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
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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Interview with "Der Spiegel" reporter Christoph ReuterThe strategists of terror
At present, IS is the most dangerous terrorist militia in the world. It controls a territory that stretches from north-eastern Syria to western Iraq, including almost all Syrian oil and gas fields. Igal Avidan spoke to Christoph Reuter (correspondent for the German weekly news magazine "Der Spiegel") about the ascent of IS
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Interview with Iran expert Trita ParsiA nuclear deal would benefit all parties
According to Iran expert Trita Parsi, a comprehensive nuclear deal would be beneficial for both Iran and the world's powers. In this interview with Sven Pohle, he explains why and criticises those who oppose the ongoing negotiations
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How the West views Iran's leadersA sober and critical eye is needed
Has Iran really undergone fundamental change since President Hassan Rouhani took office? Observers shouldn't allow themselves to be deceived by the current trend towards rosy political analyses, warns Ali Fathollah-Nejad, a German–Iranian political scientist, who points out that developments in the Islamic Republic are characterised by continuity
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After the Sousse attackUnited against terror
Following the attack on a beach hotel near Sousse, which claimed the lives of 38 and injured 39 others, many Tunisians took to the streets to demonstrate against Islamist terror in their country and call for a tightening of security laws. Report from Sousse by Karim El-Gawhary
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Interview with Alaya Allani, an expert on Islamism"The jihadists have no social base in Libya"
Alaya Allani, professor of contemporary history at the Monouba University in Tunis and a specialist on Islamist movements, does not expect that the IS terrorist militia will be able to establish itself in Libya over the long-term, although the jihadists have already successfully formed cells in some regions of the country. Beat Stauffer spoke to him in Tunis
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The civil war in SyriaWhen minorities become pawns in a power game
The Assad clan is exploiting the multi-religious composition of Syria and holding its minorities in a fatal grip of dependency. By Haid N. Haid and Bente Scheller
Society
More about Society-
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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On Raif Badawi, Charlie Hebdo and non-violent Islamism"We are all in this together, like it or not"
The shocking events of recent weeks – from the attacks in Paris, the flogging of Raif Badawi, and massacres in Nigeria and Pakistan – are all connected, writes Elham Manea, and they all deserve our equal and unreserved outrage and attention
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German–Israeli–Palestinian research co-operationScience in the shadow of war
The conflict in the Middle East has been making negative headlines in the international media for decades. Less attention is paid to initiatives in the region that specifically and deliberately bring people from the different sides of the conflict together, such as an academic project involving German, Israeli and Palestinian scientists. By Thomas Kramer
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Historical roots of the current Middle East crisisThe end of an artificial construct
After the First World War, many people hoped for a lasting order that would bring peace. The mandate system, which was supervised by the international community, was supposed to bring a new form of "benevolent" imperialism to the Middle East. However, the region is still dominated by the problems that were created at that time – more so today than ever before. By Jakob Krais
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Muslims and the Paris attacks"I distance myself from these murderers – not as a Muslim, but as a human being"
Canan Topcu is a freelance journalist with a Muslim background. Following the Paris attacks, she experienced the same knee-jerk reaction that comes after every Islamist act of terrorism: Muslims are called upon to distance themselves from the perpetrators. She finds this irritating and hurtful, especially as Muslims are also victims of Islamist terrorism
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Rebuilding GazaLeft out in the cold
Every day, hundreds of people go to the Shamali warehouse in Shejaia, Gaza, where they hope to get the cement they need to re-build their homes after the devastating Gaza offensive of summer 2014. Almost five months on, reconstruction has virtually not begun. Many families across Gaza are living among the rubble of their semi-destroyed homes, unable to fix them because of the lack of cement caused by the blockade. By Ylenia Gostoli in Gaza
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Reactions to the Paris attacksReligiousness is not the problem
The brutal attacks perpetrated by Islamist terrorists in Paris have shocked Europe and the world. Although Felix Steiner is angered by the fact that these attacks discredit not only Islam, but belief in God in general, he is adamant that there can be no compromise on tolerance
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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The Moroccan Fusion Singer Oum''I Am a Muslim, But I Make Decisions about My Life''
The Moroccan fusion singer Oum El Ghaith Benessahraoui, aka Oum, makes intentional references to her African identity in her songs. Morocco, she says, is the gateway between Africa and Europe. Martina Sabra met Oum in Casablanca
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The Cultural Scene in EgyptCreative Artists Are the Motor for Change
Creative artists in Arab countries are playing a key role in the revolutionary process. But their efforts are being hampered by poor infrastructure. This is where international cultural work can help, says Günther Hasenkamp, Programme Director at the Goethe Institute in Cairo
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The ''Roads of Arabia'' Exhibition at the Museum of Islamic ArtSaudi Arabia's Surprising Treasures
The exhibition ‘Roads of Arabia’, at the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin, showcases Saudi Arabia's archaeological heritage. The collection contains surprising treasures and shows a desert kingdom in transition. By Marian Brehmer
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The Iranian Graphic Novel "Zahra's Paradise"An Artistic Insight into a Sinister World
More than two years after the Green Movement's protests, a graphic novel has captured the political and social state of the Islamic Republic in graphic images. The book's anonymous authors, Amir and Khalil, portray Iran as a sinister country full of darkness and contradictions. Marian Brehmer read the book
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Alaa al-Aswani's "On the State of Egypt"''Democracy Is the Solution''
A selection of columns published before the revolution by celebrated Egyptian writer Alaa al-Aswani show that even if the West was turning a blind eye to imminent political change in Egypt, many writers and intellectuals were making clear predictions of the seismic eruptions to come. By Andreas Pflitsch
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Literature and the Arab SpringAn Uprising of Words
What subversive role did literature play in the run-up to the uprisings in the Arab world? And should prose, poetry and other literary genres devote themselves entirely to the "revolution" or maintain a critical distance? Answers from Stephan Milich
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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