Author: Charlotte Wiedemann

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September 2014: demonstration against anti-Semitism in Berlin (photo: Reuters/Thomas Peter)

Debate about anti-Semitism and the Middle East conflict

Dissidence and the Jewish diaspora

Jewish voices are much more diverse than the public often sees. Jewish men and women who oppose the injustice of Israeli occupation in the West Bank deserve our respect and protection against defamation, writes Charlotte WiedemannMore

Anti-Semitism: Separating anti-Semitism from criticism of IsraelInterview with Amos Oz: ''I love Israel even in times when I don't like it''Hagit Ofran of Peace Now: The Zionist still holding a candle for peace and equalityBreaking the Silence: The ″turncoat″ sons of Israel
Anti-government protests in Algiers (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Popular uprisings in the Islamic world

Algiers, Khartoum… that trembling moment

In the midst of palpable political fatigue in Europe, it does good to look to Algiers and Khartoum, where for the past several weeks hundreds of thousands of citizens have been fighting on the public stage for self-empowerment. By Charlotte WiedemannMore

Authoritarian rule in the Arab world: Nurturing the Arabellion phoenix After the ousting of Omar al-Bashir: Sudan holding out for real changeElias Khoury on the Arab Spring 2019: The re-birth of Tahrir Square
Symbolic image of a photographer with camera (photo: Fotolia/milkmanx)

Western news coverage

The white perspective

Cultural arrogance has long been a feature of Western journalism and it continues to flourish. But can journalists really describe the world from the perspective of a Yemeni housewife, a shepherdess in Bhutan or an elderly Senegalese fisherman? By Charlotte WiedemannMore

Thorsten Gerald Schneiders on hostility towards Islam: "An outlet for suppressed intolerance"Media portrayals and geopolitics in the Near and Middle East: Who shapes our image of the world?Four years of war in Syria: Where the uprising began and still lives on
Iranian woman in front of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran (photo: AFP/Behrouz Mehri)

Iran and the West

Big little Satan

Iranʹs dangerously powerful image among its adversaries in the region reflects not only the decline of the USA, but also the Islamic Republicʹs success at eluding Western influence since 1979. By Charlotte WiedemannMore

U.S. policy on Iran: Middle East nightmare – made in WashingtonU.S. policy on the Middle East: The imperial reflexDeal drop triggers power struggle in Iran: Trump gifts the hawks of Tehran
Ansar al-Din Islamists in Mali (photo: AP)

Radical Islamism

Negotiating with jihadists?

In Asia and Africa, Muslim terrorists are regarded as combatants with concerns that should be taken seriously. Experts advise dialogue in lieu of extermination. By Charlotte WiedemannMore

Interview with Washington Post correspondent Souad Mekhennet: Speaks with jihadistsIslamist ideology debunked: Getting past the abuseIslamists in Africa: The ever-present threat
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (photo: Reuters)

Mohammed bin Salman′s political agenda

The Saudi parable

Recently, every report on Saudi Arabia′s erratic foreign policy seems to end up concluding that the Kingdom is simply battling it out with Iran for dominance of the region. All this does is wrap the incomprehensible in pseudo-plausibility. By Charlotte WiedemannMore

Saudi Arabia's foreign policy: Catalogue of political failuresReform in Saudi Arabia: Progress or megalomania?Power play in Saudi Arabia: Charting a seismic shift
Hajar Chenarani is one of 14 women to take up a seat in the Iranian parliament in 2017 (source: Hajar Chenarani.ir)

Iran and Saudi Arabia

Chalk and cheese

Iran and Saudi Arabia are more than just two regimes, they are also two societies. And these are fundamentally different. Charlotte Wiedemann assesses the differences, from their fundamental attitude to life, to the pace and scale of modernisationMore

Iran and Saudi Arabia: A plea for Islamic toleranceThe Sunni-Shia debate: For clarity′s sakeIranian-Saudi relations: For better, for worse
US MQ-1 drone in Yemen (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Military force and drone warfare

Post-truth victims

During the Obama era, the world witnessed what could be referred to as the 'dronification' of killing. Gone are combatant status, war goals and the option of negotiation. No prisoners are taken; people are just killed and anyone who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just gets killed along with them. By Charlotte WiedemannMore

Interview with journalist Chris Woods on drone warfare: "It's not risk-free war, it's displaced war" Drone war in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Living in the shadow of the "angels of death"Interview with the Pakistani lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar: Fighting the injustice of the US drone programmeNoam Chomsky in interview: Obama's sangfroid
Bullet cases (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Curtis)

