Qantara.de - Dialog mit der islamischen Welt

Born in Libya to Palestinian parents, Ayman Alkayali initially moved to the US to study. He opened his Cleveland tea house in 2001 and has never looked back. His mission: to promote a sense of understanding and community within the neighbourhood.More

Klezmer – the music synonymous with the Jewish settlements of 19th century Eastern Europe – and Baluchi, Pashto and Dari, folk music from Pakistan, would appear to have little or nothing in common. In their latest album, Sandaraa, the Pakistani/Brooklyn musical collaboration fronted by Michael Woodgrad and Zeb Bangash, provide a stunning example of how fusion can work. By Richard MarcusMore

In his new novel "Native Believer", published by Akashic Press, Ali Eteraz takes us behind the headlines of the Islamophobic attacks by politicians to show us the damage inflicted upon a generation of American citizens and the deep-seated scars they bear. Richard Marcus read the bookMore

Following the historic Iran nuclear deal that was clinched in Vienna in July 2015 and the subsequent lifting of sanctions against Iran in mid-January 2016, Germany and Iran are now looking for ways to stimulate cultural dialogue and exchange between the two countries. Dorothea Grassmann talks to Ali Fathollah-NejadMore

Newcomer Mahmoud Sabbagh′s offering is pacy, anarchic and – unexpectedly for Saudi Arabia – a romantic comedy. A love story set against the vibrant youth culture of Jeddah, ″Barakah meets Barakah″ presents a new generation of social media-savvy Saudis and their very real expectations. Rene Wildangel met and interviewed Mahmoud Sabbagh at the BerlinaleMore

During a Friday sermon in New Jersey on 1 January 2016, cleric Abdelfattah Mourou bemoaned the state of the Islamic world today, with its high rate of illiteracy and lack of scientific achievements. "I believe that you have a role to play," he told the congregation at the Islamic Center of Passaic County, in Patterson, New JerseyMore

For the past ten years, young professionals from Islamic countries and from Germany have been able to immerse themselves in a foreign culture for three months as part of a internship programme run by the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa). The programme has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. By Fabian PiankaMore