German angst and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award
Habermas, philosopher of communication, rejects dialogue
Power politics in Iran
Javad Zarif's political bombshell
Religious persecution in Pakistan
Violence increasing against the beleaguered Ahmadiyya community
The alchemy of fasting
Ramadan – a feast for spirit and soul

German angst and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award

Habermas, philosopher of communication, rejects dialogue

Philosopher Juergen Habermas was due to be awarded a major Arab prize in Abu Dhabi, but has turned it down following criticism. This decision torpedoes Arab efforts at a substantive cultural dialogue and exposes the West’s moral hubris, says Stefan WeidnerRead more

Sheikh Zayed Book Award: Why has Juergen Habermas rejected a prize from the UAE?Juergen Habermas awarded Kluge Prize for Philosophy: ″Asylum is a human right″Qantara dossier: Dialogue of cultures

Power politics in Iran

Fallout from Mohammed Javad Zarif's political bombshell

An interview by Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has provoked outrage in Iran. In it, Zarif criticised the Revolutionary Guards' destructive role in both the nuclear agreement and the Syrian war. Ali Sadrzadeh has the detailsRead more

Charting the history of Iran sanctions: The Islamic Republic's never-ending labour painsReconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar: A turning point for the whole Middle East?Iran′s image in the Arab world: Conservative regime and open-minded society

Religious persecution in Pakistan

Violence increasing against the beleaguered Ahmadiyya community

Pakistan's anti-Ahmadi laws have been in place for almost 40 years now, and the impact on this religious minority has been devastating. In a war of attrition, the laws have ground down the Ahmadi community, scarring an entire generation. Fear, flight and persecution are the hallmarks of life for the Ahmadiyya in Pakistan. According to Mohammad Luqman, there is little hope of improvementRead more

Endemic anti-Ahmadiyya discrimination: Pakistan's "Commission for Minorities" without the AhmadisRadicalisation among Barelvis in Pakistan: The spread of violent fanaticismHuman rights in the Islamic world: Battle cry "blasphemy"Interview with Nadeem Aslam: "Within three or four years the texture of Pakistani life changed"
Scene from the Moinuddin Chishti Sufi shrine complex in Ajmer, northern India.

The alchemy of fasting

Ramadan – a feast for spirit and soul

In Islamic mysticism, Ramadan is more than just a period of prescribed abstinence, signifying an opportunity for inner contemplation. Marian Brehmer explores the spiritual dimensions of the month of fasting against the background of SufismRead more

Sufism: A soft form of Islam?Qantara photo essay: Ramadan during coronvirusSufism in Iran: Finding joy in times of troubleQantara photo essay: Ramadan – Enlightenment and commerce

Politics

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif (photo: FARS/M. Bolourian)

Power politics in Iran

Fallout from Mohammed Javad Zarif's political bombshell

An interview by Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has provoked outrage in Iran. In it, Zarif criticised the Revolutionary Guards' destructive role in both the nuclear agreement and the Syrian war. Ali Sadrzadeh has the detailsMore

Charting the history of Iran sanctions: The Islamic Republic's never-ending labour painsReconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar: A turning point for the whole Middle East?Iran′s image in the Arab world: Conservative regime and open-minded society
Barelvis demonstrating in Lahore, Pakistan, 2017 (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Sajjad)

Religious persecution in Pakistan

Violence increasing against the beleaguered Ahmadiyya community

Pakistan's anti-Ahmadi laws have been in place for almost 40 years now, and the impact on this religious minority has been devastating. In a war of attrition, the laws have ground down the Ahmadi community, scarring an entire generation. Fear, flight and persecution are the hallmarks of life for the Ahmadiyya in Pakistan. According to Mohammad Luqman, there is little hope of improvementMore

Endemic anti-Ahmadiyya discrimination: Pakistan's "Commission for Minorities" without the AhmadisRadicalisation among Barelvis in Pakistan: The spread of violent fanaticismHuman rights in the Islamic world: Battle cry "blasphemy"Interview with Nadeem Aslam: "Within three or four years the texture of Pakistani life changed"
Street scene in Cairo: A father rides a motorbike with his five children (photo: picture alliance/ dpa/ Matthias Toedt)

