Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue | Qantara.de

Topic: Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue

The Netherlands' migrant parties

Representing the new Europeans

In a decade marked by significant shifts in the political landscape, Sundayʹs European elections could well prove an eye-opener. Massimiliano Sfregola assesses the chances of Dutch "new Europeans" to make an impactMore

Islam and Europe: Concertgebouw and more couscous Dutch immigrants' party challenging the far-right Syrians in Germany: The need to find a voice

Atef Abu Saif (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Nasser)

Interview with Palestinian Culture Minister Atef Abu Saif

"We need citizen-oriented policies"

The foyer is hung with pop-art pictures of Palestinian poets and thinkers such as Mahmoud Darwish and Edward Said. The Palestinian Ministry of Culture in Ramallah is keen to present itself as open-minded, modern – just like its new boss, Atef Abu Saif. Interview by Inge GuntherMore

Book review: "The Drone Eats with Me" by Atef Abu Saif: A war without distinct edges Interview with think tank veterans Yossi Alpher and Ghassan Khatib: "The Oslo peace process approach is over"Interview with Palestinian human rights activist Mahmoud Abu Rahma: "We are alive, but we donʹt have a life"

The entryway to the synagogue in Mosul's Jewish Quarter is blocked with bars to prevent looting (photo: Eddy van Wessel)

Iraq post-Islamic State

The surprising survival of Mosulʹs Jewish quarter

Mosul's Jewish quarter miraculously survived three years of occupation by the Islamic State terror group and the battle to evict it. Judit Neurink and Eddy van Wessel went there to find out howMore

Islamic State′s destruction of Mosul: Razed to the ground "Baghdad, yesterday - The making of an Arab Jew": A multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society Traces of Jewish life in Iraq

DJs Rafi Gazani and Uros Petkovic at Arab Beats (photo: Sergej Kreso)

Balkan DJs initiate anti-racism parties

Berlin's Arab Beats

The creator of Berlin's legendary Balkan Beats nights, Robert Soko, has now launched Arab Beats, an event that invites Syrian refugees and German party-goers to come together – and snub the country's racist movements. By Robert RigneyMore

Balkan Beats: ARABBEATS Interview with the Egyptian DJ Mohammed Safi: Voice of the people Electro Festival "Les Dunes Electroniques" in Tunisia: Beats and bass in the desert Refugees and music: Finding common ground

A tribute to victims of the mosque attacks, near a police line outside the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, 17 March 2019 (photo: Reuters/J. Silva)

After the Christchurch mosque attacks

Time for non-Muslims everywhere to take a stand

Following last Friday's attacks, German Muslims are worried that their places of worship may be targeted too. Christoph Strack writes that there is a simple way for non-Muslims to show solidarityMore

Mosque attacks in Germany: A duty to protect Berlinʹs House of One: Offering a triune solution Germanyʹs new Homeland minister: No to religious parity Parliament of the Worldʹs Religions: Good people of the world, unite!

Man passing a mural on Si Tir Street in Tehran, a famous boulevard in the Iranian capital (photo: Tasnim)

Christian Welzbacherʹs "Iran, Ordibehescht 1396"

Freeloading in Iran

"Iran, Ordibehescht 1396" is the title of a new book about Iran. According to the publisher, the "travelogue" by Christian Welzbacher is "a call for dialogue with the supposed enemy". For reviewer Fahimeh Farsaie, it feels more like a catalogue of tired cliches about the Middle EastMore

Iran′s image in the West: Sheer incredulity Book review: Peter Heineʹs "The Culinary Crescent": Pepper... a universally-used condiment The German board game 'Istanbul': Good clean Oriental fun?

Palestinian-British singer Reem Kelani (photo: Alexia Villard)

Album review: Reem Kelaniʹs "Why Do I Love Her?"

Sweet discomfort

As a prelude to the album she's currently working on, "This Land is Your Land", Reem Kelani has just released the four track EP "Why Do I Love Her" – recorded live at the Tabernacle in London. By Richard MarcusMore

Album review: Reem Kelani′s ″Live at the Tabernacle″: Cultivating fusion Reem Kelani – "Sprinting Gazelle": "I defend my right to defend my right"Official Reem Kelani website

American author Michael Muhammad Knight (photo: private)

Non-fiction: Michael Muhammad Knight's "Muhammad: Forty Introductions"

An arba'in for non-Muslims

In his latest work, Michael Muhammad Knight – the enfant terrible of American Muslim writers – has sifted through the thousands upon thousands of Islamic hadiths to find 40 he feels best serve as an introduction to the Prophet Muhammad. Richard Marcus read the bookMore

Interview with Michael Muhammad Knight: ''Religious laws can change''Non-fiction: ″Magic in Islam″ by Michael Muhammad Knight: Finding the hole in the fence Michael Muhammad Knight's novel ''Taqwacore'': Provocation as a way of life

Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem under construction (photo: Simon Wiesenthal Center)

