Elections in India
Muslims to play key role
Interview with Yasmina Khadra
"The Algerian regime is pulling all the strings"
Abduction of Paolo Dall'Oglio
A voice of peace in a wilderness of violence
Art and protest in Turkey
Poking fun at the sultan

Elections in India

Muslims to play key role

With elections now underway in India, the Muslim vote is of vital importance to the outcome. The country's single largest religious minority makes up 14 per cent of India's population of more than 1.2 billion people. By Samrah FatimaRead more

Narendra Modi and the Indian Muslims: Divisive figure could become India's next PMThe Hindu-Muslim Conflict in Bollywood Films: The Religious Conflict as a BlockbusterThe Indian Subcontinent's Colonial Heritage: Divide and Conquer

Interview with Yasmina Khadra

"The Algerian regime is pulling all the strings"

The renowned Algerian writer, Mohammed Moulessehoul, who goes by his pen name Yasmina Khadra, wanted to stand as an independent candidate for the presidency of Algeria. He funded his own campaign and criss-crossed the country seeking nomination. Unfortunately, he only managed to win the support of 43,000 people, 17,000 short of the minimum number needed to be able to contest the election. Regina Keil-Sagawe spoke to the author about his campaign and about the situation in AlgeriaRead more

Presidential election in Algeria: Out with the old, in with the oldAlgeria and the Arab Spring: Opting for the Status Quo Rather than ExperimentationInterview with the Algerian Novelist Yasmina Khadra: "There Is a Life after Defeat"

Abduction in Syria of Paolo Dall'Oglio

A voice of peace in a wilderness of violence

The Italian Jesuit Paolo Dall'Oglio was abducted eight months ago in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa. There has been no trace of him since. A popular figure in Syria, the priest has been a consistent champion of dialogue between Christians and Muslims. He was one of the few members of the Church to align himself with the opposition right at the start of the uprising against Assad in March 2011. By Claudia MendeRead more

Interview with Father Paolo Dall'Oglio on Syria: Hoping for a Victory without RevengeInterview with Father Paolo Dall'Oglio: ''We Know We Have Brothers and Sisters in the Islamic Tradition''The Monastery "Deir Mar Musa" in Syria: A Haven for Spirituality and Dialogue

Art and protest in Turkey

Poking fun at the sultan

For about a year now, Turkey has been experiencing one of its worst ever political crises. It is a situation that has given the country's art scene a chance to flourish and to exercise its creativity in protest. However, such activity often entails the risk of serious consequences. By Senada Sokollu in IstanbulRead more

The Piano Man of Taksim Square: Playing for PeaceThe Turkish music collective Bandista: "Every resistance movement has its own voice"Culture in Turkey before and after Gezi: The end of Cool Istanbul

Politics

Yasmina Khadra (photo: Getty Images)

Interview with Yasmina Khadra

"The Algerian regime is pulling all the strings"

The renowned Algerian writer, Mohammed Moulessehoul, who goes by his pen name Yasmina Khadra, wanted to stand as an independent candidate for the presidency of Algeria. He funded his own campaign and criss-crossed the country seeking nomination. Unfortunately, he only managed to win the support of 43,000 people, 17,000 short of the minimum number needed to be able to contest the election. Regina Keil-Sagawe spoke to the author about his campaign and about the situation in AlgeriaMore

Presidential election in Algeria: Out with the old, in with the oldAlgeria and the Arab Spring: Opting for the Status Quo Rather than ExperimentationInterview with the Algerian Novelist Yasmina Khadra: "There Is a Life after Defeat"
Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (right) inspecting a military guard in Algiers (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Presidential election in Algeria

Out with the old, in with the old

On 17 April, Algeria goes to the polls to elect a new president. However, it seems as if the new president will be the old one: Abdelaziz Bouteflika. But even though the outcome seems like a foregone conclusion, political resistance is forming. By Kersten KnippMore

Algerian Paralysis: Bouteflika's Uncertain Future Interview with Werner Ruf: "Algeria is a Thoroughly Corrupt Country"Literature and Collective Trauma in Algeria: Moving Beyond the Examination of History
A Muslim man, who was displaced by deadly religious strife last year, casts his vote in the general election inside a polling station in Parla village in the Muzaffarnagar district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 10 April 2014 (photo: Reuters)

Elections in India

Muslims to play key role

With elections now underway in India, the Muslim vote is of vital importance to the outcome. The country's single largest religious minority makes up 14 per cent of India's population of more than 1.2 billion people. By Samrah FatimaMore

Narendra Modi and the Indian Muslims: Divisive figure could become India's next PMThe Hindu-Muslim Conflict in Bollywood Films: The Religious Conflict as a BlockbusterThe Indian Subcontinent's Colonial Heritage: Divide and Conquer
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (right) speaking to Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal inside 10 Downing Street, London, England on 22 March 2011 (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Review of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK

Has Cameron buckled to pressure from Middle East allies?

