Electioneering in Turkish Kurdistan
Masters of the blame game
Islam and single-use plastics
Appealing to Indonesia's Muslims
Countdown to the Turkish election
Erdogan beats the nationalist drum
Iran at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Battling on several fronts

Electioneering in Turkish Kurdistan

Masters of the blame game

With elections imminent, the Turkish government and the Kurdish opposition are emphasising their peaceful intentions, yet the Kurdish conflict remains entrenched. A visit to Diyarbakir and Cizre on the Syrian border reveals the deep-seated antagonism and just how far both sides are from a reconciliation. By Ulrich von SchwerinRead more

Turkey's snap election: The calculus of alliancesTurkey and the Kurdish conflict: The desolation of CizreCountdown to the Turkish election: Erdogan beats the nationalist drum

Islam and single-use plastics

Appealing to Indonesia's Muslims

The Indonesian government and Greenpeace have teamed up with Islamic organisations to promote plastic waste reduction. Can including religion make environmental campaigns more effective? By Rizki Nugraha and Ayu PurwaningsihRead more

Islamic environmentalism: The call to eco-jihadEco-Islam: Noor al-Hussein speaks out: Islam, faith and climate changeIslam and development co-operation: Environmental protection through the Koran?Green Islam: The fair mosque

Countdown to the Turkish election

Erdogan beats the nationalist drum

Elected Mayor of Istanbul in 1994, Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged not blame Turkeyʹs problems on "outside powers, outside forces, or foreigners". Years later, with the weight of the presidency and a struggling currency upon him, that pledge is long gone. By Tom StevensonRead more

Turkey's snap election: The calculus of alliancesErdogan′s grand plan: Turkey's last elections?The achievements of Erdogan: With me or against me

Iran at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Battling on several fronts

Iran's participation in the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia – the fifth time the nation has taken part in the competition – should be a joyous occasion for soccer-mad Iranians. But foreign sanctions and domestic restrictions are subduing the celebratory mood. Farid Ashrafian reports Read more

FIFA World Cup 2014: Iran: Lack of experience is the greatest obstacleInterview with Jafar Panahi: Offside rulesQantara dossier: FIFA World Cup

Politics

Turkish soldiers at a checkpoint between Mardin and Cizre (photo: Reuters/Sertar Kayar)

Electioneering in Turkish Kurdistan

Masters of the blame game

With elections imminent, the Turkish government and the Kurdish opposition are emphasising their peaceful intentions, yet the Kurdish conflict remains entrenched. A visit to Diyarbakir and Cizre on the Syrian border reveals the deep-seated antagonism and just how far both sides are from a reconciliation. By Ulrich von SchwerinMore

Turkey's snap election: The calculus of alliancesTurkey and the Kurdish conflict: The desolation of CizreCountdown to the Turkish election: Erdogan beats the nationalist drum
Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan react during an election rally in Istanbul, Turkey, 17 June 2018 (photo: Reuters/Osman Orsal)

Countdown to the Turkish election

Erdogan beats the nationalist drum

Elected Mayor of Istanbul in 1994, Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged not blame Turkeyʹs problems on "outside powers, outside forces, or foreigners". Years later, with the weight of the presidency and a struggling currency upon him, that pledge is long gone. By Tom StevensonMore

Turkey's snap election: The calculus of alliancesErdogan′s grand plan: Turkey's last elections?The achievements of Erdogan: With me or against me
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS/dpa)| Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Comparison: India and Turkey

The Modi-Erdogan parallel

While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not achieved the degree of "state capture" that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has, he is also 11 years behind. The path the two leaders are on, however, is similar enough to invite comparison – and provoke concern. By Shashi TharoorMore

The achievements of Erdogan: With me or against meFreedom of speech under threat in India: An army of Hindutva trollsErdogan and Turkish foreign policy: Neo-Ottoman rumblingsHindus and Muslims in India: Why census data is a priority political issue
Palestinian protests in Gaza, May 2018 (photo: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com)

Clashes along the Israeli-Gazan border

What hope for the Palestinians?

