Qantara.de - Dialog mit der islamischen Welt

"Wiki Gender" is a collectively-run Internet lexicon. The activists behind it hope to create a digital and participatory knowledge platform that not only provides freely accessible information to the public, but above all serves to initiate discourse. By Sofian Philip NaceurMore

In parts of modern Pakistan, being a qawwali musician is now a high-risk occupation. By intimidating those who play, listen or even dance to this devotional music, puritan hardliners in Pakistan are insulting and violating an indigenous culture that for centuries has celebrated love both earthly and divine, says Jurgen Wasim FrembgenMore

The German-speaking author Deniz Utlu writes about migration and identity in a way that is at once to the point and poetical. In interview with Canan Topcu, he explains why his Turkish roots seem more important to others than they do to him and how he himself defines his identityMore

Tariq Mehmood′s latest novel ″Song of Gulzarina″ is an arresting tale of love, loss and longing set against the backdrop of a never-ending war. In interview with Changiz M. Varzi, the award-winning author addresses issues of identity and how racism and Islamophobia can leave an indelible markMore

The tragic history of Kabul is nowhere more clearly seen than at two adjacent historical sites: the ruined shell of the Darul Aman Palace and its close neighbour the National Museum of Afghanistan, where visitors are hard pressed to find a Buddha with its head intact. By Emran FerozMore

Lebanese poet Zeina Hashem Beck talks to Marcia Lynx Qualey about her work in the spaces between languages, communities and political factions. She writes in English, yet her poetry is so infused with Arabic that it becomes its own, liminal languageMore

Director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's documentary film "Touba" is a chronicle of the largest Sufi pilgrimage in sub-Saharan Africa. A review by Marian BrehmerMore

In his novel ″The Baghdad Eucharist″, Iraqi author Sinan Antoon probes deeply into the nature of loss and its impact on collective memory. Intertwining two distinct threads, he teases the reader to reach a conclusion about a community on the edge. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore

Fatih Akin′s latest film – ″Aus dem Nichts″ (In The Fade) – recently celebrated its world premiere at the International Film Festival in Cannes. The German-Turkish film director′s work revolves around the clash of different cultures, transcending borders to achieve a great truthfulness. By Anke Sterneborg More