Society

Protesters are expected to return to the streets en masse on Tuesday's coup anniversary (photo: Anadolu Agency/picture-alliance)

Anti-coup protesters in Sudan

Still hoping for democracy

On the first anniversary of Sudan's military coup, the country remains stuck in a political stalemate. But, despite the increasingly difficult humanitarian situation, the population hasn't given up hope. Jennifer Holleis reportsMore

Sudan's popular resistance: The revolution will succeedSudan anti-putsch protests: "We have to keep fighting"Sudan's coup puppetmasters: The UAE – pulling Sudanese stringsWhat's next after resignation of Sudan's PM?
Date stuffed with pistachios, Gaziantep, Turkey (photo: imago/Westend61)

Gaziantep Academy of Culinary Arts

Baklava, but not for beginners

Gaziantep in south-eastern Turkey boasts a rich culinary history. Keen to preserve ancestral recipes for posterity, local chef Ugur Acioglu has founded an academy for the culinary arts. Rainer Hermann reportsMore

Interview with Zafer Yenal: On the connection between nationalism and cuisineEU accession: Turks troubled by possibility of tripe banErdogan, Islam and alcohol: Last call for Istanbul's meyhane bar culture?
Lebanese activists take part in a demonstration in support of women protesters in Iran, following the death of Mahsa Amini, outside the Lebanese National Museum in Beirut, Lebanon, 2 October 2022 (photo: picture-alliance/AA/Hussam Shbaro)

Protests in Iran

Arab women in solidarity with their Iranian sisters

"You are not my guide... I am the compass. Iranian women have spoken, freed themselves, and unleashed a revolution despite smelling death. They have cut their braids in anger; they have raised the banner of hair set free during an age of servile beards. They are our guides... and more"More

Protests in Iran: Murderous repression by a desperate regimeIran protests: "Change that goes beyond the moment"Qantara photo essay: Iran protests – Graffiti from Tehran to Mexico City How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determination
Kuljeet Kaur, left, helps arrange a potluck lunch of Indian dishes in the kitchen of Meena Natarajan in Minneapolis on 09.10.2022. Kaur, who’s Sikh, and Natarajan, who comes from a Hindu family, gather monthly with other Indians in Minnesota in an interfaith group aimed to prevent religious tensions in India from spilling over into U.S. diaspora communities (photo: AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

Hindu nationalism abroad

Fighting religious polarisation among India's diaspora

Indian Americans from diverse faith backgrounds have peacefully co-existed stateside for several decades. But events in the U.S. – and violent confrontations between some Hindus and Muslims last month in Leicester, England – have heightened concerns that stark political and religious polarisation in India is seeping into the diasporaMore

Hate propaganda in India: Modi opponents labelled 'anti-national'Indian Muslim writer Sadia Dehlvi: "The soul of India is inclusive, pluralistic, and democratic"Indian democracy at 75: Narendra Modi’s damaging dominance
Women in Greece protest in solidarity with their Iranian sisters (photo: AFP)

Iranian lawyer appeals for solidarity

"Iranian women need the world's help"

Mahsa Amini’s crime, which led to her death at the hands of Iran’s morality police, was wearing the hijab incorrectly. A legal expert from inside Iran, who prefers to remain anonymous, explains the political dimensions of this special piece of cloth to Ehsan HosseinzadehMore

How feminist are the protests in Iran? The struggle for self-determination 2022 Iran protests: Can the Iranian system survive?Protests in Iran: Murderous repression by a desperate regime
Official opening of Gifhorn's "Christian-Muslim" kindergarten (photo: © Braunschweiger Zeitung 2018)

Interfaith cooperation and integration

Germany’s first Christian-Muslim kindergarten

Despite early learning being linked to better chances in later life, Muslim parents in Germany are currently less likely to send their kids to kindergarten. A pioneering interfaith project in Gifhorn presents an appealing alternative, promoting integration in partnership with local church and state actors. Arndt-Walter Emmerich reportsMore

Christian-Muslim dialogue in Germany: Together in the search for GodMathias Rohe on the muezzin call: "Traditional religious practice is not political Islam"Islam in Germany: Imam Idriz – "We need to allow controversial discussion"Islam in Germany: Countering the Islamisation hysteria
Moufida Rahmon at work in her dairy (photo: Omar Albam)