Our attitude to violence

The bad guys are always the others

Our standards for gauging violence have become apolitical, causing us to be horrified only by the deeds of individuals. Critical thinking is no longer possible. An essay by Charlotte WiedemannMore

Germany′s refugee policy: Four words for humanitySyrian refugee Nather Henafe Alali: Part II: ″Why I am here″Refugees and German crime rates: Zero correlation
Muslim student during the gala evening at the Berlin Foreign Ministry in support of the European Studies programme (photo: picture-alliance/Andreas Keuchel)

Islam and feminism

Go forth and create role models!

On the one hand, a marked swing to the right; on the other, there is now widespread talk about feminism – even Islamic feminism! Charlotte Wiedemann examines the challenges faced by Muslim womenMore

Topic: Feminism in IslamSexualised violence against women: A feminism of new alliancesPortrait of the theologian Rabeya Muller: Equality in the name of IslamInterview with Ingrid Mattson: ″Muslim youngsters need genuine role models″
Symbolic image of a handshake (photo: colorbox)

The Swiss handshake controversy

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A mountain out of a molehill

We live in an era when minor issues can apparently become major scandals overnight. Two Syrian pupils refuse to shake hands with a female teacher in Switzerland and the whole of Europe takes offence. By Charlotte WiedemannMore

Swiss legal expert to rule on Muslim pupils' handshake exemption Switzerland halts citizenship process for Muslim students' familySexualised violence against women: A feminism of new alliancesInterview with Ingrid Mattson: ″Muslim youngsters need genuine role models″
The journalist Charlotte Wiedemann (photo: Deutsche Welle)

Sexualised violence against women

A feminism of new alliances

When misogyny is permitted to take the anti-Islamic fast lane: a contribution to the debate by Charlotte WiedemannMore

Cologne: New Year's Eve mob: Thinly veiled racismCologne and sexualised violence worldwide: The groper in my home Cologne: sexual assaults and the press code: Outrage reaches new heights
The German and Israeli flags flying in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Schlesinger)

Israel in the media

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Fighting the empty phrase

In Germany, public statements about Israel often lack quality. The quality of media discourse comes from knowledge and precise observation, but also from controversy and a diversity of voices. When it comes to Israel, something else sets the tone: the empty phraseMore

Nuclear agreement with Iran: A major historic breakthroughMedia portrayals and geopolitics in the Near and Middle East: Who shapes our image of the world?The Salaam-Shalom Initiative: Breaking down artificial walls
People attend an event in the Sehitlik Mosque in Berlin-Neukolln (photo: Max Zander)

Converts to Islam

German Islam

Germans who adopt Islam not out of frustration but out of a sincere passion for the religion are often disappointed by those born into the Muslim faith, finding that they insufficiently embody the beauty of Islamic doctrine and spirituality. By Charlotte WiedemannMore

Portrait of the theologian Rabeya Muller: Equality in the name of IslamYusuf Islam: The "Peace Train" is rolling againSalafist propaganda in Germany: Mass conversions in public placesConversion of Christians and Muslims in India: Homecoming or forced conversion?Christian minorities in Iran: Iran's persecuted converts
Activists from Reporters without Borders demonstrating on the Champs Elysee in Paris in July 2012 against the oppression and torture of journalists in Iran (photo: EPA/IAN LANGSDON)

Media portrayals and geopolitics in the Near and Middle East

Who shapes our image of the world?

In this commentary, Charlotte Wiedemann considers how press freedom and the media are tethered to Western geopoliticsMore

Interview with journalist Chris Woods on drone warfare: "It's not risk-free war, it's displaced war" Drone war in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Living in the shadow of the "angels of death"Qantara.de dossier: Yemen conflictMedia in Egypt: Fall into line or switch off
Supporters of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh demonstrating in Sanaa on 13 May 2015 (photo: Reuters/Mohamed al-Sayaghi)

Media reports on the Yemen conflict

A skewed view of Yemen's plight

In this opinion piece, Charlotte Wiedemann criticises the fact that many media reports about the current Yemen conflict are ill-informed, tendentious and overlook the West's responsibility for the escalation of the conflictMore

Battles in Yemen: Opening Pandora's Box in YemenThe crisis in Yemen: History can help us to understandSaudi Arabia and the conflict in Yemen: Saudi actions backfireYemeni refugees in Cairo: An unwelcome exile

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