Qantara Startseite Englisch - Dialogue with the Islamic world
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Refugee rights in Egypt"We are in a legal vacuum"
Egypt hosts more than one million registered refugees, most from Sudan. Recent legislation has stripped away protections, creating chaos in the country's asylum system and violating international law, says Nour Khalil, director of Refugees Platform Egypt (RPE).
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Egyptian activist pardonedAlaa Abd El-Fattah is free
After years in prison, democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah is free. Egypt's president has officially pardoned the 43-year-old. Read by a selection of texts by and about one of the key figures of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
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Syrian activist The Darvish"Queerness is freedom and freedom is indivisible"
Belly dancer and queer organiser The Darvish arrived in Berlin in 2016, where they found a welcoming community and room for self-expression. But they warn that, as German politics shifts to the right, this community is under threat and its spaces are vanishing.
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Syria's shadow economySex work, captagon and currency
Having grown significantly during the war, Syria's informal market for sex, drugs and money continues to thrive. Meanwhile, weak regulation is discouraging investment in the formal economy.
Politics
More about Politics-
Sumud FlotillaTunisia at the forefront of global convoy to Gaza
More than 50 boats are set to sail to Gaza in an attempt to break Israel's blockade. While European activists dominate headlines, the mission unites participants from over 40 countries, including many from Tunisia, where solidarity with Palestine runs deep.
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The new SyriaA history of violence
For the first time in eleven years, Yassin al-Haj Saleh returned to his homeland. The Syrian writer and dissident found a country torn apart by internal conflicts and beset by worries about the return of tyranny. A historical analysis.
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COVID-19 in North AfricaCorona proactivity in Tunisia, trivialisation in Egypt
Healthcare systems in Tunisia and Egypt are in a catastrophic state. The governmental response to the crisis in both nations could not be more different. Sofian Philip Naceur reports from Tunis
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COVID-19Syriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hard
The corona pandemic has reached Syria. Anna Fleischer explains why the virus could hit the country extremely hard and above all endanger those imprisoned
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COVID-19 in IraqWorking under the coronavirus curfew in Baghdad
Coronavirus is also spreading in Iraq. This didn't stop hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travelling to a Shia shrine, however. The nation's health system has already conceded it cannot cope with the epidemic. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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COVID-19 pandemicHow is Turkey dealing with the corona crisis?
Going by the official numbers, Turkey is doing well, especially in comparison to other countries. But does this impression correspond to the reality? There are significant reasons to doubt that it does. By Tayfun Guttstadt
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After the Berlin conferenceLibya's war for war’s sake
Libyan political analyst Faraj Alasha argues that the Berlin conference on the Libyan war did nothing to change the fact that there is no political solution to end the war raging in the suburbs of southern Tripoli
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COVID-19 epidemic in IranFaith and the coronavirus
The "holy" city of Qom, the centre of Shia scholarship, was the starting point of the corona epidemic in Iran. The ayatollahs vehemently and successfully resisted quarantine and the virus spread rapidly throughout the country. But corona is not the plague, Iran is not in the Middle Ages and the virus is not divine retribution. By Ali Sadrzadeh
Society
More about Society-
Egypt's TikTok crackdownSuzy el-Ordoneya and the politics of social media fame
A police crackdown in Egypt is targeting TikTok influencers. Among them is Suzy el-Ordoneya (Suzy the Jordanian), whose rapid rise has brought her into conflict with official state morality.
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Kafr Nabl, SyriaTraces of the revolution
When the Syrian revolution began in 2011, Kafr Nabl went from a sleepy, provincial town to a hub of resistance. Today, it resembles a ghost town. Its story may help ensure the revolution's original ideals are not forgotten.
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COVID-19 pandemicCoronavirus takes no account of Ramadan
According to the latest Reuters tally, more than 2.54 million people are now reported to have been infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 177,004 have died. As Muslims prepare for a very different Ramadan this year, here are the latest developments from across the region
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COVID-19 pandemicRamadan during coronavirus – with a virtual community
Ramadan begins this week even as the coronavirus pandemic up-ends life around the world. The crisis is forcing Muslims to re-think traditions and find new approaches to one of Islam's most important religious rituals. By Siham Ouchtou and Kersten Knipp
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COVID-19 in the Middle EastWomen talk under coronavirus lockdown: "I want my life back"
How are people in the Middle East and North Africa dealing with the new coronavirus pandemic? Women from countries across the region, some of them war zones, share their worries – and hopes. By Diana Hodali
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Digitalisation and the coronavirus in MoroccoFrom care to control?
