Society

"We have to recognise the Judeo-Christian-Islamic nature of European culture," says Angelika Neuwirth, professor of Arabic Studies at Berlin's Freie University (photo: Christoph Jackle/Tubingen University)

Salafism or philology

The scholar's touch

The Islamic scholar Angelika Neuwirth has had a greater impact on Koranic research in Germany than anyone else in recent decades. What she has to say is revolutionary – not only for Muslims, but also for Europe. Salafists, in particular, could learn a great deal from her. By Navid KermaniMore

Interview with Angelika Neuwirth: "The claim that Islam lacks an Enlightenment is an age-old cliche"The Koran as a text from late antiquity: A European approach Islamic studies: Liberate the prophet from the stranglehold of religion!

Iranian woman walks past graffiti of a gun with the design of an American flag

Reform Islam

Can Iran do democracy?

A great deal of thought has been devoted to the issue of democracy in the Arab world over the last few decades. Katajun Amirpur examines the discourse with specific reference to Iran and its unique political systemMore

Abdolkarim Sorush: For an open interpretation of the Koran Interview with Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Part 1): ''Islam is a religion, not a political agenda''Interview with Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari (Part 2): ''Muslims can have democracy without having to leave Islam''Interview with Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari: Why Islam and democracy go well together

Germany and Islam

"Muslims are already German"

Many people these days are asking whether Islam and Muslims belong to Germany. In her recent book "Being German, Becoming Muslim", the Turkish anthropologist Esra Ozyurek provides an answer. Her results are more than clear. Interview by Emran FerozMore

Germany’s refugee debate: Integration is a two-way street The refugee debate: What makes us German?Non-fiction: ″Angst ums Abendland″ by Daniel Bax: The apocalyptics of the West

Freedom of expression in Turkey

Academics on the run

Turkish universities are coming down hard on academics who signed an appeal for peace, providing the government with an ideal pretext to deal with its political opponents, writes Joseph CroitoruMore

Turkey and the failed coup: God′s gift to Erdogan Putsch aftermath in Turkey: Autocracy or military dictatorship?Interview with the Turkish political scientist Baskin Oran: Erdogan's freedom of speech

Reforming Islam

Show me the Sharia

There is violence in the name of Sharia, yet assertions by Muslims that this has nothing to do with genuine Islam seem fated to fall on deaf ears. A contribution to the debate by Cefli AdemiMore

The Reform Islam debate: Islam doesn′t need a Martin Luther!Interview with the Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa: The reinvention of Islam Interview with Maha El-Kaisy-Friemuth: "We urgently need reform within Islam"

Marriage in Indonesia

Act of bravery

Marriage is highly regarded in Indonesian society and divorce can be a strong stigma for both women and men. Nonetheless, the number of divorces is rising and the government has now regulated issues of alimony and child care. By Edith KoesoemawiriaMore

Democracy and human rights in Indonesia: A blocked constitutional state Interview with Fritz Schulze: "Islam is deeply rooted in Indonesian democracy"Laksmi Pamuntjak′s novel "The Question of Red": The silence is broken

Yemen′s former minister for human rights, Hooria Mashhour (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Interview with Hooria Mashhour

On the rebels′ blacklist

Fearing for her life in her home country, a former minister from Yemen applied to Germany for asylum. Now she′s working for the integration of refugees. Interview by Ali AlmakhlafiMore

After the upheaval in the Arab world: Escalating wars The Yemen conflict: The threat of a regional conflagration Media reports on the Yemen conflict: A skewed view of Yemen's plight

A law student facing restrictions regarding the wearing of her hijab during a clerkship appeals to the Augsburg Administrative Court (photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa)

Germany's headscarf ruling

What an imposition!

Even a junior lawyer may wear a hijab, a German court has decided. And a female judge? Of course. People should be able to cope with that much freedom of religion, says Matthias DrobinskiMore

Qantara dossier: "The headscarf controversy "The headscarf ruling from Germany's Constitutional Court: Heated debate on all sides The headscarf in the colonial period: Remove your veils!

"Abwab" publisher Ramy al-Asheq (photo: dpa)

Germany′s first Arabic newspaper for refugees

Newcomers, not refugees

"Abwab" – the Arabic for doors - is the name of the first and so far the only Arabic newspaper for refugees in Germany. It aims to provide information and serve as a platform for discussing integration-related issues. Ceyda Nurtsch spoke to publisher Ramy al-AsheqMore

Germany’s refugee debate: Integration is a two-way street Theatre and the refugees: Getting the ball rolling The refugee debate: What makes us German?

