Substantial numbers of schoolchildren in the Gulf are losing their ability to communicate in Arabic. The development may well herald the onset of language loss in the region. By Sawsan KhalafMore
In France, the publication of a manifesto that calls among other things for the removal of certain verses from the Koran and seeks to pave the way for state intervention in religious matters has triggered heated debate. Farid Hafez has the detailsMore
Seventy years after the founding of the State of Israel, Lizzie Doron, author of "Who the Fuck is Kafka?", which traces the unlikely friendship of an Israeli and a Palestinian, walks through her evolving feelings over the years regarding 14 MayMore
For a while, things had quietened down around Spain. Neither Ceuta and Melilla nor mainland Spain were hitting the headlines with fresh streams of refugees arriving there. Yet that could all be about to change. By Susanne KaiserMore
Just weeks before the start of the FIFA World Cup, excitement in Egypt has reached fever pitch. What's causing the mania? The Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, currently tipped as the best football player in the world. By Bachir AmrouneMore
An open source project in Berlin is gathering hundreds of thousands of online videos on the war in Syria in order to investigate war crimes such as the recent alleged chemical weapons attack on Douma. By David Siebert More
Thousands of Syrian women are believed to be incarcerated in the Assad regime's prisons. Little is known about their fate, but those who manage to escape tell tales of horror. Julia Hahn reports from GaziantepMore
Something remarkable has begun in Beirut. Massive government mismanagement and the attendant rubbish crisis two years ago inspired and galvanised Lebanese youth to demand more of their government and to hold their leaders accountable. It all began with the closure of the Naameh landfill, which was over-capacity. Kareem Chehayeb recalls the protestsMore
Saudi Arabiaʹs decision to allow women to serve in the military has been widely celebrated as a step forward for gender parity in the notoriously unequal kingdom. Yet the battle for real equality within the military is just beginning. By Quratulain FatimaMore
Conservatives in Morocco have forced the Islamic feminist Asma Lamrabet to relinquish her post at the Centre d'Etudes Feminines en Islam in Rabat. A debate on discrimination against women in Islamic inheritance law sparked the conflict, fuelled in part by a draft amendment in Tunisia that would institute an egalitarian law of inheritance there. By Claudia MendeMore
A huge dam project in Turkeyʹs southeast is forcing residents of an ancient town earmarked for flooding to uproot. Yet many still donʹt know where they should go. Diego Cupolo reports from HasankeyfMore
In the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, members of the press are being targeted by both sides. Palestinian journalists are coming under increasing pressure – even from the Palestinian Authority. By Joseph CroitoruMore
In interview with Qantara.de, leading Turkish-German writer Feridun Zaimoglu is critical of the state of Germany's culture of debate. While unimpressed with Homeland Minister Seehofer's comments on Islam, he also has little time for the outrage of religious functionariesMore
If young people without immigrant parents have fallen into disrepute for disengaging and emancipating themselves from and rebelling against old traditions and conventions, then even more so those with a hybrid identity. Those whose parents originate from more distant regions of the world. Those like me. By Jenin Elena AbbasMore
What is meant by "Heimat"? "A place where you can be without having to justify yourself for being there," says the sociologist Armin Nassehi in interview with Klaus Kramer and explains in the process the absurdity of the homeland ministry conceptMore
Intuition plays an important role in the life of Yassine Rihani. The 34-year-old Tunisian lost his eyesight in 2006 and has been working as a physiotherapist ever since. As a human rights activist, he also has a feel for the pressure points in society and works to promote the rights of people with disabilities. By Wolfgang KuhnleMore
For many years, progressive Islamic thinkers have been calling for people to read and understand the Koran in the context of the period in which it was written. Now, for the first time, Tunisian Islamic scholar Abdelmajid Charfi has put together a critical historical edition. By Annette SteinichMore
During the Nazi period, Hedwig Klein worked on a dictionary intended to help with the translation of Hitler's diatribe "Mein Kampf" into Arabic. But it didn't help the Arabist: she was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. The dictionary, however, remains a bestseller – with no mention of Klein’s fate. By Stefan BuchenMore
Why are people bothered when an academic wears a headscarf, but don't mind one worn by a cleaning lady? Extremism researchers are studying how and why attitudes towards Muslims are changing. The rise of the AfD is viewed as an important factor. By Kay Alexander ScholzMore
