Letters to the Editors

Nadim: "Theoretical laziness"

on: The left-wing/right-wing alliance of Assad apologists: Disenchantment with the West?

"A lot of truth in this. But there is a real problem with the tendency to see all this in terms of ‘turning away from western values’ – as if fascism wasn’t a western value – as if justice was the sole possession of the West – as if movements for democracy were all about a desire to be western. In so many ways this whole discourse is part of the problem – people who have never expanded their universalism beyond a constricted eurocentric post-war vision. I do think we’re confronted by discursively ...More

Richard K. Gordon: "His calm, his expertise and other traits brought me closer to a spiritual understanding"

on The Egyptian Dominican priest Georges Anawati: A Christian and Islamic scholar in the service of dialogue

I was a student in Dr. Anawati's class on Islamic Philosophy at UCLA in the fall of 1972. Throughout the subsequent years his presence never left me.

I do not remember the content of our after-class meetings except for the intensity of his spirit and his insight into me as a budding scholar with an interest in his course.

Today I was having a conversation with a friend who is a very devout Christian. He has strong views about his faith and his views are equally strong ...More

Saleh S. Jallad: "Probably the most accurate analysis written in modern times"

on: Interview with Karen Armstrong: Islamist violence is "in part a product of Western disdain"

Probably the most accurate analysis written in modern times. The courage, depth and precision reflects her enormous knowledge of real Islam as well as the ability to differentiate between the singers and the song over time and space; a feature inherent in all societies. As suggested in my book "The Pedagogy of Arab Governance", din in Arabic, unlike Latin, describes an entire way of life rooted etymologically in the concept of justice and not merely revering the sacred. This is reflected ...More

Ray Alcodray: ″Could not agree more with this insightful viewpoint and article″

on: "God is not a dictator'', interview with Mouhanad Khorchide

My wife and I, after raising 5 children through a variety of American mosques and schools, realised the lack of substance and poisonous views that were being spread in the minds of the young.

As a result, we founded and ran our own Sunday school for 8 years to counter this anathema in our religion. Our objectives were to create "thinking" Muslims by giving them the following:

1. an American Muslim Identify,

2. core Islamic knowledge, and

3. application in everyday life.

We did not allow our teachers to use the word "haram" unless they had read it in the Koran while ...More

Frank Carey

on: Islam doesn′t need a Martin Luther! by Loay Mudhoon

I'm so happy to find this site. As a non-Muslim US citizen, I'm frightened of both anti-Muslim hatred and the IS ideology – or any kind of religio-political supremacism. I would like to appeal to all Muslims reading this to take leadership in this escalating tension and show the non-Muslim world the true peaceful soul of Islam.

Much Islamophobia stems from fear of terrorism, which is the only image of Islam we have.

You must lead the non-Muslim world in this fight. I know it's burdensome to be linked to terrorism, but I believe God is calling you to use ...More

Islam and religious freedom: Coercion leads to hypocrisy Debate on European Islam: A mined terrain

Ron Kraybill: "Lack of precision with words and concepts and their implications makes a difficult and emotional situation worse"

On Katajun Amirpur's commentary: IS is not just a Muslim problem

Thank you, Professor, for this essay. I'm struck with your report that one-fifth of the jihadists who've left Germany for Syria and Iraq are recent converts and I'd appreciate knowing more. Could you perhaps provide a source? If they are young people who grew up secular in Muslim communities and recently committed to Muslim one would understand the phenomenon differently than if they grew up with no connection to religious or ethnic identities.

I appreciate your frustration that the the non- ...More

Anonymous

on: Feminism, Colonialism and Islamophobia: Treacherous Sympathy with Muslim Women, by Leila Ahmed

This is a wonderful post and it points to some deliberately neglected considerations: The centuries old depictions of Islam, painted by the western / european nations have been and continue to be - done with the express intention of justifying the seizure of land and wealth through military colonial means. All armies run on money and for the western populations to fund these imperial aspirations, the population is told that this is to protece / save brown women from the supposed evils of brown men in some uniquely brown way - Islam. This message not only makes ...More

Rudi Dierick

on: Integration in Germany: Time for Majority Society to Change Its Attitude, by Melahat Kişi

This opinion is blatantly incompatible with scientific ethics and the professional standards of a scientist as it squarely denies the findings of recent scientific research.

