Letters to the Editors

Attila A. Iftikhar (Sweden), 12 September 2003

On Ludwig Ammann's article and his stance that Turkey could be a bridge between the West and the Islamic world (see article here).

I agree with Ludwig Ammann that "Turkey is playing a pioneering role" and I think it is true that Turkey can bridge the gap between the Islamic East and the European West. This is exactly why Europa should not further alienate a secular and liberal Turkey.

The CDU/CSU parties have critisized Kanzler Schroder for the anti-War stance. The CDU/CSU believe that Germany must also fully participate in the liberalization and democratisation of Irak. Ironically, the same CDU vehemtly opposes a liberal, democratic AND secular Turkey in the EU.

Turkey is the valuable instrument which can bring about genuine ...More

Lennart Lehmann (Berlin, Germany), 18 August 2003</b>

On the exhibition, "Life Under the Crescent Moon: Home Decor in the Arabic World", at the Vitra Design Museum in Berlin

(click here to read the Qantara.de article about the exhibition)

Let's imagine an exhibition were to take place in an outer suburb of Cairo, under the title, "Home Decor in Europe". We might be shown rustic farmhouse parlours, picturesque Black Forest chateaus, dirndls and beer steins. A European visitor would shake his head and send home a postcard joking about the experience.

The exhibition in the Vitra Design Museum in no way represents contemporary "home decor under the Crescent Moon from Syria to Morocco", even ...More

Dr. Mahfoud Amara (Loughborough, Great Britain), 11 August 2003

To Whom it May concern

I am writing to ask you to conduct an investigation about some of the humiliation that visa applicants are going through everyday in the European consulates around the world, particularly after 9/11, because of their nationality. I understand that comparing to other serious problems of human rights abuses - to be humiliated or going through frustration because of a visa application - is not a priority. But believe me, changing the conditions for visa applications can contribute in reducing the level of misunderstandings and conflicts between cultures.

Best regards,

Mahfoud AmaraMore

Dorothea Lotz (Germany), 25 August 2003

Dear Qantara editorial staff,

I have been visiting Qantara for a short time now, using your Internet offer as a source of information or to simply relax, to dwell and to find strength in the Arab world!

Please do continue with your site; your articles are very multi-faceted in terms of culture, literature and politics, and it is ideal for those that are very well acquainted with Islam as well as for those that are only just beginning to discover their interest in that field.

Thank you very much for your work. Kindest regards,

Dorothea LotzMore

Olivia McLaran (Plano, Texas, USA), 17 July 2003

Sirs,

Among the most important aspects for the framework for dialogue among Germany and the Islamic world is already in evidence by the act you've initiated: dialogue with the Islamic world. Congratulations on your civilized recognition of the diversity and legitimacy of Islamic civilization. In the United States, since the Iranian Revolution of 1978-89, the national security /media apparatus has viewed Islam as a monolithic homogenous ideology equivalent to the "communist threat" to American security; in response, those agencies launched covert paramilitary operations (typical of the macho extremist operatives who inhabit those agencies and who mirror the so-called Islamic terrorists they always frame for blame).

Another ...More

Goethe-Institut's Perspektiven: Generational conflict

Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon… six young women and men from six different countries put their individual views and experience with the generational conflict into words for this dossier.More

Die meistgelesenen Qantara-Artikel des Jahres 2017

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi (photo: Reuters)

A round-up of Qantara.de's ten most read articles in 2017.More

Your favourite articles of the year

Muslims at the German Muslim community's day of action in Berlin (photo: Reuters/Hannibal)

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 cultureMore

Charting the political barometer in Iran

The Group for Analysing & Measuring Attitudes in Iran (source: gamaan

This survey, conducted by The Group for Analysing & Measuring Attitudes in Iran in the early months of 2018, reveals the political attitudes of 72% of Iranians, i.e. those who did not vote for Ebrahim Raisi in Iran’s 2017 presidential election. The survey, which recorded the opinions of more than 19,000 individuals, aims to measure and capture some of the political attitudes that Iranians cannot freely express in Iran.More

Syria's Cultural Heritage in Danger

Over four millennia, Babylonian, Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Roman influences crossed paths in Syria. Today, precious cultural sites from these eras are being damaged as the Syrian civil war takes its toll on the country's cultural heritage. This week, the United Nation's cultural organization UNESCO made fresh reports about damage to Syria's historic sites.

Syria's Cultural Heritage in Danger

The civil war in Syria, which has taken the lives of thousands since 2011, is becoming increasingly brutal. Valuable cultural sites are also being destroyed in the fighting. UNESCO has now provided reports on the damage.