Mashriq

Country: Mashriq

Hand-written edition of the Koran in Cairo (photo: Reuters)

Anti-Semitism

There is no tradition of anti-Semitism in Islam

Some are suggesting that Muslims are bringing anti-Semitism to Europe. However, it was in fact Europeans who took anti-Semitism to the Arab world in the first place. Diplomats in particular played an contemptible role. An essay by Prof. Peter WienMore

Controversial manifesto against "new anti-Semitism" in France: Cutting Suras to suit Germany’s anti-Semitism problem: Jew, Israeli, Zionist The Abbas controversy: No excuse for anti-Semitism Muslim anti-Semitism: Pointing the finger

Arabic childrenʹs books on display at the Arabic Childrenʹs Literature Festival in Munich (source: The International Youth Library)

Germanyʹs Arabic Childrenʹs Literature Festival

Karimʹs adventures

The Arabic Childrenʹs Literature Festival held recently in Munich presented a selection of recommended childrenʹs books in Arabic. The catalogue is one of the early outcomes of a three-year project run by the International Youth Library, with the aim of bringing as yet unknown Arabic childrenʹs books to Germany. By Claudia MendeMore

The Hakawati bookshop for children and young people in Amman: Huge appetite for exciting stories German-Arabic children′s books: ″Einfach Lesen!″ – Just read!Islamic children's books: Integration through early reading

Electioneering billboard in Beirut, Lebanon, showing the current prime minister, Saad Hariri, who is running for re-election (photo: Reuters/M. Azakir)

Parliamentary elections in Lebanon

Much ado about nothing

Lebanonʹs forthcoming parliamentary elections will likely be the dullest since the end of the countryʹs war in 1990. No significant surprises appear to be looming, nor are there major political stakes or programmes mobilising the attention of voters. By Joseph BahoutMore

Lebanon′s education system: The problem with political Islam Tension in Lebanon: In the shadow of the Syrian revolution Hezbollah in Lebanon: How Hezbollah is paralysing Lebanese politics

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (l) greets Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (r) upon his arrival in Tehran on 1 June 2014. Kuwait's Emir started a landmark visit to Tehran focussed on mending fences between Shia Iran and the Sunni-ruled monarchies in the Gulf (photo: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

Geopolitics in the Middle East

End the Arab-Iranian tug-of-war

You can’t change regional geography, notes the political analyst Khaled Hroub. Iran and the Arabs will always be neighbours, but we can change and re-shape history and politics. The common interest must therefore lie in ending the period of conflict and moving towards co-operation and regional security More

Iran′s image in the Arab world: Conservative regime and open-minded society The aftermath of the Arab Spring: The changing map of Middle East power Michael Luders on the sanctions on Iran: "The objective is regime change"

Journalist Souad Mekhennet (photo: imago/Muller-Stauffenberg)

Interview with Washington Post correspondent Souad Mekhennet

Speaks with jihadists

German-born Mekhennet has focused her investigative career on diving into militant Islamist networks. She spoke to Sabine Kieselbach about her job's dangers and why it is important to speak to jihadistsMore

Interview with the social scientist Edit Schlaffer: Mothers Schools challenge extremism Islamist ideology debunked: Getting past the abuse Anti-radicalisation strategies in Egypt: Sheikhs on the beat

Friedrich Ebert Foundation publishes MENA youth study

The optimism of youth

A study by Germany's Friedrich Ebert Foundation shows that young people from Arabic-speaking countries have an optimistic outlook on life, but little faith in politics. Christoph Hasselbach spoke to the study's co-editor for more insightMore

Friedrich Ebert Foundation's MENA youth study Muslim life in Germany: Integration beats segregation Book review: Fethi Benslama's book on the radicalisation of young Muslims: Islamic civilisation and its discontents

The "Strengthening Structures" workshop at the Goethe-Institut Cairo (photo: Roger Anis/Goethe-Institut Cairo)

Goethe-Institut education initiatives in the MENA region

Getting behind civil society

News from the Middle East and North Africa often conveys the image of a troubled region characterised by political and economic volatility. But there are many more facets to life in this region than this image suggests, as shown by the projects the Goethe-Institut is running in the region. By Christina BünsMore

"Wiki Gender": The first Arabic online lexicon for gender issues The ''Tahrir Lounge'' in Cairo: Grassroots Democracy Resolving the crisis in Libya: Another fine mess

Square coins dating from the Almohad era (source: Raseef 22)

The Islamic reformer Ibn Tumart

The man who changed the course of Islamic history

Ibn Tumart is considered the spiritual founder of the Berber dynasty of the Almohads in the twelfth century. His once revolutionary ideas sent shockwaves through the entire Arab world, ultimately resulting in violent tensions. By Mohamed YosriMore

The decline of Islamic scientific thought: Don't blame it on al-Ghazali Averroes' Enlightenment legacy: An intellectual earthquake Qantara dossier: History of Islam