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was the founder of the world’s first professional non-violent army. Here in the West, the Islamic Gandhi is little known – but today his legacy is more relevant than ever. A portrait of the Pashtun "Badshah Khan" by Marian Brehmer
Lajpat Nagar is a district in southern New Delhi. When it was built in the 1950s, it was mainly Sikhs and Hindus from the newly created Pakistan who came to live there, having been forced to move from their former homes after the partition of India in 1947. Yet in recent years, the area has increasingly become a magnet for Afghan refugees looking to start over. Photo essay by Emran Feroz
The radicalising effect of prisons
In overcrowded and dehumanising prison conditions, someone making a speech that is even the slightest bit comforting or inspiring can easily influence vulnerable minds, writes Jeremy Felkowski.More
Belgium: A model of integration
The town of Mechelen has blossomed into a model of integration in Belgium. The mayor's secret of success is more police and CCTV cameras along with more support for projects bringing migrants and Belgians together. More
Al Jazeera: The Muslims of Cuba
How a new crop of neighbourhood entrepreneurs are helping spread awareness about a fledgling religious community.More
Ifa dossier: Flight and migration
Europe is still regarded as an eldorado by many seeking security and a better life. But what do those coming from Muslim countries expect of Europe? What hopes and dreams do they carry with them?More
New York Times: "Goodbye to the house my grandmother built"
Yasmine El Rashidi, author of "The Battle for Egypt: Dispatches from the Revolution" and "Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt", writes about what it feels like to lose one’s childhood home, city and country.More
Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon… six young women and men from six different countries put their individual views and experience with the generational conflict into words for this dossier.More
FEMYSO: Fighting Islamophobia
The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations works to promote the development, understanding and respect of human rights across Europe, focussing specifically on tackling Islamophobia in all its forms and raising awareness about this ongoing problem.More
Qantara dossier: "The Headscarf Controversy"
The wearing of headscarves is currently the subject of fierce debate – and not just in Germany. Throughout Europe, not to mention the Islamic world, the atmosphere is heated. We take a look at the different arguments, the historical background and the social realities associated with the dispute over headscarves.More
Lesson in endurance: Syrian refugee teacher enters German school
Working at a German school is not just about reading and writing, maths and singing songs, says newly minted Syrian assistant teacher Hend al-Khabbaz.More
Women in Saudi Arabia: Confronting male prejudice
Mervat Bukhari became the first Saudi woman to work in a field which is mostly dominated by men. When Bukhari was promoted as supervisor of a gas station in eastern Khobar city last October, insults began pouring in on social media with the hashtag "Saudi women don't work at gas stations".More
The rise of "bad civil society" in Israel
Mirroring broader social trends within Israel, Israeli civil society is facing a growing conflict between the rising conservative nationalist social forces (CSOs) and the dwindling liberal and humanist camp represented by human rights organisationsMore
Hamza Hamouchene's "Paradises of the Earth"
Hamza Hamouchene, producer of the groundbreaking web documentary "Paradises of the Earth", talks about the reasons that led him to embark on this amazing project.More
Jihadi brides, dating and identity: British Muslim women speak out
From a jaded TV chat show host to a Middle Eastern actress who longs to be cast as a ghostbuster, not endless jihadi brides, the stories in Sabrina Mahfouz's anthology of British Muslim...More
How the Muslim world lost the freedom to choose
A brave new book describes how Pakistan unravelled – and provides a blueprint for understanding declining pluralism across the Middle East.More
'PakistanGirl' takes aim at corrupt cops and domestic abuse
Pakistan's newest female superhero has vowed to battle venal officials and protect battered women, as her creator tries to inspire the next generation to fight injustice in a deeply patriarchal society.More
Documentary highlights domestic drudgery in Lebanon
Maher Abi Samra′s disturbing documentary ″A Maid for Each″ takes a cool-headed look at a Beirut agency that traffics in domestic help. Some may take comfort in thinking the situation of domestic servants in Lebanon isn’t ″our″ world, but in truth, the commodification of foreign home workers by type (″my Filipina″, ″my Mexican″) is a near-universal problem.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
Junaid Jamshed
"I Was a Sinner for Years"