Women in Syria

Syria’s increasingly female job market

As a consequence of the 11-year war, twice as many women are now in paid jobs in Syria as before. Their employment is driven by courage and the need to feed their families. By Jennifer Holleis and Omar AlbamMore

International Women’s Day: Spotlight on Syria's female White HelmetsSyrian women in Assadʹs prisons: No end to Bashar's crimes against humanityThe war in Syria: Overshadowed, yet still a major issue
Symbolic image of terrorism/extremism (photo: picture-alliance)

Confessions of an ex-jihadist

What makes someone a jihadist?

Charting his own descent into extremism, former Moroccan jihadist Adil El Hasani reveals how he was ultimately able to extricate himself from the grasp of those peddling religious illusions. Mohamed Taifouri read the bookMore

De-radicalising young people: Is there a way to stop jihadists in Europe?The psychology of radicalisation: Lego IslamIslamisation, a racist conspiracy theory: The hatred of Hanau and its enablers
Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad, founder of mystealthyfreedom.org (photo: AFP/Ed Jones)

Iran protests 2022

Tehran's Berlin Wall moment?

Iran may use the Islamic veil as a tool of oppression, but the hijab is also the weakest pillar of an embattled regime trying to forestall its own "Berlin Wall" moment, says Masih AlinejadMore

Hannah Kaviani on the Iran protests: "Change that goes beyond the moment"Women's rights in Iran: Freedom by stealth – and its public impactGolineh Atai's unsung heroines: In Iran, freedom is female2022 Iran protests: Can the Iranian system survive?
The Colour Run in Abu Dhabi (photo: Getty Images)

Gender rights in the Gulf

UAE ups the ante on LGBTQ community

Queers have so far managed to live in the Gulf state by keeping a low profile. But UAE’s new crackdown on the LGBTQ community might change that, writes Jennifer HolleisMore

LGBTQ+ Pride: Being queer and ArabIslam and homophobia: The hatred on our doorstepLGBT in Islam: "Islam does give us leeway to think"
Senior reporter with Radio Farda, Hannah Kaviani (photo: RFE/RL/Radio Free Europe))

Iran protests

"Change that goes beyond the moment"

The protests in Iran have entered their third week with no indication that Tehran is prepared to address the demands that are echoing through the streets. Radio Farda’s Hannah Kaviani spoke to Erik Siegl for Qantara.deMore

Protests in Iran: On the eve of a new world era? Protests in Iran: Murderous repression by a desperate regime Protests in Iran: Spiralling food prices fuel unrest
The protests in Iran have broken taboos in the country, but security forces have hit back with lethal force (photo: Thomas COEX/AFP)

Hadis, Minoo and Ghazaleh

The women victims of Iran's crackdown

"I am really hoping that in some years from now, after everything has changed, I will be happy to have been involved by taking part in this protest," Iranian woman Hadis Najafi, 22, said in a self-recorded video as she prepared to take to the streetsMore

Protests in Iran: Murderous repression by a desperate regime Hannah Kaviani on the Iran protests: "Change that goes beyond the moment"2022 Iran protests: Can the Iranian system survive?
الآلاف من الشباب التونسيين بدأوا يفكرون عكس التيار فاتجهوا جنوبا ضمن إفريقيا. Migration nach Afrika Insaf Boughdiri Foto Insaf Boughdiri

Africa, not the EU

Tunisia's brain drain

Tunisia's economic and political instability and the increasing reluctance of Europe to take in job-seeking migrants is leading many Tunisians to head for sub-Saharan Africa in the hope of building a better life for themselves and their families. Tarak Guizani reportsMore

Under pressure: Tunisia accepts "unusual deportations"Coronavirus fallout: Tunisia post-lockdown – should we stay or should we go?Kais Saied's creeping coup: Who will save Tunisia's democracy now?
Iranian women protest against compulsory headscarves (photo: picture-alliance/abaca/SalamPix)

