Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Syrians in TurkeyA home for Istanbul's refugees
Based in an inconspicuous room in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district, Addar offers Syrian refugees education, advice and community. But without proper funding, the initiative is struggling to survive.
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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.
Politics
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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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The rise of Boko HaramWhen the terror began
In his new book, journalist Mike Smith describes the rise of Boko Haram from an obscure sect to a feared terrorist group. According to Ulrich Schwerin, while Smith vividly portrays the group's violent practices, he leaves many questions about the movement's goals, structures and financing unanswered
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Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe in dialogueA one- or two-state solution?
In their recently published dialogue, "On Palestine", Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe make the case for a greater effort to be made to find a political solution to the Middle East conflict. They discuss the issue of a one or two-state solution and prompt a debate that is virtually non-existent in Germany. By Emran Feroz
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Archaeological artefacts and sites in SyriaWhen historical treasures become pawns in a civil war
The Druze region in southern Syria, home to numerous archaeological treasures, is still regarded as one of the strongholds of the Assad regime. But that may soon change. Will Suwaida become the next Palmyra? By Joseph Croitoru
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Conflict between Arabs and Berbers in AlgeriaA social minefield
Hostilities between Berbers and Arab tribes in eastern Algeria in early July claimed at least 22 lives and left dozens injured. The Algerian Defence Ministry has announced that it is sending troops into the restive province of Ghardaia to put an end to the violence. Andreas Gorzewski takes a closer look at the background to this recent escalation
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After the nuclear agreement with IranTime to deliver
After the successful negotiation of an agreement on Iran's nuclear programme, the pressure on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is set to increase. Iranians expect an improvement not only in their economic and socio-political situation but also in the fight against corruption. By Adnan Tabatabai
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Nuclear agreement with IranA major historic breakthrough
The US and Iran have overcome their enmity. This opens the door to the settlement of a number of conflicts in the Middle East. A commentary by Andreas Zumach
Society
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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.
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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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Photo project "This Place"A missed opportunity
Twelve international photographers set out to explore Israel and the West Bank through the lenses of their cameras for the photo project "This Place". The aim was to see Israel as a metaphor and to go beyond the stereotypes. According to Felix Koltermann, however, the project makes no more than a marginal contribution to a more profound engagement with the reality of the region
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Muslims and the Paris attacksEuropean Muslims must speak as one
Islam will continue to be equated with brutality until such time as the Muslims of Europe stand together as a group that not only protects its religiousness, but also projects a positive image of its religion, says Jordanian writer Mousa Barhouma
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The anti-Semitism debateA desperate need for a third way
In the wake of a protest against Israel's war in Gaza last year, Israel's ambassador to Germany claimed that Jews are being hunted again in Germany "like it's 1938". In this article, William Noah Glucroft, a Jew living in Berlin, considers this statement and what people mean when they talk about anti-Semitism
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Taliban attacks on schools in Pakistan"We will never forget what happened"
On 16 December 2014, a group of Pakistan Taliban militants entered the auditorium and classrooms of the Army Public School in Peshawar and opened fire, killing over 140 people. The attack outraged the world and triggered a debate about the Taliban threat to schools in the country. Sadly, this school attack was no isolated incident: since 2007, more than 1,000 schools have been attacked or destroyed. By Kiran Nazish in Peshawar and Swat
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Interview with Turkish sociologist Nilufer Gole"There is a collective will to live together"
Prominent Turkish sociologist Nilufer Gole is a leading authority on Islamic identity and urban Muslim women. In an interview with Ceyda Nurtsch, she explains why freedom of speech is not sacred and why a new society in Europe is inevitable
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The Salaam-Shalom InitiativeBreaking down artificial walls
A year after its launch, the Salaam-Shalom Initiative has become one of the biggest intercultural groups in Berlin with dozens of events in mosques, synagogues and community centres. Armin Langer looks back on an eventful year
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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Third Karachi Literature FestivalLong on Talent, Short on Time
Despite ongoing political difficulties in Pakistan, a thrilling but all-too-brief literature festival took place on 11 and 12 February in the nation's largest metropolis. Impressions from Karachi by Stefan Weidner
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Mai Iskander about Her Film ''Words of Witness''Portraying the Shift in the Egyptian People's Psyche
Mai Iskander's documentary "Words of Witness" provides a dense picture of the social and political upheaval in Egypt and the struggle for a new order. Igal Avidan spoke to the multi-award-winning Egyptian-American documentary filmmaker after the film's premiere in Berlin
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Mansoura ez-Eldin's ''Beyond Paradise''Dark Family Secrets on the Nile
A book by the Egyptian writer Mansoura ez-Eldin has been published in German for the first time. In it, the novelist relates a family saga set in the landscape of the Nile Delta. But as a work that first appeared in pre-revolutionary 2009, does it have any relevance now? Axel von Ernst finds out
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Interview with Michèle ClaudeThe Wonderful World of Muwashshahat
The French percussionist explores the relationship between old Arab and early European music. In the cultural area that is the Mediterranean, where East meets West, she discovered her musical roots and the sounds of the "muwashshahat". Suleman Taufiq met her in Paris
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Hanan Abdalla's Documentary Film ''In the Shadow of a Man''Searching for Freedom and Self-Determination
The focus of this year's Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) is on films that offer different perspectives on the recent upheaval and transformations in the Arab world. One of these is the documentary film In the Shadow of a Man, which provides moving portraits of four Egyptian women. Amira El Ahl spoke to the film's director Hanan Abdalla
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World's First Major Exhibition on the HajjDocumenting a Supreme Theological and Religious Experience
Over the past 18 months, the British Museum has organized three exhibitions on the subject of faith. The final exhibition in this series takes a closer look at both the personal and practical aspects of the Hajj and seeks to give visitors a sense of the experience of the Hajj and what the pilgrimage means. By Susannah Tarbush
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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