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Jewish community in Syria"One day we’ll drive from Damascus to Jerusalem"
The fall of Assad has prompted the return of millions of Syrians, including a small Jewish minority. Under Henry Hamra, son of the country’s last chief rabbi, they are asking whether a lasting return is possible.
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Palestinians in EgyptTime to return to Gaza?
In Egypt, Palestinians displaced by war in Gaza face a painful dilemma: return to their families and a devastated homeland or remain in limbo without residency. Medical needs, financial hardship and border fears make the decision fraught.
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Syed Muhammad Naquib al-AttasA life rethinking the foundations of knowledge
Malaysian philosopher and polymath Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas has died aged 94. A lifelong critic of Western intellectual dominance, his work has shaped debates on modernity and education across the Muslim world.
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Ramadan TV specialsSyrian drama after Assad
Television dramas are a Ramadan staple in Syria. This year, for the first time, viewers watched series written in a post-Assad era, some confronting past trauma, others offering satirical critique, sparking fierce debate over how the country's stories should be told.
Politics
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Israeli activist Yuli Novak"The system is based on violence"
In this interview, the head of Israeli NGO B’Tselem discusses the increasingly boundless violence in the region and argues that defending Palestinian rights is defending human rights worldwide. She urges Germany to lead in upholding international law.
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Iran WarWill the Gulf states stand together?
Hard hit by Iranian attacks, the business model of the Gulf states is under attack. Yet they are far from defenceless: with coordination—and unity—they could establish themselves as powerful agents of change.
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Interview with Lebanese Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt"Modernity Is Impossible within This Sectarian State"
As the leader of the Druze community and head of the Progessive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt has a decisive influence on Lebanon's complicated sectarian political system. With Naomi Conrad, Jumblatt talks about his country's ails
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No-fly Zone over Libya
An International Legal Dilemma
Should the international community intervene in Libya? And if so, on what basis could a no-fly zone be imposed? Opponents of the idea fear the situation could further descend into an unmanageable war. Background report by Andreas Zumach
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Arab Despots
Like Father, Like Son
Arabs have known for years that their rulers were beyond reform. That is why, in order to have a chance to catch up with the rest of the free, developed world, many of them are now risking their lives to remove those regimes. By Omar Ashour
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Revolutions in the Middle East
Arab "Republics of Fear" at an End?
The recent protests in the Arab world have shown that military deterrence alone can no longer keep demonstrators at bay. Yet, how long can these autocratic systems remain in place? Birgit Kaspar reports from Beirut
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The Role of the Military in the Egyptian Power Struggle
Tipping the Scales?
President Mubarak tried to restore public order in Egypt with the military. However, soldiers were reluctant and in some places were greeted with enthusiasm. Loay Mudhoon analyses the role of the military in the ongoing power struggle
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Arab Protest Movements and the West
The Spectre of the Muslim Brotherhood
Faced with popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Western politicians are having trouble ridding themselves of their black-and-white view of the Arab-Islamic world. Michael Lüders sends us this analysis
Society
More about Society-
Culture in GermanyThe politics of neutrality
This year’s Berlinale highlighted the tensions between art and supposedly neutral institutions. But state-funded cultural bodies don't operate outside politics; they set the terms of debate. Greater transparency about how boundaries are drawn could strengthen trust.
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Damascus book fairA new benchmark for freedom
Syria has held its first book fair since the fall of Assad. The landmark event sets a new standard against which the government and its cultural policy will be judged.