Golineh Atai's unsung heroines

In Iran, freedom is female

In "Iran. Die Freiheit ist weiblich", journalist Golineh Atai describes the dogged resistance of courageous Iranian women against the Islamic Republic and the mullahs who have ruled Iran for more than 40 years. Claudia Mende read the book for Qantara.deMore

Sexual violence: #MeToo revelations rock Iranian film industryWomen′s rights in Iran: "Now it's the men's turn"The Republic of Iran turns forty: A theocracy at the crossroads
Nora Al-Jarawi (also Noura, Noora), Yemeni political leader and media activist (photo: private via Twitter + logo of womensolidaritynetwork)

Yemen’s other war

Female politicians targeted on social media

With more than two hundred thousand followers on Facebook and about 54 thousand followers on Twitter, I am one of the most prominent Yemeni politicians on the ground and online. Yet not a day passes without me having to fight in the virtual world because I decided to have a voice. Activist Nora Al-Jarawi gives a personal accountMore

Women entrepreneurs in Yemen: The fight to secure capitalWomen's rights in Yemen: Making the most of the space availableFemale Yemeni artists: Making art in times of war
Podium speakers at the German Football Association congress on human rights (photo: Julius Nieweler/DFB)

Qatar World Cup 2022

Fans: "Abolish sexual and gender identity penalties"

Unflattering terms were used at a German Football Association human rights congress aimed at "intensifying the discussion" ahead of the World Cup. One speaker in particular made waves with an impassioned personal plea. James Thorogood reportsMore

2022 FIFA World Cup and human rights: Pointing the finger at Qatar's rulers is not enoughPolitical correctness in the Gulf: Qatar's textbook spring-cleanQantara photo essay: At the bottom of the heap: foreign construction workers in Qatar
Ferdousi Begum (l) describes her symptoms to Sufi leader Syed Emdadul Hoque (R) at the Maizbhandar Darbar Sharif shrine in Maizbhandar (photo: Munir uz Zaman/AFP)

Mental health and Islam

Bangladeshi mystic fights demons with psychiatry

Evil spirits bedevil the families that seek blessings from an elderly Sufi mystic – but he knows his prayers alone are not enough to soothe their troubled mindsMore

Islamic mysticism: Understanding the SufisAttar’s "The Conference of the Birds": There is no person whose soul has not sufferedClimate change in Bangladesh: The end of the line for climate migrants in Dhaka
In the Sufi shrine of Sidi Bel Abbas, Marrakesh (photo: Marian Brehmer)

Sufism in Morocco

A cure for extremism?

Morocco's Sufi traditions go back centuries. Now King Mohammed VI is trying to use them to combat extremism. His programme of reforms includes the promotion of Sufi movements and moderate Islamic thinkers. By Marian BrehmerMore

Islam in Pakistan: The land of the SufisIslamic mysticism: Understanding the SufisJames Morris on Ibn Arabi's vision for a fully human global civilisation
Mada Masr's journalists (left to right): Rana Mamdouh, Sara Seif Eddin, editor-in-chief Lina Attalah and Beesan Kassab in front of Cairo's Appeals Prosecution after being released on bail (photo: Mada Masr)

Press freedom in Egypt

Renewed crackdown threatens last independent news site

Egyptian authorities have Mada Masr in their sights once again after critical reporting. But the editor of the country's last independent news source is adamant they will continue their work. By Jennifer HolleisMore

Repression in Sisi's Egypt: Egyptian media workers – systematically intimidatedArabic Network for Human Rights: Egypt's leading rights group forced to close Egypt's National Human Rights Strategy: Propaganda tailored to the U.S.?
Hagia Sophia: a monument spanning two world religions, Christianity and Islam (photo: Getty Images)

No Europe without Islam

"Europe's history is rooted in migration"

Like Christianity, Europe's history is one of migration. Both have strong roots in the Orient and in cultures thousands of years old. Cultural historian Bernhard Braun invites us on a journey of discoveryMore

Europe's ''Judeo-Christian Heritage'': The fiction that it always wasIslam debate in Germany: The Jewish-Christian tradition is an inventionIslam for the 21st century? Look no further than Goethe

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Egypt’s female social media influencers face arrest

