For the fourth time since 2001, academics, theologians, journalists, politicians, and interested lay people from Egypt and Germany came together in Ain el-Sukhneh, Egypt, for a dialogue conference. Peter Philipp sums up the resultsMore
Among the nearly three million immigrants living in Spain, many still have no residence or work permit. The Zapatero government has decided to finally get a grip on this problem and has begun a new program to legalize immigrants. By Gina PellariniMore
Independent Iranian journalists often risk their lives by practicing their profession in Iran. But the greatest enemy of the free press, the justice department, is no longer attacking as relentlessly as it used to. Bahman Nirumand reportsMore
The Association Agreement between the EU and Algeria has now been ratified. It foresees an extensive liberalisation of the Algerian economy, the opening of its market, and the liberalisation of the energy sector. By Bernhard SchmidMore
Invoking new "anti-hate legislation", a Berlin court ruled Wednesday that a well-known Turkish religious leader accused of preaching hatred should be extradited to Turkey. Hardy Graupner reportsMore
Religious scholars in Yemen are trying to persuade imprisoned Islamists to pursue a more moderate approach to Islam. Europe is also showing interest in the innovative program. By Kristin HelbergMore
Only recently Chechnya's ex-president, moderate rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov, was offering to negotiate with the Kremlin. He was killed in early March. French philosopher André Glucksmann examines Putin's role and the responsibility of the west.More
The "Spiritual Instruction" gave the terrorists of September 11 detailed instructions as to how they were to behave. Now a thorough analysis of this religiously inspired guidebook to terrorism has been published. By Ronald DükerMore
While the US is willing to offer economic incentives to Iran, the EU said it will take Tehran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program if need be. The join strategy won't help much, says Peter PhilippMore
A goat thief is punished more severely than a president who misappropriates government funds. The introduction of the Sharia has brought no improvements, Nigerian sociologist and economist Lamido Sanusi insists. By Lennart LehmannMore
Turkey has been a secular state at least since Atatürk's revolution. There are trends and movements in Turkey that are related to Islam - phenomena which oppose closer ties to the EU, argues Giacomo LucianoMore
Europe represents a slippery and elusive object of desire for Turkey, but Turkish intellectuals are wondering whether it might not be best to define Europe before beginning to covet it. By François SkvorMore
In an interview with the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica", world-renowned Turkish author and novelist, Yasar Kemal, discusses his nation's desire for accession into the European Union.More
One of the reasons why many in Europe remain sceptical about Turkey's accession to the EU is the putative social and political destabilisation. Karin Wedra, however, argues that the opposite could be the case.More
Many critics of Turkey's accession to the European Union are ignorant of the country's historical and current political situation – thereby turning a blind eye on the opportunities, argues Monika Griefahn, member of the German Bundestag.More
Following a trip to Turkey, an international delegation of lawyers has deemed the country unfit to join the EU. With regard to the Kurdish issue, it concluded that the improvements were merely theoretical.More
Ulrich Beck is one of the world's most renowned social scientists. In this interview, Beck talks about globalisation, cultural dialogue, cosmopolitan identity, and Muslim societies in the Western world.More
In schools, workplaces and on the streets, Spain fell silent for five minutes on Friday in memory of the 191 people who died in Madrid a year ago in the worst terrorist attack in the country's history.More
The highest-level visit to Turkey by EU leaders since Ankara was given the go-ahead for accession talks began with European officials condemning police violence against women protestors in Istanbul.More
Sheikh Hussein is a town in the Oromia region in south-eastern Ethiopia. The tomb of the 13th century Sufi Sheikh Hussein who introduced Islam to the area and is said to have performed many miracles is still visited by thousands of people. By Eric Lafforgue
Graffiti of Sudan's revolution: murals depict struggle to bring change
A look at the street art from Sudanese youth during the uprising against former president Omar Hassan Al Bashir.More
Divided over narratives: The new fault line in the Arab World
The narratives that divide the Middle East today are no longer predominately about Sunni versus Shia, Arab versus Persian, or Muslim versus Jew; instead, they are about pluralism versus authoritarianism, Islamism versus “counterterrorism”, civilian rule versus military rule, and civil society empowerment versus civil society regulation.More
Our women on the ground: Essays by Arab women reporting from the Arab world
Since 2014, when President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi took power, Egyptian courts have sentenced some 3,000 people to death according to the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, an independent organisation that documents human rights violations in the Middle East and North Africa. Innocence or guilt no longer appears to play a role.More
Chatham House reports on conflict economies in the Middle East and North Africa
Analysis of the violence that has struck the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) over the past two decades has focussed predominantly on ideological and identity-based factors. This report expands the discourse by incorporating approaches adopted from the literature on the political economy of war to examine the conflict economies of Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen.More
Assad regime co-opts aid to serve loyalists
The Syrian government is co-opting humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance, Human Rights Watch said on Friday, urging donors and investors to ensure that funding is going to the right place.More
NYT: How the UAE-Saudi axis of autocracy is ruining Sudan's chance at democracy
Since the Arab uprisings of 2011, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have used their considerable resources to promote authoritarian governments run by military strongmen in the region. By Iyad el-BaghdadiMore
BBC Radio 4: Spyware in the wrong hands
BBC Radio 4's "File on Four" reveals how surveillance software designed to track drug-dealers and terrorists is being used by Gulf states to spy on journalists, human rights activists and lawyers carrying out legitimate activities.More
NYT: The most powerful Arab ruler isn’t M.B.S. It’s M.B.Z.