A woman looks at a map at the exhibition "Jews, Christians and Muslims: Scientific Discourse in the Middle Ages, 500–1500" (photo: dpa)

Exhibition: "Jews, Christians and Muslims" in Berlin

Dispelling myths

The Berlin exhibition "Jews, Christians and Muslims: Scientific Discourse in the Middle Ages 500–1500" shows the circuitous routes by which knowledge made its way around the medieval world while dismantling the theory of a Judeo-Christian Europe. By Gustav Seibt More

Exhibition website: Jews, Christians and Muslims: Scientific Discourse in the Middle Ages, 500–1500 Photo gallery on the exhibition: Jews, Christians and Muslims: Scientific Discourse in the Middle Ages, 500–1500 Averroes' Enlightenment legacy: An intellectual earthquake

Students protest in front of Azhar University in Cairo on 27.12.2012 (photo: Reuters)

Debating secularism and religion in the Islamic world

No threat to faith

Jordanian journalist Mousa Barhouma criticises the recurrent Arab tendency to equate secularism with apostasy and heresy. In his view, Islam does not prescribe any specific form of governmentMore

Secularism in the Islamic world: Part I – It′s a knotty problem The secularisation of Muslims: Silent withdrawal Islam and enlightenment: Beware of the myth

Bosnian Muslims who fought voluntarily on the side of the German army during the Second World War (photo: Getty Images7Keystones)

Interview with historian David Motadel

Hitler′s Muslim stop-gaps

During the Second World War, tens of thousands of Muslims fought on the side of the National Socialists. In interview with Nastassja Shtrauchler, historian David Motadel examines the attitude of Hitler and the Nazis towards Islam and Muslims. Interview by Nastassja Shtrauchler More

Translating ″Mein Kampf″ into Arabic: Hitler′s paperchase The Arabs and Nazi Germany: Collaborators and antagonists National Socialism: Are Arabs turning a blind eye to history?

Arab women′s rights groups demonstrate on International Women′s Day in Cairo (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Women′s rights in the Arab world

The key to change

Occasionally periods of social regression and progressive developments occur simultaneously. After all, among the many catastrophic reports emerging from the Arab world there are also a few glimmers of hope – for women. Report by Mey DudinMore

Violence against women: Young Arab men fight for women′s rights Azza Soliman, an Egyptian feminist at risk: "What has Azza done?"Morocco's abortion ban: Acknowledging reality

The Orient in flux: in 1798 Napoleon′s troops landed in Egypt and dealt a stunning blow to the Muslim Mamluks (source: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Enlightenment in the Islamic world

Refuting the 'westernisation' narrative

In his latest work, essayist and seasoned correspondent Christopher de Bellaigue presents the Islamic world in the 19th century in a new light. His main thrust? The Islamic Middle East did indeed experience its own genuine Enlightenment. By Arnold HottingerMore

Islam and enlightenment: Beware of the myth Interview with Angelika Neuwirth: "The claim that Islam lacks an Enlightenment is an age-old cliche"Volker Perthes: "The end of the Middle East, as we know it": The end of Sykes-Picot?

A woman stands at a barbed wire fence, in the background on the other side stands a crowd of people (photo: Benjamin Haas/Fotolia)

Islamic debate about human rights

The erroneous 'cultural distinction'

Syrian writer Morris Ayek is critical of those who claim that when it comes to human rights, Islamic countries are "culturally distinct" from the rest of the world. In his opinion, this discourse directly contradicts the universality of Islamic valuesMore

Political discourse in the Arab world: Last ditch democracy Political discourse in the Arab world: Defaming democracy The Arab Spring in historical perspective: Revolutions take time Liberalism in the Arab world: Merely treading water

Demonstration for freedom and democracy in Bahrain in September 2012 (photo: Reuters/Hamad I Mohammed)

Political discourse in the Arab world

Last ditch democracy

In this essay, Lebanese journalist Karam Hilo asks whether it is possible to apply the Western concept of democracy – as is – to the countries of the Arab world. Or does the unique political culture of this corner of the globe call for a certain degree of adaptation?More

Arab identity crisis: What is left of the Arabs?Political discourse in the Arab world: Defaming democracy Political transformation in the Arab world: Forget the people

Stained glass window in Berlin′s Sehitlik Mosque (photo: dpa)

Non-fiction: ″Religious criticism around 1900″

Middle Eastern philosophy's take on Islam

How is the relationship between science, philosophy and religion discussed in the Muslim world, beyond the well-known dictum that Islam rules its states and societies and therefore also determines its morality and aesthetics? A new series by Berlin-based publishers Klaus Schwarz addresses this question. By Sonja HegasyMore

Interview with Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Part 1): ''Islam is a religion, not a political agenda''Islam and enlightenment: Beware of the myth French philosopher Henry Corbin: Wherever the spirit guides

Country: Mashriq

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