Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
-
Migrant exploitation in LibyaLandmark trafficking trial nears verdict
Judges are set to deliver a verdict in the case of an Eritrean man accused of extorting migrants in Libya. The first alleged leader of such a network to appear in a European court, the case reveals the inner workings of transnational trafficking.
-
"Archiving Gaza" anthologyA vivid record of life before the war
"Archiving Gaza in the Present" brings together essays on Gazan art, literature, music and archaeology. By preserving the memory of a once-vibrant cultural world while confronting the scale of its loss, it stands as one of the most important recent books on Gaza.
-
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".
-
Nahid Siamdoust on Iran's protests"Revolution has become more conceivable today"
Is Iran's regime at a breaking point? Nahid Siamdoust assesses the significance of the recent uprising, examines its potential leaders and outlines five possible scenarios for what comes next.
Politics
More about Politics-
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?
-
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.
-
Tariq Ramadan DebateDismissal over TV Show
Tariq Ramadan, one of Europe's best-known Muslim intellectuals, has been removed from the University of Rotterdam because he works for an Iranian television channel. Dirk Schümer has the details
-
Mauritania's New Foreign Minister
The Woman Declaring War on Al Qaeda
Mauritania is the first Arab country with a female foreign minister – a sign of increasing modernity in the Islamic Republic in northwestern Africa, says Rudolph Chimelli
-
Hosni Mubarak
Autocrat or Peacemaker?
In office since 1981, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is considered a factor for stability in the region and a reliable ally against extremism – despite the fact that Mubarak is anything but a flawless democrat. Hassan Znined reports
-
A Study of the Security Situation in Afghanistan
A More Positive Evaluation for Kunduz and Takhar
In northeastern Afghanistan, international involvement is perceived as an important security factor by the local population – this according to the results of a new study. But interpretation of the results should be critically assessed, explains the study's author Jan Koehler, in conversation with Ulrich von Schwerin
-
Presidential Elections in Afghanistan
Successful Candidate – Shaky Candidate
Although Hamid Karsai has been declared the winner of the election, the Afghan president is now himself seen by the West as a cause of great insecurity and western governments involved in Afghanistan will be making an even greater effort to find an alternative to him. Report by Andreas Zumach
-
Lebanon Three Years on from the War against Israel
Calm Before the Storm
Beirut is bursting at the seams – only three years after the war against Israel in 2006, tourists are flooding back into Lebanon. Although the country's situation is relatively stable, relations with Israel remain tense, as Birgit Kaspar reports from Beirut
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.
-
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.
-
Islam in Germany
On Overemphasizing Religion
Endless debates and controversies on "the Muslims" and "Islam" in Germany continue to rage while a whole range of problems is completely ignored – the legal and economic situation of immigrants. By Mark Terkessidis
-
Universities and Euro-Islamic Dialogue
No Long-term Strategy in Sight
Students from the German-Jordanian University are currently arriving in Germany to improve their language skills at courses. Mona Naggar on this project and other forms of cooperation between German and Arab universities
-
Muslims in Germany
German Author Wants to Read The Satanic Verses in Mosque
Günter Wallraff created quite a stir when he proposed the reading of Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" in a mosque in his native Cologne. Peter Philipp spoke with Wallraff about Salman Rushdie, integration in Germany and the tolerance of German Muslims
-
Turkey
Women on the Rise?
The new Turkish Parliament has twice as many women representatives than previously. Turkish women's rights advocates emphasize, however, that it is not just the number of women in Parliament that counts. Ayse Tekin reports
-
Humour in Arab Culture
The Prophet's Candid Camera
Is it permissible to make jokes about the Prophet Mohammed? Has the increasing politicisation of Islam had an effect on humour in the Arab world? Just two of the questions discussed at a conference on humour held recently in Berlin. Antje Bauer went along for a laugh
-
Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid
The Power of Dialogue
Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, exiled Egyptian theologian, promotes renewed dialogue with the Islamic world – a dialogue that seeks to connect with representatives of moderate political Islam as well as the "silent majority" of the Islamic world. Mahmoud Tawfik reports
Culture
More about Culture-
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.
-
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.
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
-
Spannungen im Libanon
Im Schatten der syrischen Revolution
-
Cannabis und Islam
Eine vielschichtige Beziehung
-
Sheika Helawys Kurzgeschichten "They Fell Like Stars from the Sky"
Rebellische Leidenschaften
-
Expertin über Aufstand im Iran
„Die Revolution ist vorstellbar geworden“
-
Bürgerkrieg in Syrien
Kein Frieden mit Assad und al-Qaida
-
"Qur'an and Woman“ von Amina Wadud neu gelesen
"Männer und Frauen sind im Islam gleichberechtigt“