Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Syria's shadow economySex work, captagon and currency
Having grown significantly during the war, Syria's informal market for sex, drugs and money continues to thrive. Meanwhile, weak regulation is discouraging investment in the formal economy.
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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.
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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India's anti-corruption champion Arvind KejriwalDelhi's new broom very nearly makes a clean sweep
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won a landslide victory in the Delhi State elections earlier this month, dealing a heavy blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The capital's Muslim community in particular welcomes the change of power and hopes that communal politics will now finally take a back seat.
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After the Copenhagen attacks"We are not afraid"
The Copenhagen attacks are being regarded as a copy of the attacks in Paris a month ago. In this commentary, Barbara Wesel writes that freedom of speech, the separation of church and state, and gender equality are not negotiable, and that Muslims and non-Muslims alike must conduct a more open and critical debate about political Islam
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Egyptian soccer stadium deathsBlack day for the "White Knights"
Three years after the Port Said catastrophe, Egyptian soccer has again been hit by tragedy. At least 22 fans were killed in a stampede and clashes with police outside a stadium in the capital on Sunday, 8 February. Background details from Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo
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Killing of Jordanian pilotUnited in sorrow, united against IS
IS's brutal killing of a Jordanian fighter pilot has shaken the people of Jordan and united the nation. The war and chaos in neighbouring Syria and Iraq no longer seem as far away as they used to. By Tania Kramer in Amman
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Saudi Arabia and Iran after the death of King AbdullahNo prospect of rapprochement
The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has been known to reach explosive heights on occasion. Deadly proxy conflicts are currently raging in a number of flash points in the Middle East. By Adnan Tabatabai
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The West's strategy in the Middle EastHollow alliance
The islands of stability in the Arab-Islamic world are shrinking. In the face of war and chaos, the West continues to cling to its new-old allies: the "moderate Sunni regimes". The aim of this alliance, which purportedly shares goals and ideals, is that "good Islam" will conquer "bad Islam" with Western support. By Stefan Buchen
Society
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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.
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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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The "Sharia Police" in WuppertalPlaying on a widespread fear of Islam in Germany
Eleven young Salafists in bright orange vests with the words "Shariah Police" written on the back patrolled the city of Wuppertal in early September, triggering outrage across Germany. Both politicians and leading Islamic associations have criticised their actions as "illegal parallel justice" and have warned of repercussions. By Stefan Dege
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Interfaith dialogue in PalestineReviving a heritage of peaceful co-existence
In the village of Kafr Kana in Galilee, Mayor Mujahid Awawida wants to set an example and take a symbolic stand against IS terrorism and religious intolerance: he intends to construct a new complex that will house a mosque, a church and a park. Khaled Hroub has the details
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Muslims who saved Jews during World War IIThe forgotten Schindlers
During the Second World War, Muslims like Si Kaddour Benghabrit and Abdul Hussain Sardari risked their lives to save many Jews from deportation. Sadly, however, their selfless actions have long been forgotten. By Emran Feroz
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Israeli-Palestinian relationsDialogue in a time of conflict
Arab cities in Israel, such as Jaffa and Tira, illustrate that Jews and Arabs do live together as good neighbours. Since the Gaza War, however, positions have become more entrenched and mistrust has grown on both sides. Nevertheless, a number of NGOs insist on continuing with dialogue projects. Now more than ever. By Ulrike Schleicher
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Interview with Maha El-Kaisy-Friemuth"We urgently need reform within Islam"
What is the focus of a feminist Islamic theologian's work? And what is the best way to deal with controversial Koran verses in the modern day? Claudia Mende talked to Maha El-Kaisy-Friemuth, professor of Islamic Religious Studies at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
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The Trojan Horse scandal in the UKClaims and counterclaims
Claims that Islamists were trying to Islamise secular state schools in Birmingham rocked the British education system to the core earlier this year. Extremist views in the classroom are a sensitive topic at a time when Britain is concerned about its citizens' reported involvement in jihadist activities in Syria and Iraq. Was there really an Islamist conspiracy? Was the whole thing blown out of proportion? And if so, what will be the consequences? Opinions differ. By Qurratulain Zaman
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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Algerian LiteratureBoualem Sansal Wins Top German Cultural Award
His books have cost him his job and landed him on the index of banned authors in Algeria, but Boualem Sansal remains a resident and activist there. In 2011 he received German Book Trade Peace Prize. By Gabriela Schaaf
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Tariq Ali: ''The Night of the Golden Butterfly''Shimmering Prose against the Clash of Civilisations
Tariq Ali has written a multi-faceted picaresque novel about Pakistan and the West. In "The Night of the Golden Butterfly", the Pakistani-British intellectual lays bare the cynical bigotries of both the western and the Muslim world, writes Claudia Kramatschek
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Radical Comedian Serdar SomuncuThe Right to Give Offence
Serdar Somuncu's shows have titles like 'The Hate Preacher', 'The Antiturk', or 'Hitler Kebab'. The German-Turkish entertainer demands a lot of his public, but what he's really aiming at is a kind of moral renewal, as Lewis Gropp reports
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Intercultural DialogueGoethe Institute Supports Post-Arab Spring Cultural Work
Artists of all types have played important roles in the uprising that have swept across the Arab World. From its offices in Cairo, Alexandria and Tunis, Germany's Goethe Institute has been close to the action. The institute's President Klaus-Dieter Lehmann tells Aya Bach what the Arab Spring revolutions mean for Germany's foreign cultural policy
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The Turkish Film MiracleSpirit of Optimism and a Lack of Craftsmanship
For years now, Turkish films have been winning prizes at international film festivals and are popular in European art house cinemas. The occasion of the mammoth 30th Istanbul International Film Festival is a fitting time to ask the question “What is with the Turkish film miracle?” An assessment by Amin Farzanefar
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Arab Intellectuals and the Arab SpringThe Silence of the Thinkers
Many intellectuals in the Arab world had already made their peace with the autocrats and dictators. Few of them made an active contribution to the Arab Spring movements. A commentary by Mona Naggar
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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