Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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US election 2024What Trump's victory means for Iran
Donald Trump has won the US presidential election. Many Iranian opposition members hope that this will lead to the overthrow of the Islamic regime. But Trump's actions, especially in foreign policy, are not always predictable.
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Jewish composer Brigitte SchifferFleeing the Nazis and thriving in Cairo
Many Jewish musicians fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Composer Brigitte Schiffer was one of the few who put down roots in Egypt. In this interview, the German music professor Matthias Pasdzierny charts her unusual story.
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US election 2024Time to vote for Trump? How the Democrats are losing Arab voters
Arab-Muslim voters in the US are turning away from the Democrats because of their support for Israel. In Michigan, a Democratic mayor has even endorsed Trump. The US election may well be decided in this state, which is home to about 240,000 Muslims.
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Çiğdem Akyols's novel on Germany’s guest workersClear-eyed and unsentimental
In her debut novel, Çiğdem Akyol tells the story of a family caught between Germany and Turkey. The journalist offers an unvarnished portrait of the guest-worker generation and their children and sheds light on their ruthless exploitation in Germany.
Politics
More about Politics-
US election 2024What Trump's victory means for Iran
Donald Trump has won the US presidential election. Many Iranian opposition members hope that this will lead to the overthrow of the Islamic regime. But Trump's actions, especially in foreign policy, are not always predictable.
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Hezbollah's new leader Naim QassemStepping out of Nasrallah's shadow
Naim Qassem is a veteran of Hezbollah in Lebanon. A member since its foundation, he could never escape the shadow of Nasrallah. Now, he's the boss, and a man the Israeli government says is living with a death sentence.
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Restrictions on Egyptian NGOsSilencing the voice of civil society
In recent months, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has passed a number of laws that will weaken the country's civil society. Local NGOs and foreign foundations alike will suffer under the new laws. By Elisabeth Lehmann
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First free presidential election in TunisiaEssebsi must now take action
The election of veteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi as Tunisia's first ever democratically elected president is a vital milestone on the road to the establishment of a true Arab democracy, says Loay Mudhoon
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The revolution of 25 January 2011 and its consequencesLearning from past mistakes
Right from the word go, the Egyptian writer Mansoura Ez-Eldin was part of the protests against the Mubarak regime in Tahrir Square in January 2011. She became a chronicler of the revolution, reporting daily on the unrest in the Egyptian capital. In this essay, she outlines the mistakes made by the former revolutionary movement and explains why Egypt is now undergoing an authoritarian restoration
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Six lessons learned from Tunisia's recent elections"Religion is God's, but democracy belongs to everyone!"
The most recent elections in Tunisia have made it clear that, in spite of numerous setbacks over the last three years, the Arab Spring continues to bear fruit. According to Egyptian journalist and professor Khalil al-Anani, the Tunisian experiment once again proves that Tunisia is a long way ahead of the other Arab countries undergoing transformation
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The kidnapping of the "Douma 4"The Salafist and the human rights activist
A year ago, four Syrian human rights activists were taken from a suburb of Damascus. Among them was the well-known lawyer Razan Zaitouneh. The kidnapping illustrates the fatal turn the Syrian revolution has taken, partly due to the West's inaction, writes Kristin Helberg
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Global strategies for combating Islamic StateThe intellectual battle against IS
The global financial crisis taught the world how profoundly interdependent our economies have become. In today's crisis of extremism, we must recognise that we are just as interdependent for our security, as is clear in the current struggle to defeat IS (also known as ISIS), writes Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Society
More about Society-
US election 2024Time to vote for Trump? How the Democrats are losing Arab voters
Arab-Muslim voters in the US are turning away from the Democrats because of their support for Israel. In Michigan, a Democratic mayor has even endorsed Trump. The US election may well be decided in this state, which is home to about 240,000 Muslims.
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Reform of Iraq's Personal Status LawAre Shiite forces on the verge of victory?
The Personal Status Law in Iraq encompasses regulations on marriage, divorce, child custody, inheritance and more. It could soon be amended, with dramatic consequences for women's and children's rights. Feminists and left-leaning political parties have mobilised to defend it.
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Book review: Zahra Ali's "Islamic Feminisms"Female emancipation based on the spirit of Sharia
In 2012, the French sociologist Zahra Ali published a book entitled "Féminismes islamiques" (Islamic Feminisms), a compilation of ground-breaking articles by female Muslim scholars and activists from around the world. It has just been published in German translation. Claudia Kramatschek read the book
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Women's shadow councils in PalestineStrengthening women's voices
In the Palestinian Territories, a legal quota stipulates that at least 20 per cent of all seats on municipal councils must be held by women. As progressive as this sounds, elected councilwomen often face opposition and obstacles. A local non-governmental organisation is lending them support in a most original way. By Reham Alhelsi and Petra Schoening
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Interview with theology professor Ömer ÖzsoyAcademic freedom takes precedence
New centres for Islamic theology have been established at five German universities in recent years. In 2007, Ömer Özsoy became the first Muslim theologian to be appointed as a professor at a German university. He teaches Koranic exegesis at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. In the debate on what direction Islamic theology should take in this country, he stresses above all the importance of academic freedom. Interview by Claudia Mende
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Love in Egypt"Does love as it is here exist in Europe?"
Three ethnologists – a Finn, a German and a Swiss – set out to research the laws of love in Egypt. Their work shows one thing above all else: love is an obsession in the land of the Nile – and quite complicated too. By Iris Mostegel
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Interview with Benjamin StoraThe history of relations between Jews and Muslims
In their encyclopaedia ‘The History of Relations between Jews and Muslims’, Abdelwahab Meddeb and Benjamin Stora trace the more than 13 centuries of coexistence between Jews and Muslims in the Arab world.
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Internet censorship in PakistanDigital self-defence
The government in Pakistan is extending its system of Internet censorship and surveillance. But Pakistani Internet activists are resolute in their defence of freedom of information in the face of state interference and are receiving support from international human rights initiatives. By Marcus Michaelsen
Culture
More about Culture-
Çiğdem Akyols's novel on Germany’s guest workersClear-eyed and unsentimental
In her debut novel, Çiğdem Akyol tells the story of a family caught between Germany and Turkey. The journalist offers an unvarnished portrait of the guest-worker generation and their children and sheds light on their ruthless exploitation in Germany.
-
Jewish composer Brigitte SchifferFleeing the Nazis and thriving in Cairo
Many Jewish musicians fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. Composer Brigitte Schiffer was one of the few who put down roots in Egypt. In this interview, the German music professor Matthias Pasdzierny charts her unusual story.
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750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
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Die jüdische Komponistin Brigitte Schiffer
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Sex-Tourismus in Ägypten
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Zur Lage im Norden Gazas
„Draußen fliegen israelische Quadrocopter“
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Politik und Religion im Islam
Getrennte oder vereinte Welten?
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Homoerotische Dichtung im Islam
"Der Liebe verfallen, dem Wahnsinn zur Beute"
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Sexuelle Aufklärung
Der größte Erfolg des Arabischen Frühlings?