Croatian-German author Jagoda Marinic (photo: D. Piroelle)

Interview with the Croatian-German writer Jagoda Marinic

″Cultural identity is not absolute″

"Made in Germany" is a label that sells. But when it comes to people, how German is Germany today? Croatian-German author Jagoda Marinic explains why identity is fluid – and the far-right so dangerous. Interview by Srecko MaticMore

AfD and its historical antecedents: Whose struggle is it anyway?Right-wing populism in Europe: Take the AfD seriously – or you'll end up like us Racism in Germany: The taint of PEGIDA journalism

Asian workers on a building site in Doha, Qatar (photo: picture alliance/dpa)

Gulf State economies

The expat bonus

How should policymakers in the Middle East′s Gulf States manage their countries′ large expatriate workforces? In Saudi Arabia, foreign nationals account for roughly one-third of the population. In Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, nine out of every ten residents is an expatriate. By Sami MahroumMore

Panama Paper revelations: The Emirs of Panama Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum: Dubai′s fairytale prince Oman's succession problem: Neither heir nor spare

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum

Dubai′s fairytale prince

Dubai's Crown Prince is a star on Instagram. With some 3.5 million subscribers, he has long since overtaken royals such as Prince William and Kate. Moreover he emphasises Islamic values. Yet for all the glamour and posturing, there′s no denying that the Emirate keeps a tight rein on freedom of speech. By Mey DudinMore

Dubai feels the effects of the financial crisis: Winds of change on Dubai's cultural scene Panama Paper revelations: The Emirs of Panama Global strategies for combating Islamic State: The intellectual battle against IS

Screenshot of ″Hallo... Jeddah″ trailer produced by the commercial channel Attessia with caricatures of Ben Ali (right), the impressionist Migalo and presenter Mekki Helal

Tunisia's TV spoof

Look who's coming to dinner!

This Ramadan, opinions are divided over a hidden camera television show being broadcast in Tunisia. The presumed protagonist: the former ruler Ben Ali. Does the programme trivialise the dictatorship, or is it an intelligent wake-up call? By Sarah Mersch in TunisMore

Planned ″business amnesty legislation″ in Tunisia: Tunisia: sweeping history under the carpet rather than confronting the past?NGO report on the Jasmine Revolution and security in Tunisia: How to make the transition from dictatorship to democracy The Tunisian judiciary: Piecemeal change as reform stalls

Symbolic image of Ramadan (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Mounzer)

Fasting during Ramadan

Too much of a good thing

Ramadan is like Islam as a whole: from a distance, people are scared of it. But close up, it′s wonderful. If only it weren′t for an uncomprehending majority on one side, and the pious hard-core fasters on the other. By Anja HilscherMore

Anja Hilscher's book "Image Problem": Addressing the problem of Islam's image The Islamic month of Ramadan: A test of willpower The holy month of Ramadan: To fast or not to fast Ramadan for shopkeepers: Breaking the fast with dates and seafood

The radical Salafist preacher Pierre Vogel (left) addressing at a rally in Offenbach am Main (photo: Boris Roessler/dpa)

Islamism in Germany

Jihad in the schoolyard

Many young people are getting caught up in the Islamist scene. Why – and how can they be protected from it? Details from Arnfrid SchenkMore

Recruitment strategies used by Islamic State: A mutation of religion Interview with the social scientist Edit Schlaffer: Mothers Schools challenge extremism Interview with the Islam scholar Lamya Kaddor: Jihad as a form of youth protest

Homophobic graffiti on a house wall (photo: Getty Images/AFP/A. Nimani)

Islam and homophobia

The hatred on our doorstep

Homosexuality is considered taboo in the Muslim community. But no one can expect tolerance if he himself makes a habit of excluding others. Those demanding solidarity must first set an example. By Busra DelikayaMore

Interview with the South African imam Muhsin Hendricks: "Islam does give us leeway to think"Attitudes to sexuality among Muslim students in Germany: Challenging homophobia Mass shooting in Orlando: Sounding the death knell

Araq refugee camp, Jordan (photo: Dana Ritzmann)

Azraq refugee camp

Captives of the desert

The Azraq refugee camp sits just off the highway, deep in the Jordanian desert. Lorries, on their way to Baghdad, thunder past along the so-called "road of death", the endless, pothole-pitted eastbound desert dirt track. Visitors are rare. By Dana RitzmannMore

Interview with Andre Bank, political scientist: "The refugees are part of Jordanian politics"Jordan and the Syrian refugees: Across a great divide Jordan and the influx of refugees: The true Samaritans

Chen Alon, theatre director and co-founder of the NGO Combatants for Peace (source: formaat.org)

Interview with Chen Alon

Between the lines

Chen Alon is a teacher at Tel Aviv University, theatre director and co-founder of the NGO Combatants for Peace. In an interview with Fabian Ebeling he talks about how politics in Israel are affecting the cultural sphere and the work of left-wing organisations More

