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
More about Politics-
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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The Arab view of the European refugee crisisLudicrous squabbling
Syria’s Middle Eastern neighbours have to date absorbed four million Syrian refugees. For this reason the EU should make it plain that despite images of train stations full of refugees, Europe is only shouldering a relatively small part of the current burden. A contribution to the debate by Karim El-Gawhary
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The role of Qassem Soleimani in IraqReining in the lion
Until recently, General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards "Quds" Force, was still being hailed as a military hero and man for the future. But more and more details are emerging concerning his destructive role in Iraq. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Mahmoud Abbas and the PLOPalestine′s office-weary regent
Dissatisfaction with Mahmoud Abbas – including within his own party – is growing. His political programme has remained for the most part unsuccessful. Many politicians have therefore begun to consider the possible aftermath of the president′s political departure. An analysis by Ingrid Ross
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Jihadist youthsIs Islam a radicalising force?
What role Islam as a faith plays in jihadism and the radicalisation of young Muslims is something that is rarely addressed. A contribution to the discussion by Dirk Baehr
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The Syrian exodus"Stop Assad's bombs, then we'll go back"
Many Germans are wondering why so many Syrians are currently thronging its borders. Most of those arriving in Europe at the moment, however, have already been on the move for a long time. By Kristin Helberg
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Impact of border controls in the EUThe European downward spiral
It is arguably already too late for European governments to understand that with the introduction of border controls, they cannot change the reality of flight and the search for asylum. But these measures are creating political divisions across the continent that will be difficult to heal. A commentary by Stefan Buchen
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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The Christian minority in PakistanUnder increased threat of persecution
Weeks after the twin bombings on churches in Lahore, discrimination against the Christian minority in Pakistan seems to have taken a turn for worse. By Roma Rajpal Weiß
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Freedom of the press in SyriaThe truth can cost lives
Four years into Syria's civil war, neither the regime nor the jihadists are interested in free and fair reporting. As Samar Yazbek explains, it takes great courage to stand up and tell the truth under such circumstances
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Media reports on the Yemen conflictA skewed view of Yemen's plight
In this opinion piece, Charlotte Wiedemann criticises the fact that many media reports about the current Yemen conflict are ill-informed, tendentious and overlook the West's responsibility for the escalation of the conflict
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Book review: Mohamedou Ould Slahi's "Guantanamo diary"Diary entries from the darkness
Mohamedou Ould Slahi wrote "Guantanamo diary" entirely by hand in his cell in Guantanamo Bay. Although heavily redacted by the censors, the book is still a harrowing and moving account of what one inmate of this notorious detention camp has been suffering for almost 13 years. By Emran Feroz
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Interview with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar University"What the Islamist armed movements are doing is wrong"
Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb is grand imam of al-Azhar University in Cairo, one of the highest religious instances in Sunni Islam. In an interview with Khalid El Kaoutit, he explains how the jihadists of Islamic State (IS) are abusing Islamic doctrine for their own purposes
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The image policy of ISTerror in the spotlight
In this essay, Felix Koltermann takes a closer look at the image policy of IS and how media and politicians around the world have reacted to it. He argues that in spite of the horror of the images being disseminated by IS, it is important not to fall into the rhetoric of a war of images, because the goal of such a rhetoric is to take pictorial acts as a justification for military action
Culture
More about Culture-
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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Atiq Rahimi's latest novel''Dostoyevsky be Damned!''
In his new novel, Atiq Rahimi raises the question of what constitutes a "just" murder. In a world etched by terrorism, legal uncertainty and the daily struggle for survival, is vigilante justice a legitimate form of resistance? The author needs less than 300 pages to explore this question in the form of a novel. Volker Kaminski reports
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The 13th Sufi Soul FestivalThe Musical Path to Allah
Once a year, on the last weekend before Ramadan, a hotel in a village in north-western Germany plays host to the "Sufi Soul Festival". Anyone who is interested is welcome to come and sample a wide variety of music genres: from hard rock to ballads and from Pakistani folk to Arab a-cappella. Marian Brehmer visited the festival in the Eifel region
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Writers in IranFighting a Losing Battle
Decades of repression and the establishment of a conformist state culture are beginning to take their toll on independent writers. In an all-enveloping climate of fear, Iran's young writers are coming under increasing pressure to sacrifice their independence and exercise self-censorship. For their part, the all-powerful state censorship authorities are becoming ever more professional – and restrictive – in their methods. By Faraj Sarkohi
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Comics Artists in the Arab WorldSwimming against the Tide
Many of the Arab comics and graphic novels produced before and during the Arab Spring are both critical of society and politically provocative. Despite the uprisings in the region, difficult working conditions and the strict constraints of media censorship still pose a big problem for the rebellious artists. A report by Charlotte Bank
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Interview with the Lebanese Composer and Oud Player Mahmoud Turkmani''I'm Way Beyond Any Categorization''
The 47-year-old musician and composer Mahmoud Turkmani was a highly accomplished oud player as a boy. As a young man, he rebelled against his upbringing and became a Communist. He left Beirut during the civil war and studied classical guitar at the Moscow Conservatory. From his adoptive home in Switzerland, he now enriches both Western and Eastern music with unorthodox works that fuse traditional and experimental elements and defy all categorization. Stefan Franzen met the artist
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Interview with Atiq RahimiUnable to Move Forward
In an interview with Shikiba Babori, the exiled Afghan author Atiq Rahimi criticizes the West's donor mentality in reconstructing Afghanistan and the indolence of the Afghan people, who he says have grown too accustomed to depending on foreign aid
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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Protestflotte „Global Sumud Flotilla“
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Warum ausgerechnet Suzy?
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Die Unübersetzbarkeit des Heiligen
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Islamische Mystik
Die Sufis verstehen
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Qantara-Printausgabe
Was wird aus Syrien?
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Künstlerportraits aus Syrien
Freiräume nutzen