'Islamic State' | IS | Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World

Topic: 'Islamic State' | IS

German journalist and author Birgt Svensson (source: screengrab, SWR mediathek)

Birgit Svensson's biographical account "Murderous Freedom"

Between heaven and hell – fifteen years in Iraq

Journalist Birgit Svensson arrived in Iraq in 2003 and never left, enjoying the dubious status of being the only German-language reporter in the country for much of the time since. Recently published in German, "Moerderische Freiheit" recounts her experiences, offering insights into Iraq that go beyond terrorism and war. By Christopher ReschMore

From Basra to Baghdad: Young Iraqis rise up for a life worth living Iraqʹs political future: Entering a new era Women writers in Iraq: Writing to stay alive

IS symbols on a road near Tikrit, Iraq (photo: Reuters/T. Al-Sudani)

IS fighters in Iraqi prisons

The next terror generation?

Numerous former IS junior fighters are now serving long prison sentences in Iraqi prisons. There they continue to radicalise themselves. The Dutch author and journalist Judit Neurink visited a juvenile detention centre in ErbilMore

The legacy of 9/11: Why the world needs to re-think its war on terror Interview with extremism researcher Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck: "Being part of a ʹcommunityʹ transcends everything"Qantara dossier: Islamic State

Bonn street worker Saloua Mohammed (photo: DW/Matthias von Hein)

Salafism in Germany

Battling radicalisation on the streets

Saloua Mohammed's most important tool in the fight against radical Salafism is listening – to parents whose kids radicalise online, to young people who rave about Salafism and to women returning to Germany after fighting alongside IS. By Esther FeldenMore

Interview with intelligence operative Benno Kopfer: "You're allowed to be a Salafist in Germany"Recruitment strategies used by Islamic State: A mutation of religion A different take on Salafism: The power of provocation Combatting Salafist radicalisation in Germany: Under scrutiny

Political scientists Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel (photo: private)

Interview with political scientists Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel

The West's "intellectually lazy" obsession with sectarianism

Danny Postel and Nader Hashemi warn in this interview with Emran Feroz against the tendency in Western media and policy circles to view Middle Eastern politics in essentialist sectarian terms. "Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East", their recent collection of essays, examines the topic in depthMore

Tyranny in the Islamic world: Keeping the tribe alive Non-fiction: ″The Age of Jihad ″ by Patrick Cockburn: A catalogue of blunders Religious communities in the Middle East: No to sectarianism; yes to equal citizenship!Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel's ''The People Reloaded'': The Green Movement and the struggle for Iran's future

Rival militias fighting in Tripoli, Libya (photo: Getty Images/AFP/M. Turkia)

Internecine struggles

Libyaʹs free for all

Libya is today the scene of political chaos that is difficult to fathom from the outside. Two governments, one in the west and one in the east, are fighting for supremacy. And even within the power blocs there are military conflicts between the different militias. By Karim El-GawharyMore

Khalifa Haftar's role in the Libyan civil war: The fight against political Islam Tyranny in the Islamic world: Keeping the tribe alive Resolving the crisis in Libya: Another fine mess

Eid ul-Adha prayers in Assalema Mosque, Ariana, a suburb of Tunis (photo: DW/M. Mahjoub)

A new start for jihadists?

Tunisiaʹs bid to rehabilitate its returnees

Building more community networks to combat violent extremism may help Tunisian authorities develop a holistic, long-term strategy to rehabilitate returning fighters. By Andrew McDonnellMore

Anti-radicalisation strategies in Egypt: Sheikhs on the beat Islamist ideology debunked: Getting past the abuse Islam and violence: Self-proclaimed jihadists

Attack of the World Trade Center, 11 September 2001 (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C. Soi Cheung)

The legacy of 9/11

Why the world needs to re-think its war on terror

Seventeen years have passed since 9/11, which marked a turning point in relations between the West and the Islamic world. Jordanian Islamism expert, Hassan Abu Haniyya, offers Ouifaq Benkiran the following observations about the most important repercussions of the war on terrorMore

The Iraq War fifteen years on: "America destroyed my country"Europe's treatment of IS returnees: Eroding the constitutional state Political prospects after the Arab Spring: At a crossroads Interview with Hassan Abu Haniyya: The Muslim Brothers' rigid structures

Young people protest against the government in the southern Iraqi city of Basra (photo: AP/picture-alliance)

From Basra to Baghdad

Young Iraqis rise up for a life worth living

Major rallies against the nation's political elite have been raging in Iraq for months, so far resulting in 15 deaths and 120 injuries. Birgit Svensson reports from Basra, where the protests first flared up and quickly spread through the entire southern half of the country to BaghdadMore

A new quality of civil unrest: Is Iraq steering towards post-sectarianism?Iraqʹs political future: Entering a new era The Iraq War fifteen years on: "America destroyed my country"

Extremism researcher Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck (source: YouTube)

Interview with extremism researcher Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck

