Loay Mudhoon

Author: Loay Mudhoon

Iraqi soldiers celebrate the re-capture of Mosul (photo: Getty Images/AFP/F. Senna)

Islamic State

Down but not necessarily out

With Mosul and Raqqa retaken, the fate of Islamic State's territorial caliphate is sealed. Yet Loay Mudhoon says that's no reason to give the all clear, as IS is nothing more than a symptom of a crisis of statehoodMore

Violence in the Arab world: Born of a barbaric state Islamic State′s destruction of Mosul: Razed to the ground Battle for Mosul: Operation merciless Cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq: Casualties of war

Seyran Ates, co-founder of Berlin's Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque, spreads out her prayer rug during the official opening on 16.06.2017 (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gambarini)

Berlin′s new mosque

Liberal Islam is a chimaera

The hostile reactions to the opening of a "liberal mosque" in Berlin are no great surprise. They are not, however, evidence that Islam is incapable of reform, says Loay MudhoonMore

Interview with Islamic studies scholar Armina Omerika: "Muslims need new ways to approach their religious heritage"The Reform Islam debate: Islam doesn′t need a Martin Luther!Islam and religious freedom: Coercion leads to hypocrisy

Anti-corruption protests in the Moroccan city of Al-Hoceima on 3 June 2017 (photo: Reuters/Youssef Boudlal)

Social unrest in the Arab world

Guilty of gross negligence

The ongoing protests in North Africa reveal the extent of the failure of government there. Never before have corrupt elites been so alienated from the social realities of the ordinary people, says Loay MudhoonMore

Morocco and the return of autocracy: Playing with fire Arab identity crisis: What is left of the Arabs?Al-Sisi's Egyptian crisis: ″Where are the youth?″Post-Arabellion reform deadlock: The logic of power

Donald Trump at his inauguration on 20 January 2017 (photo: Reuters)

US Middle East policy under Donald Trump

A recipe for further catastrophes?

Trump's election is also being seen as a caesura in the Middle East. Many fear a return to a simplistic way of thinking, which would make his presidency a nightmare for the region, says Loay MudhoonMore

Donald Trump the author: "Strengthen American Muscle"Middle East policy under Donald Trump: Return of the dictators US foreign policy under Trump: Peace in our time?

Prayer hall inside Duisburg′s Merkez Mosque on ″Open Mosque Day″ (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Skolimowska)

The Reform Islam debate

Islam doesn′t need a Martin Luther!

Calls for an Islamic Reformation are issued in the wake of every Islamist act of terrorism. But Muslims don't need a Martin Luther. What is needed is a reconciliation of Islam with the constitutional state, says Loay MudhoonMore

Qantara dossier: Reform Islam Islam and religious freedom: Coercion leads to hypocrisy Debate on European Islam: A mined terrain

Russian intervention in Syria

Make no mistake

The partial withdrawal of Russian armed forces from Syria came as a surprise to many. But Loay Mudhoon says that its message to President Assad is clear: he must finally negotiate with the oppositionMore

Russia′s air strikes in Syria: Courting the aggressor Interview with Stefan Meister: "The Syria crisis is legitimising Putin"Russia, the US and the Syrian civil war: A bloody game of chess

Welcoming migrants at Munich railway station (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Armer)

European refugee policy: a commentary

Europe needs common standards

The refugee crisis is a chance to revive Europe's humanitarian heritage. Germany and the German people are taking the lead, says Loay MudhoonMore

Refugee crisis in Europe: The price of European indifference After the refugee catastrophe in the Mediterranean: How the EU is killing refugees Photo essay: The end of the line – the refugees trying to reach the UK from Calais

Manifesto published by Muslim intellectuals

For Islam and democracy

Muslim intellectuals have called on their fellow believers to indentify the failures of Muslim societies and develop an Islam for the twenty-first century. Loay Mudhoon believes that Europe should unreservedly support this effortMore

Original article: "Muslim Democrats of the World, Unite!"Qantara dossier: Reform Islam Islam and violence: Conservative Muslims refute the violence of IS

Young supporters of Tunisia's new president Beji Caid Essebsi in Tunis (photo: Getty Images/AFP/B. Tunis)