For months people in Gaza have been taking to the streets in protest at their intractable predicament. But the Palestinians have lost all their advocates, says Bettina Marx from the Heinrich Boll Foundation in RamallahMore

Gaza protests: Inescapable vortex of violenceInterview with Israeli historian Zeev Sternhell: Two states? A Sisyphean taskGulf Arab states rebuke Israel, but alliances inch closer
more Politics »

Society

ALT_Tags: Iranian fans at the FIFA World Cup (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Iran at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Battling on several fronts

Iran's participation in the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia – the fifth time the nation has taken part in the competition – should be a joyous occasion for soccer-mad Iranians. But foreign sanctions and domestic restrictions are subduing the celebratory mood. Farid Ashrafian reports More

FIFA World Cup 2014: Iran: Lack of experience is the greatest obstacleInterview with Jafar Panahi: Offside rulesQantara dossier: FIFA World Cup
Greenpeace Indonesia's "Break Free From Plastic" campaign (source: Greenpeace)

Islam and single-use plastics

Appealing to Indonesia's Muslims

The Indonesian government and Greenpeace have teamed up with Islamic organisations to promote plastic waste reduction. Can including religion make environmental campaigns more effective? By Rizki Nugraha and Ayu PurwaningsihMore

Islamic environmentalism: The call to eco-jihadEco-Islam: Noor al-Hussein speaks out: Islam, faith and climate changeIslam and development co-operation: Environmental protection through the Koran?Green Islam: The fair mosque
Mehdi Benatia in action for AS Rome (photo: UPDATE IMAGES PRESS/Isabella Bonotto)

Moroccoʹs football star Mehdi Benatia

No defence against an own goal

Morocco made it to the final round of the World Cup for the first time in 20 years. A key figure in this success was centre back Mehdi Benatia, who ensured the squad qualified without conceding a single goal. No one could have reckoned with the crunch that was to follow. By Bachir AmrouneMore

Karim Benzema: The boy next doorThe integrative power of football: Those who score, get to pray to AllahQantara dossier: FIFA World Cup 2018
Friendly between Germany and Saudi Arabia on 08.06.2018 – Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan on the bench (photo: Reuters)

Germany's identity crisis

Gundogan and Ozil are not the problem!

The criticism of Ilkay Gundogan and Mesut Ozil for meeting with Erdogan is justified, but the debate is about more than just human rights in Turkey. The real question is: how diverse does Germany want to be? Essay by Rene WildangelMore

Soccer as a force for integration: Success through diversityThe UEFA Cup 2016: The Teutonic preoccupation with race
more Society »

Culture

Iranian artist Shirin Neshat (photo: Reuters)

Interview with Iranian artist Shirin Neshat

The many faces of Oum Kulthum

In "Looking for Oum Kulthum", successful Iranian artist Shirin Neshat has created a highly personal work about the Egyptian singer. In conversation with Schayan Riaz, she talks about the political dimension of icons and the patriarchal nature of the film industry More

Portrait of the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat: Imaginary OrientPhoto essay: "Exiled Iranian artist Shirin Neshat breaks new ground"Umm Kulthum: Homage to Egypt's "Fourth Pyramid"
Cemetery of the Halabja massacre victims (photo: AFP/Safin Hamed)

"Visions of Iran": the Iranian Film Festival in Cologne

1

Halabja – casting a long shadow

The First Gulf War, the chemical attack on the Iraqi village of Halabja in 1988 and the role played by foreign companies in the build-up of chemical weapons in the region were the main topics at the most recent "Visions of Iran" film festival in Cologne. By Bernd G. SchmitzMore

War crimes in Iraq: Shared agony of Kurds and ShiasOperation Anfal in Iraq: Victims without a lobbyKurdish film-maker Ali Kemal Cinar: The power of tenacity
Cover of Khaled Khalifaʹs "Der Tod is ein muehseliges Geschaeft" – Death is an arduous business (published in German by Rowohlt)

Book review: Khaled Khalifaʹs "Der Tod is ein muehseliges Geschaeft"

A funeral cortege through hell

As they drive across Syria with their fatherʹs coffin on the back seat, three siblings encounter a shattered country where despotism and underhand dealings have become the norm, testing the bonds of family to destruction. By Volker KaminskiMore

