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10 years of Amal NewsNews for and by exiled communities
Amal News was founded in Germany in 2016 to platform exiled journalists and provide information to new arrivals in languages they understand. Now, as the far-right gains ground and disinformation spreads, its mission is still evolving.
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Landmines in SyriaThe war hiding underground
"One victim every six hours": landmines and unexploded ordnance claim lives and cause injuries across Syria, preventing people from returning to their homes. Specialised teams are clearing mined areas, but awareness of the threat remains dangerously low.
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Arab party Ra'am ahead of Israel's election"We want to be a party for all citizens"
Mansour Abbas wants his Arab-Islamic party Ra'am to help topple Netanyahu. In this interview, he discusses cooperation with Jewish Israelis, rising crime in Arab communities and why his party wants to govern rather than stay in opposition.
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Israeli election 2026Damage control
Israel votes on 27 October, with Netanyahu's far-right coalition facing an opposition bloc. Jonathan Shamir argues the opposition offers continuity, not change: it seeks to repair Israel's image, not end the violence or confront Palestinian suffering.
Politics
More about Politics-
War in the Persian GulfWhen data centres become targets
Backed by the US, Gulf states have invested heavily in AI infrastructure, giving Iran a strategic target: a single strike could disrupt banking, healthcare and public services. But there are ways to protect civilian computing infrastructure from attack.
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Palestinian activist Issa Amro on the West Bank"Annexation is already a reality"
The West Bank is being carved into isolated enclaves by Israeli settlement expansion, land seizures and escalating attacks on Palestinians. From Hebron, activist Issa Amro discusses the consequences for Palestinian life and the prospects for a Palestinian state.
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German-Turkish relationsTowards a modern policy on Turkey
Political and diplomatic relations between Germany and Turkey are marked by dissent, but the numerous flashpoints in the Middle East are now bringing the two countries closer together. The German President's deft balancing act on his trip to Turkey points the way toward a pragmatic policy on Turkey
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Germany and the Netanyahu governmentDeath zone Gaza: Germany is complicit
For years, Germany has been Israel's second most important supplier of arms. As a result, German weapons have ended up being used in the Gaza war. As evidence piles up of serious legal violations by Israel, the question of whether the German government is complicit in this catastrophic situation must be asked
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Egypt's New CapitalCounter-revolution completed
With Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's move into his new presidential palace and the inauguration of the new administrative capital, the Egyptian military's counter-revolution of 30 June 2013 is complete
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Political transition wishful thinking in Libya?"Dangerous status quo" – UN Special Envoy resigns
After "stubborn resistance" by Libya's major political stakeholders, Abdoulaye Bathily, the UN special envoy for Libya, has resigned. Analysts say his replacement will need to disrupt the "dangerous" status quo
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General election in Modi's India"Muslims are the principal target"
With elections on 19 April, India looks set to re-elect Narendra Modi's BJP party, greenlighting an ongoing process of Hinduisation on the subcontinent. The persecution of Muslims and other minorities will intensify. Yet India has little to fear in the way of criticism from its Western allies, says political scientist Achin Vanaik
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Iran drone attacksWhy did some Arab countries help Israel?
Some analysts saw the fact that Arab nations helped Israel and the U.S. repel a major Iranian attack as cause for celebration. Countries like Jordan have, however, more complicated motivations for coming to Israel's aid
Society
More about Society-
Moroccan feminist Ghizlane Mamouni"Progress stops where equality begins"
Morocco has its first female head of government, and yet reforms on women's rights have stalled and a feminist is in custody because of a T-shirt. Her lawyer, human rights activist Ghizlane Mamouni, talks about the struggle for gender equality.
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Energy in TunisiaA record-breaking summer forces a reckoning
This year saw Tunisia’s hottest-ever summer, putting unprecedented pressure on its electricity grid, exposing the country's vulnerability to climate change and dependence on imports. The crisis has underscored the need for lawmakers to rethink energy policy.
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750th anniversary of Rumi’s death – Part 7"Light your beacon!"