Prince Mohammed bin Zayed expanded the U.A.E.’s power by following America’s lead. He now has an increasingly bellicose agenda of his own. And President Trump seems to be following him.More
Human Rights Watch: Egypt's war crimes in North Sinai
A recently published Human Rights Watch report based on two years of investigation documents crimes including mass arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial killings and possibly unlawful air and ground attacks against civilians in the North Sinai.More
International Crisis Group: Toward dialogue with Mali’s jihadists
Against a background of growing intercommunal violence in central Mali, the International Crisis Group published a report this week encouraging the government to explore the possibility of talks with the jihadist insurgents.More
Torture: India’s instrument of control in Kashmir and Jammu
The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) and the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) have released the first comprehensive report on torture in Jammu and Kashmir. Using 432 case studies, the report charts trends, patterns and impacts of torture since 1947. Since the Indian armed forces enjoy legal impunity, not a single prosecution has ever taken placeMore
The hidden sources of Iranian strength
Iran’s ties with its proxies are far deeper than the Trump administration understands. Historically, the connections between Iran, Iraq, and the Levant go back generations. But that's only half the story, writes Narges BajoghliMore
SWP: The “Deal of the Century” for Israel‑Palestine
While the details of Donald Trumpʹs "deal of the century" to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remain a well-kept secret, the U.S. administration’s record to date suggests the initiative will prioritise Israeli interests over Palestinian rights, ignore fundamental principles of international law and steer well away from the idea of two sovereign states.More
Sri Lanka: A preview of IS' future
Terrorism has long been a crucial promotional tactic for IS. This won’t change just because the organisation, which tried to build a proto-state on territory it held in Iraq and Syria, was militarily defeated earlier this year.More
POLITICO: France’s double game in Libya
In backing a warlord, Paris may be dealing itself a losing hand. "Macron was misadvised into thinking that Libya could be a quick win for his charisma," says Tarek Megerisi, researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations.More
Is the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group?
President Trump wants to designate the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Islamist movement, as a terrorist organisation. The designation would impose sanctions on the group and those who do business with it.More
SWP: Libya’s conflicts enter a dangerous new phase
Owing to General Khalifa Haftar's attack on Tripoli, the national conference on Libya planned by the UN has been cancelled. In view of recent developments, we recommend reading Wolfram Lacher's commentary published by SWP.More
Sisi's Egypt: development dictatorship, Mubarak 2.0, or rapid collapse?
A referendum on a constitutional amendment is to be held in Egypt at the beginning of May, which would enable President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to continue governing after the end of his current term. In the face of massive repression, approval seems certain. But how will this regime develop in the future? By Stephan Roll and Luca MieheMore
Iran is committing suicide by dehydration
The Islamic Republic’s corruption is draining the country of its most precious resource: water.More
Qantara dossier: Islamophobia
Renowned journalists, Islamic scholars and authors shed light on the various facets of racist and Islamophobic violence in Western countries.More
Human Rights Watch: IS child suspects subject to arbitrary arrest and torture
In its latest report, Human Rights Watch reveals that Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government authorities have charged hundreds of children with terrorism for alleged Islamic State affiliation. The prosecutions are often based on dubious accusations and forced confessions obtained through torture.More
Tania Georgelas: My journey out of extremism
Tania Georgelas met her husband John, an American convert to Islam, online and they connected over their Islamist views. After John moved Tania and their children to Syria, she decided to escape. Now she wants to dedicate her life to countering extremism and rehabilitating ex-jihadists.More
SWP: Libya’s conflicts enter a dangerous new phase
Wolfram Lacher argues that the UN’s ongoing attempts at brokering a political solution in Libya are being undermined by the recent advances made by Khalifa Haftar’s “Libyan Arab Armed Forces” in the south of the country.More
The German Islam Scholar Lamya Kaddor
Why I as a Muslim Woman Don't Wear a Headscarf
Jordan and the influx of refugees
The true Samaritans
Muslims in Liberal Democracies
Why the West Fears Islam
The decline of Islamic scientific thought
Don't blame it on al-Ghazali
The Media and ''The Innocence of Muslims''
Against the Islamisation of Muslims
Turning away from Shia in Iran
''A Tsunami of Atheism''