We shouldn't be arguing about burkas: we should be abolishing the headscarf bans. They ostracise women who could be building bridges, comments Ursula RüssmannMore
Aside from the human suffering caused by Syria's ongoing war, we should be aware of the potentially dire regional consequences of Syria's disintegration: It would call the entire post-World War I Middle Eastern state system into question. By Volker PerthesMore
In her essay, Sara Silvestri argues that an overarching ban for burqas and niqabs in Britain would be more dangerous than beneficial for public interest and for the cohesion of society. The debate about the issue, however, is necessary and beneficialMore
Throughout the post-colonial period, Arab countries have consistently failed to produce an efficient – let alone democratic – system of government. Now, after a half-century of competition between military or royal dictatorships and militant Islamist regimes, many Arabs are again seeking a "third way"More
The spread of extremism in Muslim societies in the past century can be attributed to a largely overlooked trend: the demise of religious institutions that once had global reach. Focusing on Egypt's Al-Azhar university, Hassan Hassan takes a look into the matterMore
Reports by Western media on the violent protests in the Muslim world against the film "The Innocence of Muslims" have delivered a one-sided and over-simplified picture of the Muslims and the complex reality in which they live. By Hoda SalahMore
On the road to democratic and economic development, Egypt faces two major hurdles: endemic corruption, and a deadbeat educational system. But, says Joris Luyendijk, there may be hope from an unexpected corner: IslamMore
Sahar Khalifeh is considered one of the most prominent Palestinian writers. In this essay, she argues that Western imperialism is indirectly responsible for the return of mandatory veiling for women in the Islamic worldMore
Does the Koran really demand that women wear headscarves? Or is it mainly older men who claim they can decide how women should dress – with no theological foundation whatsoever? For the Islam scholar Lamya Kaddor, there is no question about it: the headscarf is obsoleteMore
Muslim men engaged in long hours of hard labour deep underground in a coal mine in Bosnia still find the strength to fast. Kemal Softic accompanied them down the mine
Congress allocates historic funding to Middle East peace
This week United States Congress passed the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, historic legislation delivering unprecedented levels of funding for peacebuilding in Israel and Palestine. This follows over a decade of advocacy by the Alliance for Middle East Peace – ALLMEP – toward the creation of an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.More
"Europe's Muslims are European. Stop outsourcing their plight to foreign leaders"
For EU leaders to seek solutions abroad to end prejudice against millions of their own citizens is insulting and meaningless, argues Shada Islam for The Guardian.More
Researcher Adrian Zens defends Chinese Uighur birth control expose
Forced sterilisation has led to a steep decline in birth rates among China’s Uighur community, claims researcher Adrian Zens. A senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, Zens says he based his report on Chinese government documents, family planning documents, reports and witness testimonies, describing the policy as "drastic, horrific and unprecedented".More
The Arab Spring in Yemen and elsewhere: Dr. Elizabeth Kendall
Dr Elisabeth Kendall from the University of Oxford gives her thoughts on developments and consequences of the Arab Spring, including in Yemen, and on the role of religion in politics and society in the Middle East.More
Mustafa Akyol: Muslims should disarm Islamophobia with kindness
Mustafa Akyol, author of "The Islamic Jesus", argues that the Koran has many verses that command a courteous response – even to a terrible insult about Islam.More
The Arab intellectual, past and present
This new intellectual generation is like a middle child – sandwiched between the self-confident, older sibling and the younger, carefree baby sibling. Unable to accept the determinism of the old and refusing to live by the nihilist ways of the young, it inhabits the interregnum: sitting between the old, which is dying, and the new that cannot be born.More
The people who shaped Islamic civilisation
Chase Robinson's new book "Islamic Civilisation in Thirty Lives" is an elegant digest of the many colourful, creative and technologically innovative manifestations that the Prophet Muhammad inspired from his seventh-century oases in the Arabian peninsula, reminding us that Islam is less a nihilistic creed than a global civilisation.More
Online magazine Jadaliyya
Featuring contributions by writers from the Islamic world, the independent online magazine "Jadaliyya" is published by the Arab Studies Institute.More
Muslims: in defence of religious freedom and the German constitution
Muslims in Germany have launched a petition calling on all citizens of Germany to support the German legal system, especially the German constitution and its protection of religious freedom.More
The first colour photos of the Middle East
These images of Middle Eastern cities, towns and attractions were taken during the 1890s. Colour was added manually to the black and white negatives using the Photochrom technique pioneered by Photoglob Zurich AG.More
Bosnia Herzegovina: Mosque of hope
It is over twenty years since the end of the war in Bosnia, yet many Muslims in Bosnia still feel alienated. A mosque destroyed by the civil war reopened recently.More
Jihad and homosexuality: a history of entanglement
At the heart of jihadist political violence are specific conceptualisations of gender and sexuality. Jihadism imagines a glorified militant masculinity that protects the Muslim world from the European threat and purifies its societies of internal decay.More
D+C Development and Cooperation
D+C Development and Cooperation is a website and a monthly print magazine that seeks to provide a credible forum of debate, involving governments, civil society, the private sector and academia at an international level. It contains interesting articles and reports on politics and society all over the world.More