A screenshot from Salma Elshimy's Instagram account featuring photos of the Egyptian model and influencer (© almaelshimy, Instagram)

Charged with "inciting debauchery" and "violating family values": Last week, Egyptian TikTok celebrity Salma Elshimy became the latest in a growing list of women to fall foul of the Egyptian authorities over social media postsMore

The big history of Albania's tiny Koran

The Prushi family have been guardians of the Koran for generations The Prushi family have been guardians of the Koran for generations (image: Adnan Beci/AFP)

For generations, this postage stamp-sized book has been passed down through one family -- surviving wars and one of the world's most fanatical "godless regimes".More

Iran's revolutionary feminist backlash

Demonstrators protest in solidarity in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin (photo: DW)

Controlling women's bodies has been a pillar of the Islamic Republic from its inception, writes Nader Hashemi.More

Ramadan: Enlightenment and commerce

According to the Koran, the Prophet Muhammad received the Book's holy words in the month of Ramadan. During this month, Muslims are supposed to practice abstinence. Daily prayer is compulsory – even for travellers. Islamic prayer rooms have been set up in many international airports, like the one here in Amman. In Germany, you can find these rooms in the airports at Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf

Ramadan: Enlightenment and commerce

Muslims all over the world are currently observing Ramadan. The month of fasting is supposed to be all about reflection, meditation and abstention - but Ramadan is becoming increasingly commercialised.

Islamic Republic facing a religious watershed

Symbolic image demonstrating frustration with Iran's religious leaders (photo: Getty Images/AFP)

Iranians do not want an Islam that interferes. They are fed up with a system that manipulates people with simple promises of salvation and anti-Western propaganda. Islamic theologian Hamideh Mohagheghi sees Iran at a religious crossroadsMore

The rise and rise of Muslim influencers

Female influencer wearing headphones using digital tablet while vlogging at cafe (photo: Jose Carlos Ichiro/Westend61/imago images)

In recent decades, Muslim piety has gone through a number of qualitative transformations, the most prominent of which is the emerging phenomenon of "Islamic influencers", which represents a new type of Islamic religiousness that combines globalisation and the values of Western modernity and is easy and effortless. By Ahmad Saif al-NasrMore

UN urged to reject anti-Semitism definition over ‘misuse’ to shield Israel

Blue United Nations flag fluttering in the wind (image: DW/F. Goerner)

More than 100 Israeli and international civil society organisations have asked the United Nations to reject the controversial IHRA anti-Semitism definition, warning it is being "misused" to protect Israel from legitimate criticism.More

India's predicted urban boom

Mumbai, one of India's biggest cities, grew by about eight million people in the past 30 years -- equivalent to the entirety of New York City's population (photo: Punit PARANJPE/AFP)

India is projected to see an explosion in its urban population in the coming decades, but its cities already cannot cope and climate change will make living conditions harsher stillMore

Pakistan feels economic shockwaves

Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif addresses a National Assembly session in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 11 April 2022 (photo: National Assembly of Pakistan/AP/picture-alliance)

While many countries are dependent on Ukrainian or Russian wheat or foreign energy imports, Pakistan requires both. For this reason, the country has been hit particularly badly by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Serious reform is needed, but is it too late for Pakistan's new PM, Shehbaz Sharif (pictured above), to deliver? According to Michael Rubin, Pakistan faces collapse, and the world should be worried.More

APPLY NOW: Germany's IPS Programme for Arabs 2023

The International Parliamentary Scholarship Programme for Arab (IPS) countries offered by the German Bundestag (closing date 15 December 2022) affords young and talented Arab graduates the opportunity to get to know the German parliamentary system.More

Promoting human rights in the Middle East and North Africa

A woman bashes pan lids together during an anti-government demonstration in Algeria (photo: Getty Images/AFP/R. Kramdi)

With authoritarianism once more gaining ground in the Middle East and North Africa, the European Council on Foreign Relations explores how European diplomats can be more effective in promoting human rights and democratic values in the regionMore

World Refugee Day: UNHCR's "The Colour of Flight"

1974: Greek Cypriot children in a refugee camp in Strovolos, a municipality of Nicosia, which at the time had a population of around 1,600 (photo: Jean Mohr; colourised by Marina Amaral)