"Being part of a ʹcommunityʹ transcends everything"

Attending this yearʹs Vienna International Christian University, Algerian extremism researcher Dr. Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck, resident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, talked to Zahra Nedjabat about the role of women in jihadism, the roots of violent radicalisation and possible antidotesMore

Vienna International Christian-Islamic Summer University Europe's treatment of IS returnees: Eroding the constitutional state Social media against Islamic extremism: An invisible battle Interview with the social scientist: Edit Schlaffer Mothers Schools challenge extremism

Syrians use dirt to put out a fire at the scene of a reported air strike in the district of Jisr al-Shughur, in Idlib Province, on 4 September 2018 (photo: Getty Images/AFP/O. H. Kadour)

The Idlib offensive

Nourishing Syria's terrorist tree

Tahrir al-Sham will not be subdued by the destruction of Idlib over the heads of its inhabitants, or by the sacrifice of millions of civilians. As Russia and Assad tighten the noose, we need to realise that the war on terror cannot be won by outdoing terrorists in the slaughter of civilians, argues Burhan Ghalioun, former SNC chairmanMore

Syria and the Ba'ath regime: Assad and the post-eternity era Interview with Burhan Ghalioun: ''The Syrian people want unity, freedom and a civilian state''The Syrian conflict: Mendacious diplomacy

Iraqi youth and elders browse a book display at a festival titled "I am Iraqi.. I read" at a park in Mosul on Saturday in the first event of its kind after the city was retaken from IS militants (source: Rudaw English; Twitter)

Iraq post-IS

Mosulʹs cultural comeback

Music is back in Mosul, as are books and paintings. With Islamic State gone, locals are enjoying their newfound freedom and embracing culture. Will it last? Judit Neurink reports from MosulMore

Baghdad City of Peace Carnival: Grassroots, green shoots Kurdistan′s Book Cafe: In praise of female entrepreneurs Al Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad

Mizyed's son looks at the scars of torture on his back in their shelter in a Lebanese refugee camp, Bekaa Valley (photo: DW/A. Vohra)

Torture under the Assad regime

Syrian detainee No. 72

The Syrian government has acknowledged that hundreds of detainees were killed in state custody. Anchal Vohra met one of the prisoners who, along with many others, was tortured in Bashar Assad's jails. This is his storyMore

Syrian conflict: Damage limitation? Assad's death notices for the missing Political prisoners in Syria: Around-the-clock torture Syria and the Ba'ath regime: Assad and the post-eternity era

Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the "Afghanistan Analysts Network" (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Interview with Thomas Ruttig

Afghanistan's democracy in reverse gear

Afghanistan expert Thomas Ruttig says that in the West's battle with the Taliban, too much focus has been placed for too long on political allies with problematic credentials: many warlords are still armed and have never faced prosecution for past offences. Despite being non-democrats, they control democratic institutions to this day. Interview by Hans SprossMore

Fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan: Where the warlords still hold sway Ahmad Shah Massoud: Afghanistan's Cold War hero Photo essay: Afghanistan without the Taliban

Iraqi citizens shout slogans as they gather to protest against government due to lack of basic services and frequent power outages in front of the governor's building in Iraqʹs oil-rich Basra province on 15 July 2018 (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo)

A new quality of civil unrest

Is Iraq steering towards post-sectarianism?

In the absence of civil war, the people of Iraq have found an opportunity to demand that the political elite deliver on their election campaign promises. Chanting slogans demanding services and jobs, the protesters are keeping clear of sectarian rhetoric. By Seyed Ali AlaviMore

Iraqʹs political future: Entering a new era Murder and kidnapping in Iraq: An inexorable tide Iraqʹs wrangle over natural resources: The battle for Kurdish oil

Yazidi women baking bread in a clay oven on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq (photo: DW/Sandra Petersmann)

Yazidis mourn their devastated community

Sinjar is not Mosul

Where can Iraq's Yazidis live in the future? Their home, Sinjar, has been liberated, but the Islamic State genocide that began on 3 August 2014, has left an indelible mark on their city. Sandra Petersmann reportsMore

The culture and faith of the Yazidis: Demonised and eternally misunderstood Profile: Nadia Murad: One woman's fight against Islamic State Yazidis in Turkey Old homeland, new homeland Islamic State′s destruction of Mosul: Razed to the ground

Young people watch a burning car during a riot in a Paris suburb (photo: picture-alliance/abaca)

Radicalisation in European cities

Hotbeds of anger and resentment

According to sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar, one of the significant factors of jihadist radicalisation in Europe is a type of city district he describes as the "jihadogenous urban structure". This type of urban structure shapes the identity of those who are socially excluded and culturally stigmatisedMore

Interview with the sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar: Radicalisation in the suburbs The psychology of radicalisation: Lego Islam Interview with French extremism researcher Olivier Roy: "Radicalisation is not the result of failed integration"

Topic: 'Islamic State' | IS

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