Country: Westeuropa

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Calligraphy "Infinity" by Shahid Alam; courtesy of the artist

Karl-Josef Kuschel's "Goethe and the Koran"

Islam for the 21st century? Look no further than Goethe

No other Western poet was arguably so well-versed in the Koran or so fascinated by Islam as Germany's national hero, Goethe. In a new publication that examines all Goethe's writings relating to Islam, theologian Karl-Josef Kuschel shows that the poet's message is still highly relevant today. Stefan Weidner read the bookMore

Non-fiction: Karl-Josef Kuschel′s ″Christmas and the Qu′ran″: When love comes downProfessor Nasser Kanani on the Persian poet Hafez: "The joyful audacity of his spirit, the melody of his poetry"Goethe anniversary: Orient and OccidentGoethe and the Orient: Why did the poet's mind wander to far-off climes?Book review: Joseph Croitoru's "Die Deutschen und der Orient": Between contempt and fascination
Karen Armstrong (photo: J. D. Sloan)

Interview with Karen Armstrong

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Islamist violence is "in part a product of Western disdain"

Karen Armstrong, British scholar of comparative religion, finds that there is a long and inglorious tradition of distorting Islam in Europe. She criticises the notion that Islam is essentially more violent than Christianity and speaks about the genesis of Western disdain for the Arab world. Interview by Claudia MendeMore

Interview with Gudrun Kramer: Muslims must take a critical look at controversial passages in the KoranDemocracy and freedom of speech: Charlie and TheoInterview with Turkish sociologist Nilufer Gole: "There is a collective will to live together"France after the attack on "Charlie Hebdo": Much more is at stake than press freedom