Austria′s election campaign has to date been characterised by cheap propaganda and Islamophobia. Now, just four weeks before people go to the polls, Sebastian Kurz, leader of the conservative OVP, has conceded that coalition with the right-wing FPO is an option. By Farid HafezRead more
Hamas has made an offer to its Palestinian rival, Fatah, agreeing to hold elections in the Gaza Strip. The head of the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Ramallah, Bettina Marx, sees this as a striking and positive developmentRead more
Muslims in the West need to shoulder some of the burden when it comes to combatting extremism, otherwise they themselves may well fall under the wheels of the proverbial bus. Commentary by Mousa BarhoumaRead more
She fought for renewal and lost her illusions. In a very personal text, Egyptian writer Mansoura Ez-Eldin explains how literature accompanied her through a time of radical change Read more
Austria′s election campaign has to date been characterised by cheap propaganda and Islamophobia. Now, just four weeks before people go to the polls, Sebastian Kurz, leader of the conservative OVP, has conceded that coalition with the right-wing FPO is an option. By Farid HafezMore
Hamas has made an offer to its Palestinian rival, Fatah, agreeing to hold elections in the Gaza Strip. The head of the Heinrich Boll Foundation in Ramallah, Bettina Marx, sees this as a striking and positive developmentMore
Which party should Muslims vote for in the German general election? Should they participate at all? Those who want to make themselves heard and be viewed as equal citizens need to exercise their civil rights. By Canan Topcu
Turkey′s armed forces chief is due to visit Tehran this week, the trip is the latest by the region′s top generals in and out of Ankara. This military traffic is being seen as evidence of a foreign policy increasingly dictated by security concerns, last seen in the 1990′s. Dorian Jones reports from IstanbulMore
Muslims in the West need to shoulder some of the burden when it comes to combatting extremism, otherwise they themselves may well fall under the wheels of the proverbial bus. Commentary by Mousa BarhoumaMore
Iran is frequently at odds with Israel, despite having the second biggest Jewish community in the Middle East. For the director of Tehran's Jewish Committee, Siamek Morsadegh, that′s not necessarily a contradiction. Interview by Theresa TropperMore
Posing as guardians of the faith, many Arabic regimes abuse their religious power in order to compensate for their states′ lack of democratic legitimacy. Hardly surprising, then, that they regard as atheism as an existential danger. Essay by Brian WhitakerMore
Faced with war and death in my home country I fled to Germany, no longer a writer but a refugee. For me it′s the chance to start over and find my way in this wonderful country. Essay by Widad NabiMore
She fought for renewal and lost her illusions. In a very personal text, Egyptian writer Mansoura Ez-Eldin explains how literature accompanied her through a time of radical change More
″In the Last Days of the City″ is Egyptian director Tamer El Said′s debut film. Although it premiered to great acclaim at the 2016 Berlinale and has gone on to win more than ten awards, it is still hasn't been released in Egypt. Tugrul von Mende spoke to El Said as the film opened in GermanyMore
Described as the "conscience of India" in Time's 2014 list of 100 most influential people, author Arundhati Roy has a voice that counts. Speaking in Berlin, she introduced her long-awaited second work of fiction. By Sabine PeschelMore
Ostinato Records recently released an amazing compilation of Somali music, ″Sweet as broken dates″, which reminds listeners that – despite the prevalent images of a land torn apart by civil war – Somalia was once a country with a thriving cultural tradition. Review by Richard Marcus More
They are descendants of Africans brought to the Ottoman Empire as slaves and domestic workers and said to number up to 100,000. Bradley Secker spent time with those identifying as Afro-Turks in western Turkey.
New exhibition in Brussels: "Islam. It's also our history"
″Islam is part of European civilisation... it isn′t a recent import, it has roots going back 13 centuries,″ said Isabelle Benoit, a historian with Tempora, the organisation that designed the exhibition.More
Civil rights in Turkey under the spotlight
Turkeypurge.com is a small group of young Turkish journalists – the voice of a people currently suffering under an oppressive regime. The website tells the stories of those affected by Erdogan′s draconian crackdown. Some are imprisoned. Some are being tortured. And the arrests continue.More
German Institute for International and Security Affairs: »Shrinking spaces« in Israel
The contraction of democratic space, consolidation of occupation and ongoing human rights violations call for a paradigm shift in Europe′s policies More
Lebanon's revival of Arab music traditions
In the mountains above Beirut, one organisation is breathing life back into a treasured period of Arab music history.More
Online magazine Jadaliyya
Featuring contributions by writers from the Islamic world, the independent online magazine "Jadaliyya" is published by the Arab Studies Institute.More
Buddhism and state power in Myanmar
Extreme Buddhist nationalist positions including hate speech and violence are on the rise in Myanmar. Rather than ineffective bans on broad-based groups like the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion (MaBaTha), the government should address underlying causes and reframe the debate on Buddhism’s place in society and politics.More
Human Rights Watch blocked in Egypt
Egypt has blocked the website of Human Rights Watch just one day after the organisation released a report on systematic torture in the country′s jails.More
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
Junaid Jamshed
"I Was a Sinner for Years"