Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Parliamentary election in TurkeyAn absolute majority hangs in the balance
Turkey goes to the polls on 7 June. Its ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is seeking an unprecedented fourth successive general election victory on a platform of wanting to turn Turkey into a presidential system. The AKP has an outstanding electoral track record, but with an ailing economy, without its charismatic leader and faced with a revamped opposition, could this be the end of its absolute majority? By Dorian Jones in Istanbul
-
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir PutinSunni Islam meets Russian orthodoxy
While the Turkish president is hoping his party will win an absolute majority in the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Russian head of state has long since eliminated all opposition in his country. There is much that unites these two men – but much that divides them too on a political and biographical level. By Cigdem Akyol
-
Jihadism in TunisiaThe invisible enemy
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has established a base in Tunisia, from where the Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigade apparently planned the attacks on the Bardo Museum. Beat Stauffer paid a visit to the province and city of Kasserine, which are viewed by many as a hub of jihadism in Tunisia
-
Interview with Middle East expert Michael Luders"Homs is likely to be IS's next target"
With the occupation of Ramadi and the ancient yet symbolic city of Palmyra, Islamic State (IS) now has control over about half of Syria. According to Middle East expert Michael Luders, an end to its advance is not in sight because IS knows that the US is reluctant to send in ground troops. Interview conducted by Peter Hille
-
Saudi Arabia's nuclear plans and IranIs a nuclear arms race looming in the Gulf?
At the recent meeting with US President Barack Obama in Camp David, Saudi Arabia threatened to make use of all the same technology granted to Iran in the emerging nuclear deal with the West. Is this the start of the long-feared nuclear arms race in the Gulf region? Or is it an attempt to force the US to take a tougher stance on Iran? By Ulrich von Schwerin
-
The Yemen conflictThe threat of a regional conflagration
It is not clear what Saudi Arabia hopes to achieve with the war in Yemen. In any case, the ongoing airstrikes are not going to solve any problems. On the contrary: many new ones are emerging, such as the strengthening of the al-Qaida network or a dangerous confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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.
-
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.
-
Documentary: "The Green Prince"A friendship that inspires hope
Green is the colour of Hamas. The documentary "The Green Prince" tells the story of a Palestinian who turned informer and worked for the Israeli secret service for years. Igal Avidan watched the film and spoke to its director, Nadav Schirman
-
Launch of the digital television channel AlchemiyaA dose of positivity in dark times
A new London-based media start-up seeks to counter the warped portrayal of Islam. The digital television channel Alchemiya intends to showcase only positive content. Sounds a bit cheesy? Perhaps it is, says Jannis Hagmann, but it just might be a smart business idea and one that will catch on
-
Nobel Peace Prize 2014Serving stereotypes about the subcontinent?
According to Florian Weigand, Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi richly deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize this year. However, he adds that the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision to honour a Pakistani and an Indian is symbolic politics; the international community has no idea how to achieve sustainable peace in South Asia
-
The sudden rise of Germany's Islamophobic Pegida movement"The product of a nervous society"
In the past week, there have been a number of well-attended marches against the "Islamisation of the West" in German cities. These marches were organised by supporters of Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West). Why has the Pegida movement in Germany grown so much so fast? In this interview with Dennis Stute, sociologist Oliver Nachtwey says that political parties are a key factor and warns against the wrong knee-jerk response
-
Peshawar school attackThe cynical logic of the Pakistan Taliban
The brutal attack on a military-run school in Peshawar killing well over 100 children and several adults proves once again that even conservative Islamic countries like Pakistan cannot escape the deadly threat of militant Islamism. By Florian Weigand
-
Morocco's social gulfThe many faces of poverty
Travel guidebooks and tourist agencies are fond of using flowery language to sell Morocco as a holiday destination, describing it as a "nation of contrasts". In view of the omnipresent social disparities that define Moroccan society, this is actually a very accurate description. By Susanne Kaiser in Casablanca
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.
-
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.
-
PEN Award for the Egyptian Publisher Mohammed HashimA Father of the Revolution
The publisher Mohammed Hashim has been awarded the Hermann Kesten Prize of the German PEN Club. Hashim has not only distinguished himself as a publisher, he has also been directly and substantially involved in supporting the Egyptian revolutionaries. Stefan Weidner sends us this tribute
-
Portrait of the Jazz Singer Defne SahinKindrid Spirits
"To live singly and free like a tree, yet brotherly like a forest. That is what we yearn to do." These lines, which were written by the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, have been with Defne Sahin since her childhood as the daughter of Turkish parents in Berlin. They also inspired her first album. Katrin Wilke reports on a young jazz singer with a cosmopolitan, literary approach to her music
-
Iranian Tombak Virtuoso Mohammad Reza MortazaviFlying Fingers
There are very good reasons why Mohammad Reza Mortazavi is known as the drummer with the "fastest hands in the world"; listening to him perform, one gets the impression that one is listening to an ensemble of drummers playing a variety of instruments. Marian Brehmer reports
-
Interview with the Egyptian Theatre Director Laila SolimanVomit – Until the Revolution Comes
As far as the West was concerned, the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak meant that the system had been changed. But for many young Egyptians, the uprising has continued. Hans-Christoph Zimmermann spoke to Laila Soliman about what it's like to live and make theatre under the rule of the Supreme Military Council
-
The Cultural Scene in IraqReturning to Something Like Normality
In the wake of the long years of terror, a vibrant cultural scene is once more flourishing in Iraq. But people still have come to terms with the fact that culture in the 'New Iraq' is becoming more and more privatised. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
-
Stand-up Comedy in DubaiClean Humour for the Arab World
Stand-up comedians have a reputation for using provocative and often political jokes. Not to be daunted by this apparent obstacle to success, an American and an Emirati are trying to create a stand-up scene in the conservative Arab Gulf states. Through their Dubai comedy school, they promote a clean brand of humour. Christoph Dreyer reports
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
-
Mordfall Ben Barka
Neues aus israelischen Archiven
-
Seelsorge bei der Bundeswehr
Erste Militärimame für die Truppe
-
Syrer in der Türkei
Wo Geflüchtete ein Zuhause finden
-
Iranisches Kino
Mit Humanismus und Humor
-
Prostitution in Tunesien
Das Verdeckte offenlegen
-
Irans Zurchaneh-Bodybuilder
Krafttraining und Gebet