Just one example: the author pretends "that a headscarf really is nothing more than a piece of cloth". The report 'Muslim Life in Germany' describes clearly, based upon opinions from 3000 interviewed female Muslims that the headscarf is a religious practice, a cultural habit, and also a political symbol and an issue of public ...More

M.A. Bourkadi

on: Status of Western Sahara: A Forgotten Conflict, by Annett Hellwig

The article is full of false propaganda. For instance, the allegation that "the native Sahrawis remain for the most part second-class citizens, disadvantaged and discriminated against by the authorities" is false. Native Sahrawis are the first to be accepted in government jobs, and they are also eligible to student benefit of a free transport coupon and full scholarship bourses. Moreover, Morocco has three native Sahrawi ambassadors, and also the former parliament chief is a Sahrawi.

There is "systematic torture and maltreatment". This is ...More

Hassan Hassan

on: The Decline of Islamic Scientific Thought: Don't Blame It on al-Ghazali, by Hassan Hassan

I appreciate your comment on the essay, although I have reservations about the use of language. The text didn't say anything about Batiniyya being an "offspring of the Shia".

In my understanding, you seem to ascribe to the traditional reading of the schools' system of education, which is familiar and widespread. "The diversity of scholars, the vibrant debates and the reliance on persuasion in dealing with religious differences". But the point of my essay is to dispute all that.

Certainly, ...More

Sonja Brentjes

on: The Decline of Islamic Scientific Thought: Don't Blame It on al-Ghazali, by Hassan Hassan

Mr. Hassan is not well informed about the academic debate. Otherwise he could not write such a misleading and utterly simplifying text. He also seems to have problems with understanding the complexities of political, religious and intellectual history of the Abbasid caliphate and the Seljuq dynasty. It is simply not true that the madrasa stopped scientific activities in various Islamicate societies after 1100. The Batiniyya was not merely an esoteric offspring of the Shi'a. Seljuq sultans like Malik Shah ...More

Sara Mirza

on: The Media and "The Innocence of Muslims": Against the Islamisation of Muslims, by Hoda Salah

I don't understand. Hoda Salah says she doesn't want to be called Muslim and be referred to as Muslim all the time, then she says, "I'm a Muslim woman", and "I'm an enlightened Muslim". I thought she was trying to get away from that 'tag', then she confirms it. She has to make up her mind.More

Elgin Mouhanad

on: The Media and "The Innocence of Muslims": Against the Islamisation of Muslims, by Hoda Salah

Hoda Salah is right - the West is using this event to portray Muslims as radicals, and the media is making no exception. They don't care that it was only a supersmall minority that was rioting.More

Erol Sahin

on: The Media and "The Innocence of Muslims": Against the Islamisation of Muslims, by Hoda Salah

This is the typical "Don't stigmatize us/me" tune - I have heard that song before. Of course western media write up Muslim fury - because it is Muslim fury. And of course not all Muslims are crazy because of that but those who ran amuck did run amuck. It's pathetic to decry the lack of differentiation of western media - because, after all: people were killed by religious madmen. Why doesn't the author criticize religious fanaticism?More

Brian Christian Elsington

on: The Media and "The Innocence of Muslims": Against the Islamisation of Muslims, by Hoda Salah

Instead of blaming western media, Mrs. Saleh should talk about Muslim furor and violence. I'm surprised a balanced media outlet like quantara published a low-qualitiy piece such as this one.More

Kenan Yurttagül

on: Aleppo's Old Town: World Cultural Heritage threatened by Syria's Civil War, by Claudia Mende

Appeal to the International Community for the Preservation of Syria's Cultural Legacy

Intergovernmental organisations were ineffective in preserving cultural property during the Gulf, Afghan, and Iraq wars, having failed to prevent the looting of museums and the irreparable damaging of historical sites during these conflicts.

In the last Iraq war, according to the Archaeological Institute of America's website, up to 100 thousand historical, cultural, and religious artefacts were stolen, ...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.