In Rumi's lifetime, too, people were frightened by war and uncertainty. His poetry has much to teach us about human nature
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Turkey local elections and Internet censorshipErdogan's grand plan
Ahead of the local elections in March 2024, Turkey is facing increased Internet censorship, with the government blocking web pages and VPN services. The move is part of Erdogan's strategy to regain control over major cities
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Indonesia's presidential electionK-Pop not Islam
This year's Valentine's Day saw a presidential election in Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy. Conservative-Islamic morals and panic-mongering tactics took a back seat on social media channels filled with music, cat videos…and elderly presidential hopefuls dancing
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750th anniversary of Rumi's death – Part 6Academic research and spiritual exploration
No Islamic mystic in the past two centuries has touched literary figures and academics in both East and West as much as Rumi. A look at the history of research into this hugely influential spiritual teacher
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German academia and the war in GazaUniversities must remain places of dialogue
Discussions about the Middle East conflict naturally tend towards polarisation. In Germany, showing empathy for victims of political violence in Israel while drawing attention to the suffering of Gazan and West Bank Palestinians, who bear the brunt of any major confrontation, is a tricky balancing act
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German immigration policyYazidis relive the horror as deportation looms
Recently Germany's "culture of welcome" has given way to a much tougher asylum and immigration policy. Now Yazidi survivors of IS genocide face an uncertain, potentially re-traumatising future
Culture
More about Culture-
Iranian-American curator Negah Angha"Religious practice can take place anywhere"
Negah Angha's upcoming exhibition "Seen and Unseen – Sufi Life in Frankfurt" is an intimate peek into Sufi practice in Germany. Guided by her interest in encounters across cultural and religious boundaries, Angha brings together experience in art, research and policy.
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Egyptian novel "The Passerby"Gender and society in transition
In Ibrahim Abdel Meguid's novel "The Passerby", the philosophy student Lamia becomes Hamza. His transition runs parallel to another: that of Egypt, caught between the brief freedom of 2011 and the grip of the security state.
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Algeria – wasteland for Arabic literatureBig Brother is watching you
In May 2023, Algerian author Said Khatibi won the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Award in the young author category for his historical crime novel "Nihayat al-Sahra'" – in English, 'the End of the Sahara'. Claudia Mende caught up with Khatibi in Abu Dhabi for Qantara.de
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Germany's BeethovenfestAfghan and Iranian musicians join forces
Musicians from Afghanistan, Iran and Germany have come together to work on Bonn's Beethovenfest Campus Project 2023. The result can be heard on 14 September. By Anastassia Boutsko
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Edward W. Said Days in BerlinMusic – facilitator of intercultural dialogue
How can Edward Said's ideas help people better understand Yoko Ono's performance art, pre-colonial rhythms from Africa or the music of Christian missionaries in Japan? The Edward W. Said Days in Berlin marking 20 years since the literary scholar's death explored a whole range of questions. Ceyda Nurtsch reports
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"The Damned Don't Cry"Moroccan melodrama without the tears
Covering a wide range of themes from rape and prostitution to poverty, homosexuality, and religious fanaticism, Fyzal Boulifa's latest film treats its subject matter in a delicate – if disturbing – way. By Shady Lewis Botros
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Music festivals in TurkeyOnly "halal" festivals acceptable?
In Turkey, concerts and festivals by artists at odds with the government line are being cancelled with increasing frequency. Islamist and nationalist groups are often responsible. Elmas Topcu and Aynur Tekin report
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Arab-Andalucian musicMusical "Romances" between Muslims and Christians
On 19 August, the Accademia del Piacere ensemble from Seville will celebrate the marriage of Muslim and Christian musical culture in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries at the Cologne Philharmonic. Tunisian singer Ghalia Benali will join the musicians on stage as their special guest. By Stefan Franzen
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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Krieg am Persischen Golf
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„Wir verstehen, was auf beiden Seiten vor sich geht“
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Buch „Die Schönheit des Christentums“
Liebe ohne Zustimmung
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Sufismus in Deutschland
„Religiöse Praxis kann überall stattfinden“
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Knesset-Wahl 2026
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Marokkanische Frauenrechtlerin Ghizlane Mamouni
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