Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Iran protestsMass anger in a political void
From bazaar strike to national revolt: Iran's current protest wave has achieved unprecedented social and geographic reach. But without a unifying programme or cohesive demands, can it withstand the regime's brutal response?
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Films on SudanStories from elsewhere
The war in Sudan has made displacement a fact of life for millions. Two new films, with Sudanese women at their core, reflect this reality through very different lenses. A review of "Aisha Can't Fly Away" and "Cotton Queen".
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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.
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 Afghanistan expert Thomas Ruttig"The violence threshold is low"
Having already served two terms, Afghan President Hamid Karzai cannot run for president in the election in early April. The end of his twelve years in office marks the end of an era for the country. Ulrich von Schwerin spoke to Thomas Ruttig of the "Afghanistan Analysts Network" about the political situation in Afghanistan after over a decade of Karzai
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Hezbollah in LebanonHow Hezbollah is paralysing Lebanese politics
There are few countries in the world where domestic affairs are as affected by regional calamities as Lebanon. With Hezbollah still fighting across the border in Syria and the country's two biggest political alliances at loggerheads about the situation, the government in Beirut is in deadlock. By Ben Knight
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Victims of the Tunisian RevolutionThe slow and painful search for the truth
Three years have passed since Tunisians took to the streets in protest against their ruler, Ben Ali. The country is now slowly moving towards democracy, but the victims of those early revolutionary days are still waiting for justice. Hopes that the truth will come to light and that relatives will discover who killed and injured their loved ones during the unrest are diminishing by the day. By Sarah Mersch
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Corruption scandal in Turkey"The evaporation of the Turkish state as we know it"
A series of alleged telephone recordings between the Turkish prime minister and members of his family has escalated an ongoing political crisis to unprecedented levels, with many now fearing for the state of the country's democracy. By Dorian Jones in Istanbul
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Crimean Tatars in UkraineDeep-seated fears
The Crimean Tatars, numbering some 250,000, are the third largest demographic group in Crimea. They fear that their rights will be sharply curtailed should the referendum on 16 March turn out in Russia's favour. Fear of Putin and his supporters is equally palpable amongst the millions of Crimean Tatars living in Turkish exile. By Luise Sammann
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Interview with Stefan Meister"The Syria crisis is legitimising Putin"
Russia's backing of Bashar al-Assad and his regime is a geopolitical game, says Stefan Meister, expert in Russian foreign and security policy. Above all, however, Vladimir Putin is benefitting domestically from his Syria policy. The confrontation with the West is making him a key figure in world politics. Interview by Jannis Hagmann
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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Eco-Islam Pioneer Fazlun Khalid''Allah Does Not Love the Wasters''
It's not enough to simply pray for a better environment, you have to stand up and take action, says Fazlun Khalid, one of the world's leading eco-theologians. He believes religion can help save the planet. Interview by Franziska Badenschier
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Interview with the Lebanese Artist Ghazi Kahwaji''I Believe that Several Paths Lead to God''
The Lebanese artist and writer Ghazi Kahwaji sees the revival of Mediterranean humanism as a basis for intercultural dialogue between Arab and European societies. An interview by Aladdin Sarhan
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Tunisia's Economic CrisisThe Decline of the Middle Class
More than two years have passed since the start of the so-called "Arab Spring" in Tunisia. What began as a fight for social justice became an ideological tug-of-war between Islamists and secular forces. But while the elite engage in theoretical debate, the economic crisis deepens. Katharina Pfannkuch reports
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Democracy and Human Rights in IndonesiaA Blocked Constitutional State
The country with the world's biggest Muslim population has now experienced 15 years of democracy. But the political euphoria of the Indonesian "Reformasi" movement has long since given way to disenchantment. Ex-dictator Suharto's old boy network is still very much in place, and radical Islam is on the rise. By Christina Schott
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Syrian Refugees in LebanonFighting for Survival
There are now more than half a million refugees from the Syrian civil war in Lebanon, seeking shelter with families, in rented apartments and on construction sites, in ruins and homemade tents, in communal accommodation and occasionally in transit camps. Susanne Schmelter reports
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IslamophobiaEvidence Does Not Support Fears of Islam in the West
Why has a dichotomy persisted between Muslim and Western societies despite the bulk of academic research dispelling any notion of incompatibility? Director of the Islam in the West program at Harvard University Jocelyne Cesari explains
Culture
More about Culture-
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.
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Aziz Chouaki's novel "The Star of Algiers"A Singer in a World Gone Mad
In his novel 'The Star of Algiers', the Algerian writer Aziz Chouaki tells the story of a talented musician whose career takes off just before the Algerian civil war, of all times. Kersten Knipp read the book
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Theatre in the West Bank
Fragments of Freedom
Most of them have never been outside their refugee camp on the West Bank. But now the Palestinian theatre students of the "Freedom Theatre" are discovering Germany and Austria. Kristin Hendinger went to see their most recent play, "Fragments of Palestine"
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Atiq Rahimi's "The Patience Stone"
Portrait of a Brave Woman
In his brilliantly written novel, Afghan author Atiq Rahimi holds the reader transfixed with a gripping account of the appalling conditions in his country, wracked by war, atrocity and under-development. Volker Kaminski presents the book
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Arash T. Riahi's "For A Moment Freedom"
Between Hope and Fear
In his first feature film, the Austrian-Iranian director Arash T. Riahi tells the story of a group of Iranian refugees who begin an odyssey in Iran and end up in a dubious Ankara hotel, where they wait day in, day out for their asylum applications to be processed. Amin Farzanefar on For A Moment Freedom
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Profile of Adé Bantu
"I Am Yoruba-Prussian"
As the child of a German mother and a Nigerian father, the question of identity has been a feature of his life since childhood. German? African? Both – Afro-German is his answer. And he shouts it from the rooftops – as a rapper, a member of the Brothers Keepers and as a protagonist in the fight against racism in Germany. By Naima El Moussaoui
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Writers in Syria
How Creativity Blossoms in a Rigid Regime
In Syria, the secret police is as omnipresent as traffic wardens are in the West. Every movement and every word are registered. Yet some writers see this as a creative challenge rather than a nuisance. They use their wit, humour and imagination to offer the world an insight into a society that at first glance seems closed off. Susanne Schanda reports
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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