Political analyst Taqadum al-Khatib argues that Egypt can, in co-ordination with its European partners, develop a common vision to solve the complex conflict in Libya. For this to happen, however, Egypt must disengage its foreign policy from that of the UAE and Saudi ArabiaRead more
Two and a half years since its liberation from the Islamic State group, large areas of Mosul still lie in rubble. Germany is contributing in a variety of ways to the reconstruction of the city in northern Iraq. Brigit Svensson reports from IraqRead more
At the suggestion of his Arab students, Israeli psychologist Ofer Grosbard created the project "Quranet", which uses texts from the Koran to solve educational problems in schools and families. More than ten years after its inception, the project is now attracting attention in the Arab world. Interview by Claudia MendeRead more
Libyans have mixed feelings about the EU. On the one hand, they admire what Europeans have achieved, but on the other, they feel let down. Moutaz and Walid Ali report from TripoliRead more
Political analyst Taqadum al-Khatib argues that Egypt can, in co-ordination with its European partners, develop a common vision to solve the complex conflict in Libya. For this to happen, however, Egypt must disengage its foreign policy from that of the UAE and Saudi ArabiaMore
Libyans have mixed feelings about the EU. On the one hand, they admire what Europeans have achieved, but on the other, they feel let down. Moutaz and Walid Ali report from TripoliMore
Today's in-fighting over the composition of the country's next cabinet is part of a larger battle for a new political settlement. The financial crisis poses a mortal danger to the country; but it also represents an opportunity for political change. By Ishac DiwanMore
The assassination of the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in a surprise U.S. drone strike is being used by the Islamic Republic of Iran to political ends, says Iranian journalist and activist Reza Alijani. Interview conducted by Azadeh FathiMore
Two and a half years since its liberation from the Islamic State group, large areas of Mosul still lie in rubble. Germany is contributing in a variety of ways to the reconstruction of the city in northern Iraq. Brigit Svensson reports from IraqMore
At the suggestion of his Arab students, Israeli psychologist Ofer Grosbard created the project "Quranet", which uses texts from the Koran to solve educational problems in schools and families. More than ten years after its inception, the project is now attracting attention in the Arab world. Interview by Claudia MendeMore
Reem Al Farangi from Gaza, mother to two children with autism, has created the first Arabic-language website for the parents of disabled children. "Habaybna" provides important information about early recognition, therapies and self-help – and connects parents from across the region. Claudia Mende reports from AmmanMore
Turkey's President Erdogan wants to create a second Bosphorus. The cost to the economy and environment would be enormous – and that's why Istanbul's mayor is attempting to stop the plan. A bitter power struggle is raging. By Daniel Derya BellutMore
The "maqama", a classical Arabic form of prose-poetry, is still almost unknown in Germany – as is the name of the 11th-century Baghdad poet Ibn Naqiya. A new translation has the potential to change all that. By Gerrit WustmannMore
In her novel "Immer mit Zucker" Pajand Soleymani creates a surreal world of cinematic images, intellectual discussion and dreamlike transformation. An unusual reading experience distantly reminiscent of the stories of "One Thousand and One Nights". Volker Kaminski read the bookMore
In 2019, the long-running Penguin Classics series released its first novel translated from Arabic: Tawfiq al-Hakim’s "Return of the Spirit", conveyed into English by William Hutchins. Al-Hakim wrote his popular novel in Paris in 1927 and published it in Cairo six years later, in 1933. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore
Contemporary artist Mona Hatoum is one of those figures whose presence in western capitals stimulates much attention and critical writing, while her exhibitions in Arab cities like Amman or Doha don’t seem to generate more than a few lines in the culture and entertainment sections. Yazan Loujami explores why this is soMore
From the Kingdom of Elam to Alexander the Great, to the Shah dynasties and the Islamic Republic, Iran's cultural sites reflect its long history. By Philipp Jedicke
Water is life: Environmental protection
Water is one of the most important elements of our planet. As a source of life, it is also one of the commons most threatened by the way we use it. In cooperation with Afaq Magazine, Goethe Institut Perspectives showcases initiatives, ideas and possible solultions for the MENA region.More
Jordanian poet Amjad Nasser confronts his own mortality
In May last year, Jordanian poet, journalist, and novelist Amjad Nasser published a small cycle of poems online about coming to terms with the end of his life after his brain tumors had resisted treatment. He died in October.More
Statue of Liberty originally intended for Suez Canal
The Statue of Liberty was designed by French artist and sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who, after visiting Egypt in 1855 with a group of Orientalist painters, decided to create a colossal statue intended to rival Egypt’s ancient ones, namely one of the most iconic statue of the Giza Plateau, the Sphinx.More
The Mediterranean – one giant graveyard
The film "Strange Fish", which played at last year's Global Migration Film Festival, tells the story of a group of fishermen in Zarzis, southern Tunisia, and how their lives have been affected by the migration which criss-crosses the waters in which they fish.More
BBC Africa Eye: What hope for Somalia?
Jamal Osman, a Somali journalist, has watched his country being torn apart by civil war for three decades. When al-Shabab Islamists brutally attacked a hotel in Kismayo in July last year, leaving 26 dead and 56 injured, any fragile hopes of lasting security in the region were shattered.More
Arabic literature to be published in translation in 2020
In recent years, the number of Arabic books – both fiction and non-fiction – available in translation has been on the rise. The ArabLit team has put together a list of titles scheduled for publication in 2020.More
The people who shaped Islamic civilisation
Chase Robinson's new book "Islamic Civilisation in Thirty Lives" is an elegant digest of the many colourful, creative and technologically innovative manifestations that the Prophet Muhammad inspired from his seventh-century oases in the Arabian peninsula, reminding us that Islam is less a nihilistic creed than a global civilisation.More
![Projected route of the Istanbul Canal (photo: Randam [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)])](https://en.qantara.de/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/uploads/2020-01/1024px-istanbul_canal_map.svg_.png?itok=7pt4c2FX "Projected route of the Istanbul Canal (photo: Randam [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)])")
The German Islam Scholar Lamya Kaddor
Why I as a Muslim Woman Don't Wear a Headscarf
Jordan and the influx of refugees
The true Samaritans
Muslims in Liberal Democracies
Why the West Fears Islam
The decline of Islamic scientific thought
Don't blame it on al-Ghazali
The Media and ''The Innocence of Muslims''
Against the Islamisation of Muslims
Turning away from Shia in Iran
''A Tsunami of Atheism''