Syrian literature in times of turmoil: An author on standbySyrian author and poet Ra′id Wahsh: Who ate the sky?Interview with the Syrian writer Samar Yazbek: Divided society, divided souls
Members of the band "Cabaret al-Shaikat" perform in Casablanca (photo: Raseef22)

Moroccoʹs ʹaitaʹ folk music and "Cabaret al-Shaikat"

Cross-dressers lead a musical revival

On a makeshift stage in Casablanca eight men perform wearing women's outfits, a band resurrecting the nearly forgotten historical Bedouin genre of ʹaitaʹ music. By Mariam QamarMore

15th Gnawa music festival in Morocco: A festival of fusionThe Master Musicians of Joujouka: The faded myth of the goat-godThe Moroccan fusion singer Oum: ''I am a Muslim, but I make decisions about my life''
more Culture »

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Most Recent Photo Essay

An Arab icon: Shirin Neshat is considered a feminist. Whatʹs more, she is one of Iranʹs most successful female artists. For years she dedicated her photo series and videos to the themes of exile and homeland. Now, however, she is breaking new ground: in the film "In Search of Oum Kulthum" she presents her own personal view of the legendary Egyptian singer

Iranian artist Shirin Neshat breaks new ground

No more exile, no more mourning for a lost homeland. In her latest film "In Search of Oum Kulthum" the well-known director Shirin Neshat recalls a legendary Egyptian singer.

Syrian refugees hot-topic issue in upcoming Turkish election

As the Turkish economy slows down and people are getting ready to elect new leadership, the presence of millions of Syrian refugees living in the country returns to the fore.More

Qantara dossier: FIFA World Cup 2018

FIFA World Cup (source: fifa.com)

As this year's World Cup kicks off in Russia, delve into our dossier of football-related stories of integration and intrigue, featuring profiles on current and former Muslim soccer stars.More

Ramadan TV across the Arab world rife with racism

Egyptian TV series Azmi we Ashgal released during Ramadan featured a number of actors performing in blackface (source: Youtube/Al Nahar TV)

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims are meant to abstain from food, drinks, smoking, sexual activity and offensive language. Yet year after year, TV series produced especially for Ramadan are released riddled with racist mockery and derogatory language against Afro/black Arabs and black African migrants.More

Football and the integration of refugees across Europe

EFDN logo (source: europeanlegends.eu)

Initiatives launched by a number of football clubs, organisations and associations are forging links and breaking down language barriers, helping those who have escaped war in their home countries to settle in Europe and integrate into society.More

Middle East teams at the 2018 World Cup

Middle East teams at the FIFA World Cup 2018 (source: alaraby.co.uk)

The 2018 World Cup in Russia is set to welcome five Middle East and North African national teams to the tournament – the most Middle Eastern World Cup ever.More

Iran’s priorities in a turbulent Middle East

Iranʹs leadership elite: Ayatollah Khamenei (l.) and President Rouhani (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Divergent views of Iran’s ambitions are driving proxy wars from Syria to Yemen. To stop disastrous direct confrontation, it is crucial to close the perception gap and that Iran and its adversaries take mutual steps toward de-escalating tensions.More

"The Band's Visit" scoops 10 Tonys on Broadway

Poster promoting "The Band's Visit" (source: thebandsvisitmerchandise.com)

A heart-warming musical about an Egyptian band visiting an Israeli desert town triumphed on New York's Broadway late on Sunday, sweeping the board with 10 Tony Awards, the highest honours in American theatre.More

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Examining civil society legitimacy

Infographic showing the globally shrinking space for civil society (source: Deutsche Welle)

Civil society is under stress globally as dozens of governments across multiple regions reduce space for independent civil society organisations, restrict or prohibit international support for civic groups and propagate government-controlled NGOs. Leading scholars and activists report on efforts around the world to improve and defend civil society’s legitimacy.More

A modest place in the sun: Turkey's Muslim-friendly holidays

Guests enjoy the pool at Selge Beach Resort and Spa Hotel, a halal friendly holiday resort, in Manavgat near Antalya, Turkey 18 April 2018. (photo: REUTERS/Osman Orsal)

Turkey’s $26 billion tourism industry has been battered by security fears and political disputes in recent years but one corner of the market is quietly growing - beach holidays for conservative Muslims. More