Maghreb
All countries-
Religious communities in the Middle East
No to sectarianism; yes to equal citizenship!
The author and media commentator Khaled Hroub believes that Christians, Muslims, Jews and followers of other religions can only live peacefully together in the Middle East if people in these countries stop looking at each other in terms of their faith and start treating everyone – without exception – as citizens with equal rights
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Interview with Karen Armstrong
Islamist violence is "in part a product of Western disdain"
Karen Armstrong, British scholar of comparative religion, finds that there is a long and inglorious tradition of distorting Islam in Europe. She criticises the notion that Islam is essentially more violent than Christianity and speaks about the genesis of Western disdain for the Arab world. Interview by Claudia Mende
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Interview with Gudrun Kramer
Muslims must take a critical look at controversial passages in the Koran
The majority of Muslims are quite rightly resisting attempts by jihadists to co-opt their religion. Yet at the same, both jihadists and their opponents justify their arguments by quoting passages from the Koran. Ulrich von Schwerin spoke to the Islam Studies scholar Gudrun Kramer about the relationship between Islam and violence, the interpretation of the Koran and possible ways of combating jihadism
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Civil war in Libya
A stateless society
The political divide in Libya continues to grow. Amal El-Obeidi, professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Benghazi, cites two historical causes for the current situation: the absence of a Libyan identity and the tribal structure of society in the North African country. By Laura Overmeyer
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After the Paris attacks
The dangerous "alliance" between Islamism and Islamophobia
There can be no excuse for the recent attacks in Paris. However, one possible way of understanding them is to take a closer look at the bipolar "alliance" between Islamists and Islamophobia, which can be viewed as the root of these terrorist acts. Moreover, in the wake of the attacks, we must ask ourselves what freedom of speech is, what its boundaries are and who really represents it. A commentary by Atef Botros
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Reactions to the "Charlie Hebdo" attack in the Arab world
"Radicals killed radicals"
In the wake of the horrific attack on the staff of "Charlie Hebdo" in Paris on 7 January, Islamic associations and imams across Europe have condemned the killings. So too have politicians and religious dignitaries across the Islamic world. But, says Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo, for some people in the Arab world, things are not quite so black-and-white
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The Middle East in 2014
New regional power games
The rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has dramatically altered the regional order. While Iran and Turkey are becoming key political players in the crisis-torn area, the West continues to lose influence. An analysis by Karim El-Gawhary
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Qantara review 2014
Your favourite articles of the year
This year, roughly 450 English-language articles were published on Qantara.de. These articles covered a huge variety of topics from the civil war in Syria, the rise of IS, and the Gaza conflict to elections in Tunisia, Turkey, India and Egypt. We also took a closer look at Islamophobia in Germany and worldwide, integration in Europe, and women's rights and freedom of speech in the Islamic world, not to mention a fascinating and colourful range of topics from the world of culture
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Interview with Michael Dreyer of the Osnabruck Morgenland Festival
A hub connecting the Orient and the Occident
The Osnabruck Morgenland Festival has acquired a reputation for top-class Oriental music. Marian Brehmer spoke to the festival's founder, Michael Dreyer, about the challenges of organising the annual festival, and how un-political a festival of the Orient can be
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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 Mudhoon
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Six lessons learned from Tunisia's recent elections
"Religion is God's, but democracy belongs to everyone!"
The most recent elections in Tunisia have made it clear that, in spite of numerous setbacks over the last three years, the Arab Spring continues to bear fruit. According to Egyptian journalist and professor Khalil al-Anani, the Tunisian experiment once again proves that Tunisia is a long way ahead of the other Arab countries undergoing transformation
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Exhibition: "SNIP IT! Stances on Ritual Circumcision"
An objective examination of a controversial issue
With its exhibition "SNIP IT! Stances on Ritual Circumcision", the Jewish Museum in Berlin offers surprising and diverse insights into the significance of a ritual about which few people in Germany know very much at all. Igal Avidan went to see the exhibition