In focus

Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue

Interview with Karl-Otto Zentel, General Secretary of CARE Deutschland

Yemen – what is the world waiting for?

With the latest round of peace talks aimed at ending the war in Yemen underway in Sweden, Karl-Otto Zentel, General Secretary of Care Deutschland, gives his own assessment of the civil war and the chances for peace. Interview by Carsten GruenRead more

Interview with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkul Karman: "We need to bring back the Arab Spring!"Bushra al-Maqtariʹs "Voices from a forgotten war-torn country": Yemenʹs chronicles of death and destruction untold Yemen′s Houthis: Defenders of the country?

Introducing the Key Concepts project

From religious tolerance to acceptance

A new project launched by the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is working out key concepts from Judaism, Christianity and Islam with the aim of promoting interreligious dialogue. Presenting solid academic findings on similarities and differences, scholars will attempt to disarm agitators on all sides. Claudia Mende spoke to its director Professor Georges TamerRead more

Official KCID - Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses: Judaism, Christianity and Islam - project website Koranic research: The reader maketh the book ″Remembered Future″ interfaith project: Using religion to stop religious wars Interview with the Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa: The reinvention of Islam

The Arab Spring and the "Spring of Nations"

Failed revolutionaries?

What do Europeʹs "Spring of Nations" of 1848 and the Arab Spring have in common? Both revolutions it seems were doomed to failure, with those involved forced to endure a long and icy winter of restoration. And yet there is a glimmer of hope. An essay by the Egyptian historian Khaled FahmyRead more

Authoritarian reinstatement in the Arab world: Whatʹs left of the Arab Spring What triggered the Middle Eastern revolts in 2011? The economics of Arabellion Tyranny in the Islamic world: Keeping the tribe alive

From Germany to "Islamic State"

The metamorphosis of Christian L.

To Sabine Lappe, Christian was a dream child. But her beloved son became an IS terrorist who died in Syria. The bereaved mother shared her story with Esther FeldenRead more

Interview with the sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar: Radicalisation in the suburbs Preventing jihadism: The psychology of radicalisation: Lego Islam Interview with French extremism researcher Olivier Roy: ″Radicalisation is not the result of failed integration″

Politics

General Secretary of CARE Deutschland Karl-Otto Zentel (CARE/A. Al-Ansi)

Interview with Karl-Otto Zentel, General Secretary of CARE Deutschland

Yemen – what is the world waiting for?

Tunisian woman protesting during the 2010/2011 Jasmine Revolution, Tunis (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

The Arab Spring and the "Spring of Nations"

Failed revolutionaries?

Symbolic image: al-Qaida and IS (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Interview with the Islam expert Behnam T. Said

Why al-Qaida is stronger than ever

When we think about terrorism in the Arab world today, the first name that springs to mind is IS, not al-Qaida. But, as Behnam T. Said reveals in interview with Jens-Christian Rabe, the organisation has merely changed its objectivesMore

After the death of Osama bin Laden: Now to break the al-Qaida franchise Jihadism in Tunisia: The invisible enemy Interview with Washington Post correspondent Souad Mekhennet: Speaks with jihadists

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo: Reuters/T. Berkin)

Turkey and the Gulen movement

Erdogan seizes the school initiative

Since the attempted coup in Turkey, President Erdogan has been pressing foreign nations to hand over schools run by the Gulen movement. Although many countries have entrusted control of the schools to the Turkish Maarif Foundation, the controversial movement continues to enjoy protection. By Ulrich von SchwerinMore

The restructuring of Turkey: Filling the gap left by Gulen The Gulen movement and the failed coup in Turkey: Harmless is not the word The Gulen movement in Turkey: Creating an elite to lead the state

Society

Professor Gabriele Gien, President of the Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt looks on as Professor Georges Tamer, chairholder of the Institute for Oriental Philology and Islamic Studies at the University in Erlangen (centre) and Professor Christoph Boettigheimer, Ordinarius for the Chair of Fundamental Theology of the Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt sign a co-operation aggreement launching the KCID project (source: www.kcid.fau.eu)

Introducing the Key Concepts project

From religious tolerance to acceptance

German IS fighter Christian Lappe, who was killed in Syria in 2017 (photo: private)

From Germany to "Islamic State"

The metamorphosis of Christian L.

To Sabine Lappe, Christian was a dream child. But her beloved son became an IS terrorist who died in Syria. The bereaved mother shared her story with Esther FeldenMore

Turkish sociologist Nilufer Gole (photo: picture-alliance)

Interview with the French-Turkish sociologist Nilufer Gole

Europe's homegrown Turkish ethno-nationalists

According to prominent Turkish sociologist Nilufer Gole, many European countries have failed to integrate their Muslim and Turkish citizens. In interview with Luca Steinmann, Gole argues that this has served to deepen social polarisation in EuropeMore

Interview with the French-Turkish sociologist Nilufer Gole: "Islam is taking root in Europe"Countdown to the 2018 Turkish election: Erdogan beats the nationalist drum Qantara dossier: "Integration in Germany"

Interior Minister German Horst Seehofer arrives for the German Islam Conference in Berlin on 28 November 2018 (photo: Reuters/H. Hanschke)

Integration German-style?