First free presidential election in Tunisia

Essebsi must now take action

The election of veteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi as Tunisia's first ever democratically elected president is a vital milestone on the road to the establishment of a true Arab democracy, says Loay MudhoonMore

Six lessons learned from Tunisia's recent elections: "Religion is God's, but democracy belongs to everyone!"Presidential election in Tunisia: The temptations of the gentle restoration Democratic transformation in Tunisia: The model student faces difficult tasks

Pro-Sisi and pro-Egypt products on sale in Cairo (photo: DW/B. Knight)

Presidential election in Egypt

No real choice

It is a foregone conclusion that Egypt's military ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi will win the first presidential election since the ousting of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. Nevertheless, true democracy in the land on the Nile is still a long way off, writes Loay MudhoonMore

Presidential election in Egypt: The déja vu state Presidential election in Egypt: A nation marching in step Presidential election in Egypt: In the heartland of the al-Sisi cult

Shocked relatives react after learning of the death sentences passed on 529 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Mass death sentences against the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt

Egypt's future at risk

Earlier this week, an Egyptian court sentenced over 500 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death in a case that lasted less than two days. According to Loay Mudhoon, this ruling is the work of a politicised judiciary and could destroy any chance of national reconciliationMore

Al Jazeera journalists face terrorism charges: Egypt settles scores with Al Jazeera The political mood in Egypt: Between a rock and a hard place New Egyptian Constitution: Democracy Hangs by a Thread

Protests of pro-Morsi activists in Cairo. Egypt (photo: Reuters)

Intervention of the Military

No Second Revolution on the Nile

The forced removal of Mohammed Morsi has intensified the polarization of Egypt. To stop the country becoming ungovernable, all the political forces need to be brought into the transition process, says Loay MudhoonMore

After the Ousting Mohammed Morsi: Egypt on the Brink of Collapse?President Morsi Ousted: Revolution in Egypt, Again Political Upheaval in Egypt: A Clear Message for the Brotherhood

King Abdullah surrounded by members of the Saudi royal family (photo: epa/Saudi Press Agency)

Saudi Arabia's Foreign and Security Policy

Categorical Imperative

Saudi Arabia's political maxim is stability for the petrodollar monarchy. Everything else is of secondary importance for the powers that be in Riyadh. But as long as Wahhabism remains the absolute ideology of state, there can be no real unity or real stability in the Saudi Arabian nation. By Loay MudhoonMore

Inter-Islamic Cultural War: The Despondency of the Political Middle Ground ''Syria in the Firing Line'': Beyond the Violence Iran's Electoral Strategy: All Options off the Table?

Mohammed Morsi giving a speech during his election campaign (photo: dpa)

The Muslim Brotherhood's Morsi Egypt's New President

Damned to Cooperation

Mohammed Morsi is becoming Egypt's first democratically elected president under enormously difficult circumstances. He will have to find a way to cooperate with all political powers, says Loay MudhoonMore

The Parallel World of the Egyptian Military: An End to the Oasis for the Privileged Egypt after the Presidential Election: The Military Hands over Power ... to Itself Interview with Bouthaina Kamel: ''The Revolution Is Not Over as Long as the Military Rules''

Young protestors in Tunisia in April 2012 (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Arab World

No Arab Spring in Education

Many of the people taking to the streets in revolt movements in the Arab World are young college graduates. Although they are often better educated than their parents, their chances of finding a job are scant. Loay Mudhoon reportsMore

The University of Tripoli: The Desolate Wasteland of Gaddafi's Education System The Arab Spring and Demography: The Revolutionary Power of Youth Brian Whitaker's "What's Really Wrong with the Middle East": Franchised Repression

Günther Hasenkamp (photo: Goethe Institute Cairo)

The Cultural Scene in Egypt

Creative Artists Are the Motor for Change

Creative artists in Arab countries are playing a key role in the revolutionary process. But their efforts are being hampered by poor infrastructure. This is where international cultural work can help, says Günther Hasenkamp, Programme Director at the Goethe Institute in CairoMore

Social Protest and Young Arab Art: Winds of Change Ahmad Abdalla's Film "Microphone": Cosmos of Subcultures Interview with the Egyptian Theatre Director Laila Soliman: Vomit – Until the Revolution Comes Dossier: Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue