Hakim Khatib

Author: Hakim Khatib

Adnan Oktar surrounded by a group of female devotees (photo: youtube)

Turkish televangelist Adnan Oktar

Ambassador of Islamic Creationism

The incarceration of televangelist Adnan Oktar has made headlines in Turkey. Since the early 1980s, Oktar, a controversial figure in his native Turkey, has been spreading his views of Islam, a brand of Islamic Creationism. He has promoted his theories by distributing thousands of copies of his book "The Atlas of Creation" and, until recently, on his own television channel. Hakim Khatib takes a closer look at an outlandish character who has been described as the "most notorious cult leader in Turkey"More

Turkish pianist Fazil Say sentenced for insulting Islam: Playing the wrong tune Alliance of Christian and Muslim Creationists: Fossilised thinking proves God's existence Turkish debate on Darwinism: A creation provokes

"Proud to be atheist" at the Kaaba in Mecca (source: Twitter)

Atheism in Saudi Arabia

God's own country

Atheism remains one of the most extreme taboos in Saudi Arabia. It is a red line that no one may cross. Regarded on a par with terrorists, atheists in Saudi Arabia suffer imprisonment, marginalisation, slander, ostracisation and even execution. Efforts at normalisation between those who believe and those who don′t remain bleak. By Hakim KhatibMore

Saudi domestic policy: Salman the Powerful Iran and Saudi Arabia: Chalk and cheese Islam in the Middle East: The curse of religiosity

President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad (source: MPC Journal)

Assad and the rise of IS

My enemy's enemy

Willing to co-operate with terrorists as and when it suits him, Assad has intentionally shaped the course of the Syrian conflict. Nor does IS have the monopoly on committing atrocities against civilians, as the regime's repeated use of chemical weapons, most recently near Idlib, reveals. By Hakim KhatibMore

Another year of civil war in Syria: Nothing short of scandalous Chronicle of a war foretold: Redefining the "Syrian" conflict ″Islamic State″: lessons learnt: What chance a Muslim reformation?

Arabic cultural cafe Naqsh (photo: Hakim Khatib/MPC Journal)

″Naqsh″ – the Arabic cultural cafe

Amman's bridge builders

Cultural cafes like Naqsh in the centre of Amman are prime examples of innovative grassroots projects that help promote cultural dialogue between east and west. Hakim Khatib visited the Jordanian cultural cafe and spoke to its initiatorsMore

Art and Design in Jordan: A facelift for Amman's artisanal businesses The Hakawati bookshop for children and young people in Amman: Huge appetite for exciting stories Amjad Nasser on the role of Arab writers in Arab society: Speaking out in societies without words

″Get lost!″ – sign on a barrier erected by soldiers of the Republican Guard in front of the presidential palace in Cairo (photo: Reuters)

Political transformation in the Arab world

Forget the people

Revolutions rarely meet the expectations and hopes of those in the Arab world. The chance of transforming political impotence into collective agenda-setting power remains slim while repressive authoritarian regimes persist. By Hakim KhatibMore

Repression and legitimation in Egypt: The world as al-Sisi sees it Arab Spring five years on: Brave new world?Post-Arabellion reform deadlock: The logic of power

Terrorist attacks in Brussels

A clash of what?

Culture, religion – or merely politics? Recent terrorist attacks against another European capital city in less than a year have once again shaken world politics to the core. Are we playing into the hands of Daesh? By Hakim KhatibMore

Terrorism debate: "Imagine there's a war and nobody notices"The French crime writer Karim Miske in interview: ″There are no simple solutions″Interview with Arun Kundnani: Violence comes home

IS supporters during prayers in a mosque in Mosul (photo: dpa)

″Islamic State″: lessons learnt

What chance a Muslim reformation?

Muslims who describe IS as un-Islamic and declare that it has nothing to do with genuine Islam cannot deny that many of their fellow believers identify with the image of Islam promoted by the jihadists and their ideology. A thorough examination of the Muslim faith is long overdue. By Hakim KhatibMore

Islamic State (IS): A totalitarian, expansive and hegemonic project Strategies for combating IS: Plea for a wide-angled view of the Arab world Global strategies for combating Islamic State: The intellectual battle against IS

Egyptian blogger Alber Saber (source: patheos.com, photo: CFI)

Atheism in Egypt

Breaking the taboo

Atheists claim to hold no religious beliefs whatsoever: though some find that hard to accept, freedom of speech dictates that everyone should be entitled to express their ideas and thoughts without intimidation. Challenging religious oppression and outdated social mores, many Egyptians risk their lives to uphold and protect freedom and tolerance. By Hakim KhatibMore

Religious vs. secular authorities: The Egyptian sickness Hamed Abdel-Samads Buch "Mohamed: Eine Abrechnung": From critique of Islam to post-Salafism Hamed Abdel-Samad's controversial theories on Islam: Caution! Explicit content!Official Free Mind TV website

Civilians flee Assad's bombs in Aleppo (photo: Reuters)

Chronicle of a war foretold

Redefining the "Syrian" conflict

The war waging in Syria, hijacked by opposing ideologies just months after it began, has had an irrevocable impact on the Syrian people. Although not much is heard of Syrians outside the refugee camps, Americans, Europeans, Russians, Turks, Iranians, and Arabs hold meeting after meeting to agree and disagree, coalesce and collide, in an attempt to halt the ″Syrian conflict″. By Hakim KhatibMore

The Syrian conflict: The illusion of a political solution The West and the Islamic world: The despotic temptation Combatting Islamic State: Foreign fighters ″crusade″ against IS

Pakistani and Indian soldiers lower the flags of their countries during a daily ceremony at the Wagha border between the two countries (photo: BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Politics and religion

The instrumentalisation of religion

Since time immemorial, religion has not only been used as an inspiration and a guide for life, but also as a way of furthering interests and achieving specific political ends. This instrumentalisation can be either intentional or unintentional. In this essay, Hakim Khatib looks at a number of countries where Islam has been instrumentalised in the recent past and examines the various different forms this instrumentalisation can takeMore

Interview with Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Part 1): "Islam is a religion, not a political agenda"Interview with Asma Jahangir, winner of the Right Livelihood Award: "Every restriction is based on religion"Six lessons learned from Tunisia's recent elections: "Religion is God's, but democracy belongs to everyone!"The civil war in Syria: When minorities become pawns in a power game Recruitment strategies used by Islamic State: A mutation of religion

Author: Hakim Khatib

In brief

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