Overpopulation and Sisi regime propaganda

Egypt's people – nothing but a burden and a nuisance

Looking to mobilise the Egyptians, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and his ministers will refer to them as the "people". As soon as the Egyptians demand something of the state, however, they are a burden. Apparently, it is not the state that is accountable to the people, but the people who are accountable to the state, writes Shady Lewis Botros in his essayMore

Social utopia on the Nile? Sisiʹs new breed of EgyptiansSocietal repression in Egypt: The tentacles of autocracyEgyptʹs 2018 presidential elections: Blatant autocracyEgypt's deepening economic crisis: Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s vanity projects
Grieving relative at a cremation ground in India (photo: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

"We are witnessing a crime against humanity"

The Guardian: Arundhati Roy on India’s COVID catastrophe

It’s hard to convey the full depth and range of the trauma, the chaos and the indignity that people are being subjected to. Meanwhile, Modi and his allies are telling us not to complain. By Arundhati RoyMore

Eroding confidence in the Fourth Estate: Narendra Modi declares war on India's free pressIndia and the farmers' protests: Solidarity mounts against Narendra Modi's BJPIndia, a crumbling democracy: Narendra Modi's vendetta against free-thinking academics
more Politics »

Society

Archive photo of sociologist and philosopher Juergen Habermas (photo: Janine Schmitz/photothek/imago images)

German angst and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award

Habermas, philosopher of communication, rejects dialogue

Philosopher Juergen Habermas was due to be awarded a major Arab prize in Abu Dhabi, but has turned it down following criticism. This decision torpedoes Arab efforts at a substantive cultural dialogue and exposes the West’s moral hubris, says Stefan WeidnerMore

Sheikh Zayed Book Award: Why has Juergen Habermas rejected a prize from the UAE?Juergen Habermas awarded Kluge Prize for Philosophy: ″Asylum is a human right″Qantara dossier: Dialogue of cultures
MoMA exhibition shows how urban planning fosters social division (photo: courtesy of the artist /The Museum of Modern Art New York)

MoMA: Racism in U.S. urban planning

The role of architecture in America's systemic racism

Ghettos and gentrification: the latest MoMA exhibition in New York shows how urban planning promotes social division and takes a critical look at "racist" architecture. Sertan Sanderson reportsMore

The Arter, art and gentrification: Modern art makeover in Istanbul?Interview with German anthropologist Dieter Haller: "Freedom of speech has long been empty rhetoric"Qantara dossier: Gentrification
Scene from the Moinuddin Chishti Sufi shrine complex in Ajmer, northern India (photo: Marian Brehmer)

The alchemy of fasting

Ramadan – a feast for spirit and soul

In Islamic mysticism, Ramadan is more than just a period of prescribed abstinence, signifying an opportunity for inner contemplation. Marian Brehmer explores the spiritual dimensions of the month of fasting against the background of SufismMore

Sufism: A soft form of Islam?Qantara photo essay: Ramadan during coronvirusSufism in Iran: Finding joy in times of troubleQantara photo essay: Ramadan – Enlightenment and commerce
Hirak supporters bearing the Algerian flag (photo: CLPB Rights)

DW documentary: Algeria – Between hope and resignation

Why Hirak supporters are still piling on the pressure

Since February 2019, millions of Algerians have been demonstrating against the government. They first took to the streets to demand more democracy and protest the renewed candidacy of former authoritarian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.More

Interview with human rights activist Rabah Arkam: Algeria's protesters continue their "Revolution of Smiles"Algeria: how the Hirak fared in 2020: Protestors still calling for genuine democracyDemocracy in the Maghreb: Tebboune's 'New Algeria' looks a lot like the old AlgeriaBook review: Kaouther Adimi’s "December Kids": Algeria's younger generation rebels
more Society »

Culture

Juergen Habermas at the John W. Kluge Prize award ceremony in Washington in 2015 (photo: Shawn Miller)

Sheikh Zayed Book Award

Why has Juergen Habermas rejected a prize from the UAE?