During his announcement last week that he had ordered a review of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK, British Prime Minister David Cameron made several references to violent extremism. Over the past two decades, Britain has introduced a whole raft of anti-terror laws that can be used in cases of violent extremism, so why is it necessary at this point in time to conduct a review into the Muslim Brotherhood? By Susannah TarbushMore

Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: Limited OptionsPolitical Pressure Exerted by Gulf States in Egypt: Reaching for the Cheque BookPicture gallery: Egypt's Turbulent and Tumultuous 2013Persecution of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: Humiliated even in Death
more Politics »

Society

Iranian female students (photo: Massoud Schirazi)

The University of Tehran

Winds of change blowing over the campus

As president of the University of Tehran, Farhad Rahbar made many enemies with his hard-line approach. His successor, Mohammad Hossein Omid, who started work in February, is seen as the great "hope" for the nation's most famous university. By Massoud SchiraziMore

Power struggle in Iran: Rouhani's balancing actIran's New President: Can Rouhani Deliver?Iran's New President Rouhani: Hopes for Reorientation
Paolo Dall'Oglio (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Abduction in Syria of Paolo Dall'Oglio

A voice of peace in a wilderness of violence

The Italian Jesuit Paolo Dall'Oglio was abducted eight months ago in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa. There has been no trace of him since. A popular figure in Syria, the priest has been a consistent champion of dialogue between Christians and Muslims. He was one of the few members of the Church to align himself with the opposition right at the start of the uprising against Assad in March 2011. By Claudia MendeMore

Interview with Father Paolo Dall'Oglio on Syria: Hoping for a Victory without RevengeInterview with Father Paolo Dall'Oglio: ''We Know We Have Brothers and Sisters in the Islamic Tradition''The Monastery "Deir Mar Musa" in Syria: A Haven for Spirituality and Dialogue
Young Muslim pupils in Berlin (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Young Muslims in Germany

Forget, but don't forget

If young Muslims are to enjoy equal status within German society, a number of key changes are necessary in terms of language, discourse and policy. These changes can only be effected by the majority society working together with Muslim citizens. By Melahat KisiMore

Integration in Germany: Time for Majority Society to Change Its AttitudeThe new face of the nightly news: Pinar Atalay: Not just the token migrantYoung Islam Conference: Interface between politics and societyIntegration in Germany: Finally growing up
more Society »

Culture

Sign and logo of the Hakawati bookshop in Amman (photo: Claudia Mende)

The Hakawati bookshop for children and young people in Amman

Huge appetite for exciting stories

Since opening ten years ago, the Hakawati bookshop in Amman has become an institution in the Jordanian capital. Nowhere else in the city offers such a wealth of books for children and young people. Claudia Mende took a look around this fascinating shopMore

The Egyptian Author Safaa Abdelmenem: "The Characters in My Novels Talk in Dialect"Islamic Children's Books: Integration through Early ReadingQantara dossier: Arabic literature
The British-Pakistani author Nadeem Aslam at lit.cologne in Cologne (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Interview with Nadeem Aslam

Shadows of the past

"The Blind Man's Garden" is the fourth novel to be published by the British–Pakistani author Nadeem Aslam. In this book, he returns to the days, weeks and months immediately following 9/11 and relates them from the perspective of a Pakistani family that is subsequently drawn into the ensuing war in Afghanistan. Claudia Kramatschek spoke to Aslam about his new novelMore

Book review: Nadeem Aslam's "The Wasted Vigil": Ravaged LandInterview with Nadeem Aslam: "Within Three or Four Years the Texture of Pakistani Life Changed"Nadeem Aslam's "Maps for Lost Lovers": A Cosmos of Traditionalist Muslim Migrants
A woman photographs one of Istanbul's new rainbow steps (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Art and protest in Turkey

Poking fun at the sultan

For about a year now, Turkey has been experiencing one of its worst ever political crises. It is a situation that has given the country's art scene a chance to flourish and to exercise its creativity in protest. However, such activity often entails the risk of serious consequences. By Senada Sokollu in IstanbulMore

The Piano Man of Taksim Square: Playing for PeaceThe Turkish music collective Bandista: "Every resistance movement has its own voice"Culture in Turkey before and after Gezi: The end of Cool Istanbul
more Culture »