Qantara Startseite Englisch
-
General Amnesty LawA solution to Lebanon's prison crisis?
Thousands of inmates in Lebanon are held in overcrowded prisons under appalling conditions, many without a final verdict. A proposed law promises relief, but political and sectarian rivalries stand in the way.
-
DenaturalisationKuwait is stripping its leading intellectuals of citizenship
Up to 300,000 people in Kuwait have lost their citizenship in the last two years. What the authorities describe as a "correction" is leaving stars of the national cultural scene stateless. Among them is Talib al-Rifai, the "father of the Kuwaiti novel".
-
Iraq's Anfal campaignThe survivor who brought her torturer to justice
After decades in hiding, the head of a notorious prison during the 1988 campaign against Iraq's Kurds has been sentenced to death. For survivor Fazila Mohammad, who helped identify him, the verdict is a milestone, but not the end.
-
Libyan commander at the ICCThe "angel of death" on trial
The ICC has confirmed charges against Khaled El Hishri, accused of crimes against humanity at Tripoli's Mitiga prison. The first Libyan suspect to appear before the court, his trial could expose a wider system of abuse affecting Libyans, migrants and refugees.
Politics
More about Politics-
Syria after AssadStriking deals with the old elites
The HTS regime presents itself as the "liberator of Syria" while collaborating with key figures from the Assad era. Instead of conducting a thorough reckoning with the past, the new elites are consolidating power with the help of the old.
-
Saudi sports policyThe limits of Saudi Arabia's football ambitions
Saudi Arabia has emerged as an influential player in the politics of international sports, particularly football. The 2034 World Cup will be hosted by the Kingdom, but war in the Gulf could be jeopardising its ambitious goals.
-
Middle East ConflictEntering a New Phase
"Land for Peace" – that was the formula upon which the 1993 Oslo Accords between Palestinians and Israelis was based. Yet, the Palestinian dream of their own state is still not an inch closer to reality. Birgit Kaspar reports
-
Obituary for Abdurrahman Wahid
Indonesia Loses Its Blind Seer
On 30 December last year Abdurrahman Wahid died in Jakarta at the age of sixty-nine. The first democratically elected president following the Suharto dictatorship, he had campaigned for interreligious dialogue and a peaceful Islam. An obituary by Armin Wertz
-
Interview with Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi
The Secular Elements of the Islamic Republic
The Iranian revolution sought to establish an Islamic state. Officially, it got one. Unofficially, however, the process did not lead to the Islamicization of society, but to a transformation of Islam. This, in any case, is the theory held by the Iranian sociologist Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi. Mona Sarkis spoke to him
-
Brian Whitaker's "What's Really Wrong with the Middle East"
Franchised Repression
In his latest book, Brian Whitaker takes a look at the so-called 'Arab malaise'. In it Whitaker argues that the repressive reflexes of Arab regimes have been internalized and are repeated at virtually every layer of society. A review by James M. Dorsey
-
Obama's Guantánamo Policy
A Maze of Contradictions
The US administration will miss its self-imposed deadline of January 22, 2010, to close the Guantánamo Bay prison, as President Barack Obama himself has admitted. It looks like the US is sliding back to its bad old habit of lawlessness. A commentary by Balakrishnan Rajagopal
-
Yemen
A Fragile Unity
The foiled Detroit bomb plot showed that terror groups such as al-Qaeda are increasingly using Yemen as a place of retreat. The main reason behind the situation is the country's political instability. Klaus Heymach reports
Society
More about Society-
Israel's high-tech warfareA new era of automated violence
In Gaza, mobile phones are both a lifeline and a threat, feeding algorithmic targeting systems while remaining essential for survival. Researcher Gihan AbouZeid examines how AI-driven surveillance technologies are reshaping the experience of war.
-
Iran's Gulf regionMore than a strait
The Strait of Hormuz is at the centre of geopolitical tensions. But a closer look at the cultural landscape reveals a different picture: on Iran's southern coast, African, Indian and Arab influences converge, creating a cultural tapestry far removed from the image of a homogeneous theocratic state.
-
Migration, Youth Violence and Islam
A Culture of Looking Carefully
Is the high level of violence among first, second and third-generation migrants in Germany really due to Islam? Absolutely not, argues the cultural anthropologist Werner Schiffauer in an interview with Claudia Mende
-
Journalists in Indonesia
In the Dock
New challenges to press freedom in Indonesia have been posed by the increasing influence of private businessmen and media entrepreneurs as well as their frequent use of lawsuits against investigative journalists. Arian Fariborz reports from Jakarta
-
Islamic Feminism in Morocco
"We Have to Re-Appropriate the Source Texts"
Islamic feminists in Morocco are calling for a so-called "third way": a modern approach combining universal ethics with the humanitarian ideals of Islam. Their methodology reveals weaknesses however. Martina Sabra reports
-
Controversial Study of Muslim Attitudes
Implied Contradiction between Democracy and Islam
A study of the relationship between violence and Islam in Germany, sponsored by the German Interior Ministry, has been much discussed but little read. Ülger Polat says the study exhibits methodological flaws
-
The Book of 40 Hadiths
Against the Cliché of the Islamic World as a Collective Society
In public discourse in the West, it is assumed that the Koran is the single foundation for Islamic faith, and other sources, which contribute to the diversity of the faith, are simply ignored. Marco Schöller, a scholar of Islam, has now translated the popular Hadith collection of al-Nawawi. An interview by Amin Farzanefar
-
Afghanistan as a Travel Destination
A Mixture of Hospitality, Humour and Brutality
A plethora of new books on Afghanistan have recently been released on the German and English-language markets. Two of them, surprisingly, deal with travel and tourism in the land of the Hindu Kush. Martin Gerner introduces the books
Culture
More about Culture-
Egyptian film "Asad"Slave drama sparks debate on national identity
In Egypt, a historical film has sparked a present-day controversy, with critics accusing "Asad" of distorting the past and promoting Afrocentric narratives. Beneath the political rhetoric, however, lies a deeper cultural dispute.
-
Iranian author Shahrnush ParsipurWriting in defiance
With the death of Shahrnush Parsipur, Iran has lost one of its most indomitable literary voices. The author of "Women Without Men" confronted censorship and oppression throughout her life. Most recently, she refused to glorify the war against Iran as a liberation.
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
-
Staatenlosigkeit
Kuwait bürgert seine klügsten Köpfe aus
-
Libyen am Internationalen Strafgerichtshof
Der „Todesengel“ auf der Anklagebank
-
Prostitution in Tunesien
Das Verdeckte offenlegen
-
Irans Golfregion
Mehr als eine Meerenge
-
Frauen in Saudi-Arabien
Gefangen in einem System der Gender-Apartheid
-
Rapperin Siba im Interview
„Wut kann sehr konstruktiv sein”