. He is a Christian convert accused of founding "underground churches" in the Islamic Republic – institutions that are growing ever more popular in Iran. By Thomas Latschan
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The Lebanese women's rights activist Hayat Mirshad"We need a feminist revolution"
The efforts of the women's rights movement in Lebanon have remained unsuccessful for more than 70 years, says Hayat Mirshad, a member of the Democratic Women's Association. The blame lies with feminists' willingness to compromise, but also with women's rights organisations' hunt for sponsorship money. Juliane Metzker spoke to her in Beirut
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Islam in GermanyThe long road to legal recognition
According to expert opinion, there is still a great need for action in the legal recognition of Islam in Germany. There has been some progress in recent years, but Islamic religious communities are still a long way from being on a level footing with others. Susanne Kaiser summarises the deficits
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Mona Eltahawy: "Why do you hate us so?"The Middle East needs a sexual revolution
As long as there is no true revolution, women in Islamic countries will remain second-class citizens, believes the controversial Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy. Claudia Kramatschek introduces her recent book
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Islamic approaches to non-violenceIn Gandhi's footsteps
Ever since the attacks of 9/11 and the rise of political Islam, the relationship between Islam and violence has presented a fundamental challenge for Muslims. Merely distancing itself from terrorism is not enough for an in-depth confrontation with the subject. Some voices on the Islamic spectrum are taking things further. They endorse a completely non-violent stance, and are also finding theological justification for their approach. By Claudia Mende
Culture
More about Culture-
Literature in YemenThe last bastion of beauty
Yemen's cultural scene has been hard hit by years of war, but not completely silenced. While many writers and intellectuals have left the country, the small literary club Alamaqah remains active, a testament to the resilience of Yemeni culture.
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Architecture in LibyaReclaiming a vanishing colonial heritage
As Benghazi’s Italian-era architecture slowly disappears, an exhibition brings together architects and artists rethinking the city’s history — reassessing the colonial past without celebrating it.
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Iranian Propaganda CinemaReversed Symbolism
The Iranian regime has supported the making of a big budget propaganda film, "The Golden Collars". In it, the 2009 Iranian uprising against the regime is presented as a malicious plot initiated by foreign spies and manipulated by the West in order to destabilize the country. Stefan Buchen on a crude piece of propaganda
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Salman Rushdie's Autobiography ''Joseph Anton''Offense Is Inevitable
Salman Rushdie received death threats from Iran after his critical book, "The Satanic Verses" and lived for 13 years in hiding. His new autobiography, which he presented in Berlin, recalls everyday life during that time. By Heiner Kiesel
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17th International Book Fair in AlgiersA Missed Opportunity
The 50th anniversary of Algerian independence this year gave the Algiers International Book Fair 2012 an excellent opportunity to finally shed its negative image. Martina Sabra explains why this failed to happen
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Interview with the Turkish writer Oya Baydar''Turkey is a country of miracles''
The writer and journalist Oya Baydar speaks here to Ceyda Nurtsch about the role of the novel in Turkey in exploring the country's history, and why Turkish intellectuals were more optimistic about the democratisation of their country than they are now
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The Turkish Oriental Dub Band "Baba Zula"Music from the Fringes with a Rebellious Soul
The Turkish band Baba Zula ushered in a new style in Turkish music: oriental dub. The band with its rebellious spirit goes way back in the contemporary Turkish music scene. Grit Friedrich reports
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Profile of the Egyptian Writer Salwa BakrThe Voice of the Marginalized
Salwa Bakr is an unassuming literary star. Not a natural self-promoter, the Egyptian writer is nevertheless one of her nation's best known authors at international level. She has written 18 books, many of which have gained international recognition and been translated into nine languages. By Claudia Mende
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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