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Women in Iran
The Daughters of Khomeini's Silent Revolution
Women in Iran do not enjoy the same freedoms as men in public. Yet resistance is stirring under the veil. Young women are well educated, confident, and are fighting for their place in a patriarchal society. Claudia Hennen reports
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Mesut Özil
The polite boy with the faux-hawk
Despite a turbulent winter at Werder Bremen, the 20-year-old midfielder Mesut Özil is one of this season's biggest up-and-coming football players. His winning goal in the German cup final proved that this young man is already much more than a hopeful. By André Tucic
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Interview with Jumana Odeh
"The Children Give My Life Meaning"
The Palestinian doctor Jumana Odeh has been named winner of the "World of Children Health Award 2008" in recognition of her efforts to improve the lives of disabled children. Muhanad Hamed spoke to her about the award and her work
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Interview with Corry Guttstadt
Turkey, the Jews and the Holocaust
Turkologist Corry Guttstadt has published a comprehensive study of the behaviour of the Turkish government towards its Jewish citizens during the Holocaust. In doing so, she has investigated a chapter of twentieth-century history that has thus far been all but neglected by international Holocaust research. Sonja Galler spoke to her about her findings
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African-American Muslims
The American Values of Islam
There is no other country in the Western world with as many Muslim converts as in the USA. Particularly for socially disadvantaged African-Americans, mosques are places of family values and social responsibility. By Katrin Simon
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Censorship of Online Media in Syria
Critical Overtones Not Appreciated
The Syrian State not only influences the press, but is also increasingly trying to wield control over the Internet. One of the reasons is the regime's fear of the growing influence online media and the resulting loss of control. A report by Kristin Helberg from Damascus
Culture
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Author Taleb AlrefaiA window into the Kuwaiti soul
Does the German literary scene have a blind spot when it comes to Arabic literature? Abdulrahman Afif makes the case for the works of Kuwaiti writer Taleb Alrefai, whose socially critical literature deftly side-steps orientalist expectations.
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Mukabela in Bosnia and HerzegovinaA distinctive and enduring Ramadan tradition
For Bosnian Muslims, mukabela, the daily communal recitation of the Qur'an, is an essential part of Ramadan. The tradition dates back to the Prophet Muhammad, was popularised under Ottoman rule and has survived dictatorship and war.
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Portrait Sudabeh Mohafez
Building Bridges between Teheran and Berlin
The stories in the volume "Wüstenhimmel, Sternenland" ("Desert Sky, Land of Stars") by the German-Iranian writer Sudabeh Mohafez are a poetic reflection of life in a strange world full of violence. Katrin Matthei profiles the stories and their writer.
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Arab Cinema
The Dawn of a New Documentary Film Culture
Whoever still thinks that film culture in the Arab World consists mostly of Egyptian soap operas or films for the intellectual elite has some catching up to do. During the past few years, Arab interest in documentary film has made significant strides. By Christina Förch
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Book Review
The 'Cinema of the Orient' Is Not a Hyped Illusion
For his book on 'Cinema of the Orient', film journalist Amin Farzanefar compiled interviews with film directors from the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. Film distributor Ludwig Ammann discusses the book.
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Cartoons from the Maghreb
Cunning, Clever, Critical
Cartoons hold up the mirror to society. In the Arab world as well, cartoons are a popular medium for criticizing the government and society. Liesel Schulze-Meyer reports on an exhibit of Maghreb cartoons.
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Portrait Badou Jobe
The Rediscovery of African Values
Following the postcolonial need for traditional identity, Badou Jobe reinvented Africa's musical heritage, initiating the immensely popular and influential "Afro Manding" Sound. Peter Zimmermann met the political artist 30 years down the road.
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Portrait Ayse Polat
An Unprejudiced View beyond Cultural Borders
With her sensitive portrait of a young outsider in the film "En Garde," Hamburg director Ayse Polat won the Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. Since then, she has realized that the German media are often more interested in her Kurdish origins than in the film itself. Ariana Mirza reports.
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
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Israelische Menschenrechtlerin Yuli Novak
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Jewish community in Syria
"One day we’ll drive from Damascus to Jerusalem"
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Sex-Tourismus in Ägypten
Braut für einen Sommer
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„Im Herzen der Katze“ von Jina Khayyer
Wie Deutsche den Iran gern sehen
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Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas
Er wollte die Grundlagen des Wissens neu denken