Blood sausage at Islam conference stirs controversy

Germany's Interior Ministry has apologised for serving pork sausage at an Islam conference in Berlin last week. The "#BloodSausageGate" scandal has sparked a debate over integration and tolerance. By Chase WinterMore

Germanyʹs new Homeland minister: No to religious parity Racism debate in Germany: Integration – a process of give and take The refugee debate: What makes us German?

Culture

Festival of feminist artists

Loud, louder, tashweesh!

At the Goethe-Institutʹs Tashweesh Festival, artists and intellectuals from North Africa, Europe and the Middle East meet to discuss stereotypical gender images. By Caren MiesenbergerMore

Interview with the Egyptian theatre director Laila Soliman: Revolutions past and present Book review: Zahra Ali's "Islamic Feminisms": Female emancipation based on the spirit of Sharia Suspended Territories exhibition: Beyond the veil

Egyptian BookTubers Nada El Shabrawi and Shady (photo: Goethe-Institut)

Literary trends

Introducing Egypt's BookTubers

Nada El Shabrawi was the first Egyptian to create her own professional BookTubing channel in 2017. In her videos she talks about books that have struck a nerve with her. Shady also produces shows online that offer tips on literature. In interview, the two discuss this new trend, their passion for literature and the Arab public's responseMore

Profile: Hoda Marmar, administrator of Beirutʹs Bookoholics: Truly, madly, deeply into books Arab teens and Young Adult literature: The new wave Kurdistan′s Book Cafe: In praise of female entrepreneurs

Islamic scholar Peter Heine (source: Klaus Wagenbach Verlag)

Book review: Peter Heineʹs "The Culinary Crescent"

Pepper... a universally-used condiment

Delving into Peter Heine's cookbook, now also available in English, you are left with the feeling that he bit off more than he could chew. "The Culinary Crescent" reads like a mishmash of a thousand and one culinary arts. By Marcia Lynx QualeyMore

Non-fiction: ″Scents & Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook″: Muslim master chefs In praise of fusion food: Hummus with a twist International understanding through cuisine: Food for thought

Mohamed El Sagheerʹs "Gallert Epic"

Hamlet in Egyptian

What would actually happen if the famous theatre hero Hamlet were to rise from the dead and live among us? Would the Prince of Denmark be able to cope with the modern world? Or would another tragedy ensue, as in Shakespeare's play from the early 17th century? By Eslam AnwarMore

"Mahatat" dance project in Cairo: Stop and dance!Book review: ″Tahrir Tales: Plays from the Egyptian Revolution″: The drama of protest Cairo's Al Darb Al Ahmar Art School: The chance of a lifetime

SWP: Myanmar, the Rohingya crisis and further EU sanctions

The EU's threat of imposing additional trade sanctions on Myanmar is unlikely to have the desired impact. Felix Heiduk recommends alternative measures.More

West Bank: Bed & Breakfast in the Occupied Territories?

Airbnb's decision to stop listing properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank is a positive step that other global tourism companies should follow, says Human Rights Watch.More

UN listing gives lifeline to Syria's last shadow puppeteer

Syria's last shadow puppeteer Shadi al-Hallaq with Karakoz and Eiwaz (photo: AFP)

United Nations cultural agency UNESCO has classified the art of Syria's last shadow puppeteer Shadi al-Hallaq as "in need of urgent safeguarding". Now the latter is hopeful that international recognition with revive the centuries-old art form.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

MSF Nauru report: "Indefinite Despair"

Australia's offshore processing centre on Nauru (source: msf.org)

According to the medical report "Indefinite Despair", the mental health suffering on Nauru is among the most severe Medecins Sans Frontieres has ever seen around the world, including in projects providing care for victims of torture.More

Qantara dossier: Musical worlds

Turkish band Baba Zula (photo: Alper Ertug)

Forget belly dancing and folklore cliches! In the Islamic world and Europe, an independent, modern music scene has long since developed that is intent on breaking with convention. This dossier presents some of its key players, styles and artistic encounters.More

China's ongoing repression of its Uighur Muslims

More than a million Chinese civil servants have been assigned to move into the homes of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities, spending weeks as uninvited guests.More

Giulio Regeni: Italy names Egyptian agents as murder suspects

Demonstrators in front of the Egyptian embassy in Rome demand an official investigation into the murder of Giulio Regeni (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Members of Egypt's national security agency have been named as potentially responsible for killing student Giulio Regeni in 2016.More

In focus

Interview with Karl-Otto Zentel, General Secretary of CARE Deutschland

Introducing the Key Concepts project

The Arab Spring and the "Spring of Nations"

From Germany to "Islamic State"

Politics

Society

Culture

In brief

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SWP: Myanmar, the Rohingya crisis and further EU sanctions

West Bank: Bed & Breakfast in the Occupied Territories?

UN listing gives lifeline to Syria's last shadow puppeteer

Online magazine Jadaliyya

MSF Nauru report: "Indefinite Despair"

Qantara dossier: Musical worlds

China's ongoing repression of its Uighur Muslims

Giulio Regeni: Italy names Egyptian agents as murder suspects