Interfaith initiatives from Morocco to Jerusalem

Dialogue by design

Landscape architecture is a field that grapples with social inequality and spatial complexity – two characteristics that Jerusalem embodies. Sarah Turkenicz compares the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem with the Akrich tree nursery in Morocco and argues for a more sympathetic design approach when dealing with interfaith relationsMore

The High Atlas Foundationʹs fruit tree nursery project: Muslim-Jewish goodwill blossoms in Morocco The Sulha Peace Project: Listening for peace New peace initiatives for the Middle East conflict: Two states, one homeland

Ayca Mirac performs at Jazz Schmiede in Dusseldorf, 14 March 2018 (source: Facebook; photo: Michael Weilandt)

Album review: Ayca Miracʹ "Lazjazz"

The magic of the Laz

Drawing on her Laz and Turkish heritage, the German-born singer Ayca Mirac has just released her first album – "Lazjazz" – a fascinating blend of ancient melodies, spellbinding dance rhythms and intimate jazz. Review by Stefan FranzenMore

Album review: Gaye Su Akyolʹs "Istikrarl Hayal Hakikattir": Singing the revolution Syrian oud player Bahur Ghazi: Hoping for a phoenix Ravid Kahalani's Yemen blues: ''Your language is my language''

Festival of feminist artists

Loud, louder, tashweesh!

At the Goethe-Institutʹs Tashweesh Festival, artists and intellectuals from North Africa, Europe and the Middle East meet to discuss stereotypical gender images. By Caren MiesenbergerMore

Interview with the Egyptian theatre director Laila Soliman: Revolutions past and present Book review: Zahra Ali's "Islamic Feminisms": Female emancipation based on the spirit of Sharia Suspended Territories exhibition: Beyond the veil

Interior Minister German Horst Seehofer arrives for the German Islam Conference in Berlin on 28 November 2018 (photo: Reuters/H. Hanschke)

Integration German-style?

Blood sausage at Islam conference stirs controversy

Germany's Interior Ministry has apologised for serving pork sausage at an Islam conference in Berlin last week. The "#BloodSausageGate" scandal has sparked a debate over integration and tolerance. By Chase WinterMore

Germanyʹs new Homeland minister: No to religious parity Racism debate in Germany: Integration – a process of give and take The refugee debate: What makes us German?

Representatives of the worldʹs religions present the declaration of a global ethic together during the seventh Parliament of the Worldʹs Religions (photo: Stefan Weidner)

Parliament of the Worldʹs Religions

Good people of the world, unite!

In early November, Toronto hosted one of the most vibrant and exciting events ever held under the banner of religion: "The Parliament of the World’s Religions”. Stefan Weidner went to hear the debateMore

"Parliament of World Religions" official website Qantara dossier: "Dialogue of Religions"″Peace responsibility of religions″ conference: Religion′s potential for peace

A selection of books translated into Arabic by Nabil Al Haffar (source: Saqi Books; Atlas Books)

Interview with literary translator Nabil Al Haffar

"Always distance yourself from the original text"

Considered one of the most renowned and experienced literary translators in the business, Nabil Al Haffar has received numerous awards for his work. He began translating from German into Arabic in 1974. Here he discusses his work as a translator and the challenges it presentsMore

The "Kalima" project: Reviving the rich translation culture of the Arab world Interview with Abdo Abboud: "Translation is the most important channel of intercultural dialogue"Interview with Hartmut Fahndrich: "When a translator offers me a translation he is welcome"

Kids in Rurka Kalan, India decide on fair play rules as part of the "Kick for Tolerance" initiative (photo: YFC Rurka Kalan)

Pakistan and India

Punjabi kids kick for tolerance

Never one to miss an opportunity for a kickaround, Clifton Grover, "Kick for Tolerance" founder, always has his gym bag with him. For him football isn't just football. Since 2016, he has been helping Punjab communities on either side of the Pakistani-Indian border to promote peace among the younger generation. Interview by Siri GögelmannMore

India and Pakistan: Modiʹs foreign policy – by whim, not design Migration in Germany. Football can contribute to integration Teaching religious tolerance: Indonesia's "multicultural laboratories"

Jewish cemetery in Essaouira, Morocco (photo: Claudia Mende)

Moroccoʹs Jewish legacy

The Rabbi of Essaouira

The presence of Jewish tradesmen helped shape the character of Essaouira in Morocco. Traces of the portʹs Jewish heritage are evident to this very day. Every year Jews from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Essaouira, keeping memories of the city’s Jewish character alive. By Claudia MendeMore

Interview with M'Hammad Bennaboud: The Muslims and Jews of Tétouan The writer Edmond Amran El Maleh: A Moroccan Jew with Arabo-Berber roots The High Atlas Foundationʹs fruit tree nursery project: Muslim-Jewish goodwill blossoms in Morocco Interreligious dialogue in Morocco: Peaceful co-existence between divine religions

Topic: Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue

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