With a series of digital measures introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Morocco is creating a trade-off between ways to provide rapid support and the parallel development of digital control. By Anja Hoffmann and Bauke Baumann
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Coronavirus pandemic in the Islamic worldDoubling down on containment efforts
Around the Islamic world, lockdowns and curfews are being extended and religious ceremonies are being cancelled outright in the hope of slowing the spread of COVID-19. Here’s the latest from across the region
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Impact of CoronavirusRise in domestic violence in the Middle East
As authorities across the region struggle to contain the pandemic with curfews and lockdowns, few have thought of the knock-on effects. For many women, more time at home means more physical abuse from family members. By Maram Shahatit
Culture
More about Culture-
Artists in SyriaReclaiming space, testing limits
Since Assad's fall, Syrian artists and intellectuals have been seeking ways to respond to a transformed reality. Four cultural workers reflect on the shape of the cultural sphere in the new Syria.
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Afghan poet Matiullah TurabA critical voice even the Taliban listened to
Afghan poet Matiullah Turab has unexpectedly died. Turab saw himself as the modest voice of a tormented people—and even the extremists listened.
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Fatih Akin's film "In the Fade"Back in the saddle
In his latest film, "In the Fade", Fatih Akin puts his leading lady through hell. The acclaimed director draws on the series of murders committed by the NSU terror cell in Germany to produce some of his best work to date. By Jochen Kurten
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Book review: Donia Maher′s ″The Apartment in Bab El Louk″Chronicling a neighbourhood
Donia Maher′s award-winning graphic novel ″The Apartment in Bab El Louk″, featuring the combined talents of prominent Egyptian artist Ganzeer, political cartoonist Ahmed Nady and gifted translator Elisabeth Jaquette is a collaborative tour-de-force. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book
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Egyptian film controversyShams buys a man
Egypt is in uproar over a film: a single woman marries solely in order to have a baby via a sperm donor and then gets divorced. A female television presenter who showcased the film and its controversial theme on her programme has been given a prison sentence. By Dunja Ramadan
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A new age dawns for Tunisian cinemaPress reboot!
With young Tunisian directors winning international awards, the decision to finally go ahead with a long-planned cinematheque, and a careful festival relaunch, the signs are all there: the winds of change are blowing in the Tunisian film sector. By Sarah Mersch in Tunis
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Tayeb Salih′s ″Season of Migration to the North″A literary hall of mirrors
Described as the most important Arab novel of the twentieth century by the Arab Literary Academy, Tayeb Salih's ″Season of Migration to the North″ was first published in 1966. For this year′s Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize Lecture, Professor Robert Irwin reflected on Salih′s unique mode of engaging with Western culture and the counternarrative he provides to post-colonial discourse. By Valentina Viene
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Cairo's Al Darb Al Ahmar Art SchoolThe chance of a lifetime
In early 2017, Cairo's Al Darb Al Ahmar Art School moved into new premises. Adjacent to the perimeter wall of the city's Azhar Park, the new building is also right next to the Genaina Theatre, venue for most of the school's performances. Islam Anwar has the details
750th anniversary of Rumi's death
750th anniversary of Rumi's death - Qantara.de
Most read articles
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Fatima Daas' preisgekrönter Roman "Die jüngste Tochter“
Bekenntnisse einer Muslimin
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Ägyptischer Aktivist überraschend „begnadigt“
Alaa Abd El-Fattah ist frei
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„The Darvish“ aus Syrien
„Queerness bedeutet Freiheit“
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Protestflotte „Global Sumud Flotilla“
Kurs auf Gaza
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Sex-Tourismus in Ägypten
Braut für einen Sommer
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Interview mit dem französischen Islam-Experten Gilles Kepel
Leiden und Leidenschaft