At nearly 92, Juergen Habermas is still advocating for a robust and transparent civil society. Now Germany's greatest living intellectual has rejected a book award from the United Arab Emirates. Stuart Braun has the detailsMore

German angst and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award: Habermas, philosopher of communication, rejects dialogue Juergen Habermas awarded Kluge Prize for Philosophy: ″Asylum is a human right″
British author Isabella Hammad (photo: Ula Soltys)

Isabella Hammad on "The Parisian"

"Palestinians need to set the terms of their own liberation"

Isabella Hammad’s "The Parisian" is an engaging and accomplished debut based on the life of her great-grandfather. Set during the end of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Palestinian nationalism, it is a classic coming-of-age novel. In interview with Schayan Riaz, the young British author with Palestinian roots talks about racism, the publishing world and giving a voice to PalestiniansMore

Ghassan Zaqtan's "Describing the past": The vapours of memoryInterview with Palestinian American writer Susan Abulhawa: ″Literature is a facet of society″Palestinian feature film "Eyes of a Thief": A political family drama
The Egyptian series "El-Ekhteyar 2" was created by a production company with close ties to the military - and promotes a narrative to match (photo: ON TV)

Mass propaganda in Egypt

"El-Ekhteyar 2" – twisting the facts for President Sisi

The Egyptian series "El-Ekhteyar 2" was created by a production company with close ties to the military – and pursues a corresponding narrative. Moritz Baumstieger explains how the series, which was broadcast in time for Ramadan, takes its own unique approach to historical factsMore

Social utopia on the Nile? Sisiʹs new breed of EgyptiansEgyptʹs political future: Generalissimo SisiSisi regime propaganda: Egypt's people – nothing but a burden and a nuisanceThe role of film-makers in the new Egypt: Revolution on screen
Illustration by Deloupy from "Algeriennes", story by Swann Meralli, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger (published in English by Pennsylvania State University Press)

"Algeriennes" by Swann Meralli and Deloupy

The bravery and resilience of Algeria's "mujahidates"

Using a graphic novel to address a contentious issue like the Algerian war of independence may seem an odd choice, but new release "Algeriennes", translated into English by Ivanka Hahnenberger, defies any preconceptions you may have about the genre's limitations. Richard Marcus read the bookMore

Alice Zeniter's "L'Art de perdre": Rediscovering a lost chapter of (family) historySixty years since the beginning of the Algerian war: National fronts?Algerian cinema: Young, rebellious and full of beansJoseph Andras′ ″De nos freres blesses″: A shameful chapter
more Culture »

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Muslim miners in Bosnia break their fast underground

Muslim men engaged in long hours of hard labour deep underground in a coal mine in Bosnia still find the strength to fast. Kemal Softic accompanied them down the mine

Global Village Space: Pakistan, and why nations radicalise

Anti-French protest in Pakistan following the arrest of Saad Rizvi (photo: AFP)

Discussing Dr. Shoaib Pervez’s latest book "Radicalization in Pakistan: A Critical Perspective", Farah Adeed probes the origins of collective societal radicalisation in Pakistan.More

Bangladesh extends lockdown to keep India's COVID variant at bay

Bangladesh  is relying on India to pull through and deliver COVID-19 vaccine doses. Until then, health officials have put the country on lockdown. And while infections have started dropping, the government has decided to extend the measures, for now.More

Germany: Right-wing criminality at a record high

Residents mourned after right-wing extremists went on a shooting rampage in Hanau, Germany, in 2020 (photo: Odd Anderson/AFP/Getty Images)

Violent and racist crimes are on the up in Germany, according to official statistics on politically motivated crimes. Crimes by right-wing extremists hit their highest levels since records began in 2001.More

DW honours Nigerian reporter Tobore Ovuorie for defending the voiceless

Nigerian investigative reporter and DW's 2021 Freedom of Speech Award winner Tobore Ovuorie (photo: Elvis Okhifa/DW)

Tobore Ovuorie is DW's 2021 Freedom of Speech Award winner. The investigative journalist's undercover work has given a voice to those hushed in Nigerian society. Her courage almost cost her her life.More

ARTE documentary: Looking at the rights of women

While inequalities with men are fading in many areas and speech is becoming freer with movements like #MeToo​, there is still a long way to go on many fronts. From Saudi Arabia, where women have only recently gained basic freedoms, to Afghanistan, where the return of the Taliban threatens the fragile progress of girls' education.More

"Iberian Moorings" compares Muslim and Jewish golden ages

Casa de Sefarad, Cordoba (photo: Zarateman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Known to Jews, Muslims, and Christians by three different names – Sefarad, al-Andalus, and Hispania, respectively – the Iberian Peninsula has been a centre of fertile intellectual, cultural and spiritual production for multiple religious traditions.More