Author: Luise Sammann

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Sinologist Kristin Shi-Kupfer from Berlin's Mercator Institute for China Studies (photo: private)

Interview with sinologist Kristin Shi-Kupfer

"The aim is to rob the Uighurs of their identity"

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uighurs are being held in "re-education" camps in Western China. The more pressure the ethnic group faces from Beijing, the more important their Islamic beliefs become, says sinologist Kristin Shi-Kupfer in conversation with Luise SammannMore

Uighur repression: Pandering to President XiChina Cables exposes chilling details of mass detention in XinjiangChinaʹs oppression of the Uighurs: Save our Turkic brothers, Mr. President!
Pope Francis releases a white dove outside the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul, 29 November 2014 (photo: AFP/Getty Images/G. Ozturk)

The papal visit to Turkey

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A message of peace and dialogue

Pope Francis' three-day visit to Turkey was the first papal visit to that country in eight years. The pontiff made a lasting impression on the Turkish people. By Luise Sammann in IstanbulMore

Pope Francis in the Middle East: Gestures laden with symbolismFormer Bosnian Grand Mufti's message to Pope Francis: Call to Muslim-Christian friendshipPope Benedict XVI and Turkey's Muslims: The eternal theologianQantara dossier: Dialogue of Religions
A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister back to riot police during an anti-government protest in Ankara on 31 May 2014 (photo: Reuters)

Turkey a year after the Gezi protests

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The dream is over

The lack of mass protests against Erdogan's policies on the first anniversary of last summer's demonstrations in Taksim Square and Gezi Park highlights the lack of unity within the Gezi movement and the continuing crackdown on civil society activists and organisations in Turkey. By Luise Sammann in IstanbulMore

Culture in Turkey before and after Gezi: The end of Cool Istanbul"Open Forums" in Turkey: New Forms of ParticipationInterview with Turkish theologian Ihsan Eliacik: The Koran and social justice
Gezi Park activists in Istanbul (photo: dpa/picture alliance)

Book review: "Taksim is everywhere"

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"This was a social uprising, not simply some demonstration"

Deniz Yuecel, a journalist for the German daily newspaper "taz", interviewed 96 different protesters for his first book, "Taksim ist Ueberall" (Taksim is Everywhere), which was recently published in Germany instead of in Turkey. In view of the fact that the writer Erol Oezkoray was taken to court for allegedly insulting Prime Minister Erdogan in his book on the Gezi phenomenon, this is perhaps a good thing. Luise Sammann introduces the book and its authorMore

Culture in Turkey before and after Gezi: The end of Cool IstanbulYouth and protest in Turkey: "The pieces of the mosaic are shifting"Protests in Turkey: Civil Society Versus Father State
Crimean Tatars demonstrate against the possibility of Crimea becoming part of Russia (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Crimean Tatars in Ukraine

Deep-seated fears

The Crimean Tatars, numbering some 250,000, are the third largest demographic group in Crimea. They fear that their rights will be sharply curtailed should the referendum on 16 March turn out in Russia's favour. Fear of Putin and his supporters is equally palpable amongst the millions of Crimean Tatars living in Turkish exile. By Luise SammannMore

Photo gallery: The Lipka Tatars of Eastern EuropeEssay by Shireen Hunter: Islam in Russia Islam in Bosnia: Ground-Breaking Concepts of SecularizationInterview with Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu: Dialogue Should Not Legitimize Assad