Breaking the Silence: The ″turncoat″ sons of Israel The Palestinian minority in Israel: Systematic discrimination Avraham Burg: "The Holocaust Is Over": Caught in a national trauma

Green politician Omid Nouripour arrived from Iran at the age of 13

Germany’s refugee debate

Integration is a two-way street

Asylum and immigration have always been part of German history. This history has taught us a great deal about co-existence and integration. Nonetheless, each one of these encounters constitutes a new constellation, determined by those who arrive or the current situation of the host society. An essay by Omid Nouripour of Germany′s Green PartyMore

Interview with Navid Kermani: Solidarity, liberty, openness Interview with migration researcher Naika Foroutan: "We need a debate about ourselves"The UEFA Cup 2016: The Teutonic preoccupation with race

Attending an event at the AKS Festival (photo: Sara-Duana Meyer)

Transgender activism in Pakistan

The dynamic third gender

In times of increasing radicalisation, minorities and those who occupy society's niches and in-between realms can become prime targets, as the attack last weekend on a gay nightclub in Florida so painfully demonstrated. Recently, however, on the other side of the globe in South Asia, there have also been some astounding breakthroughs. By Sara-Duana MeyerMore

Interview with LGBT rights activist Arsham Parsi: ''Rights are never given; we have to fight for them''Book review: "What makes a man? Sex talk in Beirut and Berlin": An honest and painful cultural exchange Brian Whitaker – "Unspeakable Love": Gay and lesbian life in the Middle East Gay rights in Malaysia: Creating change in the mosque

Egyptian author Alaa al-Aswany: "She's a woman, not an object"

"Can I give you a flower" mural (photo: DW/R. Mokbel)

Egyptian men need to regain a civilised view of women and cast off the Wahhabi thinking that prevents equality in the country, writes Egyptian author and veteran liberal activist Alaa al-Aswany.More

BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents

Pakistan is at a crossroads when it comes to gender identity. Kami calls herself Pakistan's first transgender supermodel. She's championing a new transgender identity in a country where there's a strict cultural code...More

Philosopher Jurgen Habermas: "You can′t force a Muslim woman to shake hands"

German philosopher Jurgen Habermas (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

"A dominant German culture is utterly at odds with a liberal interpretation of the German constitution. A liberal constitution demands, namely, that the inherited majority culture of a country and its political culture – accessible to and imposed on all citizens – remain separate. The core of the latter is the constitution. As a result,...More

International Crisis Group: Iraq's lost generation

Fight or Flight: The Desperate Plight of Iraq’s "Generation 2000" (source: International Crisis Group)

Iraqi youth who came of age during the post-2003 turmoil share a sense of hopelessness and disempowerment. Across the political spectrum, they feel trapped: join a protest movement or militia, or emigrate. Read the full report by the International Crisis Group hereMore

Online magazine Jadaliyya

Featuring contributions by writers from the Islamic world, the independent online magazine "Jadaliyya" is published by the Arab Studies Institute.More

TELL MAMA UK: Measuring anti-Muslim attacks

TELL MAMA supports victims of anti-Muslim hate in the UK and is a public service which also measures and monitors anti-Muslim incidents.More

"Patriarchy is not a divine institution"

Muslim scholar and feminist Amina Wadud speaks out about the role of women in Islam. Wadud sparked controversy in the mid-1990s and in 2005 when, as a female imam, she led Friday prayers.More

How Islam led the world with women's rights

Pakistani women protesting women's rights on International Women's Day 2007

Since International Women's Day (8 March) is being celebrated this week, we decided to take a closer look at the "Muslim women are oppressed" narrative we hear so often. More

Valuable resource for refugees in Germany

Handbookgermany.de (in English, German, Arabic, Dari)

Handbookgermany.de is an information platform that aims to work closely together with the refugee community.More

Karamah: Muslim women lawyers for human rights

Karamah is founded on the fundamental principle that education, dialogue, and diligent action are the best tools to eradicate the dangerous and destructive effects of ignorance, silence and prejudice.More

Documentary: Behind the veil

They can’t leave the house without being clothed from head to toe or drive a car, and they need the permission of a male guardian before they can either work or travel. But behind the veil, their anger is growing.More

"Proud to be both British and Muslim"

Muslim Women's Network UK (source: Twitter)

Over 100 Muslim women tell Sharia Inquiries why their voices must be prioritised

On 1 November 2016, the Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) issued an open letter on the Shariah Council inquiries. In an unprecedented move, the letter has been signed by over 100 Muslim women from across the religious spectrum in 34 towns and cities and includes lawyers, health...More