For "The Colour of Flight", UNHCR collaborated with Brazilian artist Marina Amaral, 30, who specialises in colouring archival images. Building a bridge between past and present, she breathes life into images of the displaced.More

Weathering sandstorms, Iraqis grit their teeth

People ride during a sandstorm in the town of Khalis in Iraq's Diyala province on 3 July (photo: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP)

Another sandstorm has darkened Iraqi skies and it's hard to breathe, but Baghdad motorcycle delivery rider Milad Mitti doesn't have the luxury of missing a day's work. Like most people in the now blistering hot desert country, the 30-year-old battles on in frustration, wearing goggles and a grey neck warmer over his mouth and nose "so I can breatheMore

Amnesty International Report 2021/22

Amnesty International 2021/2022 annual report (source: amnesty.org)

The Amnesty International Report 2021/22 highlights the human rights situation in 154 countries in 2021. From a human rights perspective, 2021 was largely a story of betrayal and hypocrisy in the corridors of power.More

R.I.P. Abraham B. Yehoshua: "Championing peace and justice"

Israeli author and peace activist A. B. Yehoshua, 1936-2022 (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

A.B. Yehoshua, a prominent Israeli author celebrated for his mastery of the Hebrew language and a leading peace activist, died last week. He was 85.More

Saudi women move from behind wheel to under the hood

Ghada Ahmed (r) works on a car in Saudi Arabia, where garages are tapping women as a source for mechanics (photo: Fayez Nureldine/AFP)

An auto repair garage in Saudi Arabia is turning to an untapped source for new car mechanics: Saudi women, who just four years ago weren't even allowed to driveMore

Ancient 'zar' ritual puts exorcism on stage

Umm Sameh peforms the music and dance ritual known as "zar", traditionally performed to ward off or exorcise jinn or evil spirits (photo: Khaled DESOUKI/AFP)

A stage, lights, a mesmerised audience: it looks like an Egyptian folkloric concert, but Umm Sameh is singing to heal the sick by driving out the demons that possess themMore

Ukraine: Seven of the country's most important mosques

Crimean Tatar men pray at a mosque in Bakhchysarai (photo: AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)

While Muslims make up a small proportion of the country's population, Islam has a history in Ukraine stretching back to at least the 14th centuryMore

Is Islam fundamentally incompatible with Britishness?

Tipu Sultan's last stand painting as depicted in Leicester Square. The canvas, which glorified Britishness, was followed by additional works focused on Britain vanquishing the figure of the Muslim (British Military Museum website)

Challenging Islamophobia involves rejecting the country's racist, post-colonial, politically constructed hierarchy, argues Ismail Patel.More

Summer on PBS: "The Great Muslim American Road Trip"

Mona Haydar and husband Sebastian Robins star in the PBS show “The Great Muslim American Road Trip,” which premieres in summer 2022 (photo: Adam McCall/PBS)

Their 'Ask a Muslim' project went viral. Now rapper-activist Mona Haydar and husband Sebastian Robins have a travel show about Islam in the United States.More

"Voices that matter": Intersectional analysis of Canadian Muslim women

Woman preparing lunches for the homeless in San Francisco (photo: Abdel Rahman Bassa)

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) has released a report that found Muslim women experience poorer social and economic conditions compared to their non-Muslim counterparts, while others such as queer, disabled and Black Muslim women – along with newcomers and single mothers – experienced poorer outcomes still.More

Muslims and interfaith marriage

Bridal couple make hearts with hands (photo: Tú Anh/Pixabay/Creative Commons)

One out of five Muslims is in an interfaith relationship, surveys suggest. But few imams are willing to adapt the traditional Muslim wedding ceremony to their needs, couples say.More

"The invisible Muslim": On White privilege and Islam

Banner advertising Medina Tenour Whiteman's "The Invisible Muslim" (source: hurstpublishers.com)

"The Invisible Muslim" offers a topical read to better understand the anti-racism conversation raging across the world right now, as well as a case study of what it means to be a Muslim in the West in the 21st century.More

Bulgarian Pomaks keep traditional wedding rite alive

Bulgarian Pomak bride Nefie Eminkova in her wedding finery and special make-up (photo: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP)

