Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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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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New print issueWhat will become of Syria?
The question of Syria's future is the focus of the latest issue of Kulturaustausch, who we've partnered with for the first time. The answers come from our Syrian contributors. Articles are now available online in English.
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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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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.
Politics
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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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Tunisia under Kais SaiedCivil society in survival mode
Since his re-election last year, Tunisian President Kais Saied has consolidated his authoritarian rule, silencing dissent and attacking marginalised groups. The EU must support Tunisian civil society rather than reinforcing Saied's populist narrative.
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After the Taliban attack on KunduzLacking political vision
The blood-letting goes on in Afghanistan, and as usual, it is the civilians who are suffering most. Forced to shoulder the political burden, coalition troops in the country were unable to create the right conditions for peace. Commentary by Sandra Petersmann in Kabul
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Combatting Islamic StateForeign fighters ″crusade″ against IS
IS may have proved adept at attracting foreign nationals to its cause, but many have also joined up to fight the pseudo caliphate. And there′s no lack of religious fervour among the ranks either – some see it as their Christian duty. By Manar Ammar
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Al-Sisi′s EgyptHopes for a free press fading
Introducing swingeing new fines, the Egyptian government is coming down increasingly hard on journalists and publications determined to assert their right to freedom of expression. Tow the line or leave the country is the impression formed by many. By Ingy Salama
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Arab protest movementsThe brief Jordanian spring
Tunisia, Egypt, Syria: in 2010/2011 the Arab World was in uproar. Young people took to the streets; the demonstrations led to regime change, but also to civil war. In Jordan, however, the protests lasted only briefly – and generated few results. The Jordanian journalist Tamer Khorma took part in the protests at that time. He explains why things came to a head and talks about the current situation in the country
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Kristin Helberg goes on record about the Syrian conflict″We need an alternative to Assad″
At the recent EU summit on refugees, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that she was willing to take part in talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with Wolfgang Dick, Middle East expert Kristin Helberg warns against misinterpretation
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Hindus and Muslims in IndiaWhy census data is a priority political issue
Years later than planned, the Indian government has finally released census data on religious affiliation. The published figures could be exploited by the country′s political parties for their own ends, thereby further straining relations between Hindus and Muslims. By Ronald Meinardus
Society
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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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Economic hardship in SudanWar demands unconvential strategies
As the war continues in Sudan, survival has become a daily test of resilience for millions in the country. Business has to adapt and focuses on necessities: food, electricity, fuel and internet.
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Book review: Sadakat Kadri's "Heaven on Earth"What is justice?
This brilliantly written book on Sharia law by the Indian-born British lawyer Sadakat Kadri has been a huge success in Britain. "Heaven on Earth" provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the history of Sharia law from its origins to the present day, as well as the difficulties faced in its application. Now that it has been published in German translation, Stefan Weidner takes a look at this successful book
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Interview with Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch"These are people floating around, waiting to die"
Thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims remain stranded at sea without adequate food and water. On Wednesday, 20 May, Malaysia and Indonesia finally bowed to mounting international pressure, announcing that they would offer refugees temporary shelter provided that they are resettled and repatriated by the international community within a year. Roma Rajpal Weiß spoke to Phil Robertson, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, who condemned the policy of the countries of South-East Asia
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The Muslim Rohingya minority in MyanmarStateless people in search of a home
Mass graves in Thailand and overcrowded boats full of refugees in the Gulf of Bengal highlight the dramatic situation facing the Muslim Rohingya minority. According to Rodion Ebbighausen, this stream of refugees is not about to run dry any time soon
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Refugee crisis in the MediterraneanNew networks trafficking Syrians from Egypt to Europe
The UN Security Council is set to vote on the EU's proposal for military action against people smugglers in the Mediterranean. But who are these people smugglers? What form do their networks take? And are they really a security threat? By Lewis Sanders
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Yazidis in TurkeyOld homeland, new homeland
Despite the alarming situation in the Kurdish region of neighbouring Iraq, some Yazidis have recently returned from Germany to their native villages in south-eastern Anatolia. The coming years will indicate whether the resettlement is a lasting one. By Ekrem Guzeldere in the Turkish province of Mardin
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Egyptian football star Mohammed AboutreikaBridging a deep divide
Few are able to bridge Egypt's deeply polarising divide between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood following the 2013 military coup that toppled President Mohammed Morsi. Mohammed Aboutreika, Egypt's most celebrated and storied soccer player, is proving to be either the exception that proves the rule or an indication of shifting attitudes. By James M. Dorsey
Culture
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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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Books on Israel-PalestineThe perennial question of the West
New publications on the Israel-Palestine conflict: Alena Jabarine writes about inequality and arbitrary violence in the West Bank, Omar El Akkad settles scores with the West and Gilbert Achcar analyses the ideological roots of Hamas and Zionism.
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Literature and Collective Trauma in AlgeriaMoving Beyond the Examination of History
Perception of Algerian literature is dominated by the complex thematic backdrop of violence and the processing of traumatic experience. What are the reasons for this? In a piece to mark the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence, Martina Sabra debates this issue
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Aleppo's Old TownWorld Cultural Heritage Threatened by Syria's Civil War
Large-scale destruction is being inflicted on the unique historical and cultural legacy of the Syrian commercial metropolis Aleppo. And the people of the city had actually only just begun to show an interest in that legacy. By Claudia Mende
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The Armenian-Syrian Musician Hrach Macoushian''It is Craziness to Support the Assad Regime!''
Hrach Macoushian is a musician from Aleppo in Syria. The Armenian with Syrian citizenship came to Yerevan two years ago to escape military service in Syria. Lennart Lehmann talked to him about the prospects for the Armenian minority in Syria and about his experiences under the Assad regime
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Book Review: Gunnar Decker's Hermann Hesse biography''The Whole East Breathes Religion''
Hermann Hesse spent his life searching for truth and inner harmony outside Germany. Yet his quests to the East ultimately led him back to the West and to the realization that the alternatives he found in the East offered no short cut to salvation. To mark the 50th anniversary of his death, Gunnar Decker presents a new biography of the successful author, one which also explains the Orientalism in his work. Andreas Pflitsch read the book
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Interview with Feridun Zaimoglu''Germany is Making Itself a Laughing Stock''
Circumcision is a stipulation of the Prophet and therefore non-negotiable. In an interview with Eren Güvercin, Feridun Zaimoglu makes a resolute plea for the impunity of this Jewish and Muslim ritual
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15th Gnawa Music Festival in MoroccoA Festival of Fusion
As dynamic as ever in its fifteenth year, the Gnawa and World Music Festival brings together Gnawa trance and the great performers of world music, jazz and pop in the picturesque and very windy city of Essaouira on Morocco's Atlantic coast. Andreas Kirchgäßner took in the atmosphere
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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