A wedding extravaganza of bright colours, flowers, feasting and dancing, yet the bride, Nefie Eminkova, who comes from Bulgaria's Pomak – Muslim – minority, can see none of it. Her eyes must remain tightly closed until the imam gives his blessing.More

Berlin Mideast Podcast

Focus on the Middle East. Logo of the Berlin Mideast Podcast (photo:Konrad Adenauer Foundation)

Monthly German-language podcast series Berlin Mideast Podcast looks at the current situation and trends in the Middle East.More

Scotland's National Galleries to showcase portraits of its Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Polish communities

Veiled woman (photo: Arpita Shah)

The National Galleries of Scotland has unveiled plans for a major show exploring the diverse communities and individuals who make up modern-day Scotland. Featuring the work of Arpita Shah, portraits of people from Scotland’s Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Polish communities are to go on display alongside images of Scottish celebritiesMore

Qantara dossier: Islamophobia

Demonstration against the building of a mosque in Cologne (photo: picture-alliance/Ralph Goldmann)

Renowned journalists, Islamic scholars and authors shed light on the various facets of racist and Islamophobic violence in Western countries.More

Sands of time: a century of Egyptian photography – in pictures

Princess Fawzia of Egypt and Princess Nasl Shah of Turkey, at the Women’s Conference at the Dome Palace (photo: Mohamed El Ghazouly)

These images of everyone from presidents to paupers show the tourist’s view of Egypt that we know – and the backstreets we don’tMore

Europe rights body pulls pro-hijab campaign after French outcry

Colourful hijabs worn by Muslim women (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gentsch)

The pan European rights body the Council of Europe has pulled a campaign promoting diversity among women and their freedom to wear the Muslim headscarf after it sparked an outcry in fiercely secular France.More

Azerbaijan activists sound alarm over femicide wave

Dilara Bagiyeva, 41, a victim of domestic violence in Azerbaijan (photo by Tofik BABAYEV/AFP)

Activists in Azerbaijan have been urging the country's government to ratify the 2011 Istanbul Convention – a landmark international agreement aimed at preventing domestic violence – for years. Baku has yet to act, however. Meanwhile the number of women dying at the hands of their partners continues to riseMore

SWP dossier: Forced displacement and migration

Pin and thread sculpture of a map of the world (© pogonici/Shuttterstock)

Migration is on the increase worldwide. The causes are manifold. Ever more people are forcibly displaced by persecution, violent conflicts and human-rights violations. Read up on international cooperation in the areas of forced displacement and migration, on developments in Europe’s migrant and refugee policies, and on the migrant and refugee policies of individual states.More

Online education is the only hope for Afghan schoolgirl

Afghan primary school girls in a classroom in Kabul, 18 September 2021. Secondary schools for girls remain closed (photo: © via Reuters/WANA News Agency)

Denied access to school due to the Taliban's failure to reopen secondary schools for girls, one Afghan teenager has taken to the Internet to try to exercise her basic right to an education. But her self-driven online learning mission has not been easy.More

Washington Post: Mustafa Akyol argues for Islamic reform from within

Cover of Mustafa Akyol latest book; YouTube screenshot of Mustafa Akyol

A re-examination of authoritative sources based on reason is at the heart of Mustafa Akyol’s new book: “Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance”. Akyol’s work offers the reader a journey into largely forgotten but important theological debates that took place among Muslim scholars in the Middle Ages.More

FINO: Forum Islam and Middle East

Forum Islam and Middle East (FINO); Universty of Bern logo (source: https://www.fino.unibe.ch/)

The Forum Islam and Middle East (FINO) was established at the University of Berne in 2018 and sees itself as a transdisciplinary competence centre for documentation, knowledge transfer and academic services in the field of Islam and the Middle East (IME).More

Global Village Space: Pakistan, and why nations radicalise

Anti-French protest in Pakistan following the arrest of Saad Rizvi (photo: AFP)

Discussing Dr. Shoaib Pervez’s latest book "Radicalization in Pakistan: A Critical Perspective", Farah Adeed probes the origins of collective societal radicalisation in Pakistan.More