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

Topic: 'Islamic State' | IS

Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad visits military units in Habeet in the province Idlib (photo: picture-alliance/AP)

Syria's constitutional committee

Geneva is key to Assad's rehabilitation

Finding a lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict is the challenge facing the constitutional committee that has been meeting in Geneva since the end of October, under UN mediation. But achieving this goal is an illusion, since the Syrian regime has for years shown no willingness to surrender any of its power. By Kristin HelbergMore

The Kurdish YPG and the future of northeastern Syria: Assad smiles from the sidelines Syrian conflict: The war in Syria is not over EU refugee deal: Erdogan wants rid of the Syrian refugees

Still from Nouri Bouzidʹs ʺThe Scarecrowsʺ (source: official Facebook page)

Film review: Nouri Bouzidʹs ʺThe Scarecrowsʺ

Making amends is one path to healing

In his new film, award-winning Tunisian director Nouri Bouzid grapples with the traumas of women held captive by Islamist extremists, victims of the so-called ʺsexual jihadʺ in Syria. Bouzid also weighs in on the moral hypocrisy of Tunisian society, as it struggles to deal with those who have returned. By Adela LovricMore

Trauma in contemporary Arab literature: Translating oblivion Mohamed Ben Attiaʹs "Dear Son": O Sami, my son, my son The IS manifesto for women: Baiting the jihadi brides A new start for jihadists? Tunisiaʹs bid to rehabilitate its returnees

Conservative Muslims protest in Jakarta (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/EPA)

Islamism in Southeast Asia

Islamic State's latest breeding ground

A recent knife attack on the security minister of Indonesia is a reminder of the danger of Islamist extremism in Southeast Asia. Security measures alone are not enough to combat radicalisation, say experts. By Rodion EbbighausenMore

Religious intolerance: Vicious trend sweeps Indonesia Abusing blasphemy legislation: Indonesia's slide towards identity politics Islam in Indonesia: The agents of change

Kurdish YPG fighter in Kobani (photo: picture-alliance/Photoshot/J. Raa)

Turkey's Syria offensive

Burying the Kurdish autonomy project

When the Kurds of Syria came under Turkish fire less than ten days ago, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was left with no choice but to call on Assad for help. Thus ends a political project that many hailed as a model for the future order of Syria. But, as Ulrich von Schwerin points out, it was a project built on very shaky foundationsMore

Syria and the war against IS: Strange bedfellows The Turkish-Kurdish conflict: Friend and foe The future of a people: Good Kurd, bad Kurd

Salafism recruitment symbolic image (picture-alliance/dpa/R. Peters)

Islamism in Germany

Fighting Salafists with YouTube satire

The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia is relying on wit and humour as an antidote to Islamist extremism. "Jihadi-Fool" is the name of a new YouTube channel targeting young people. By Louisa WrightMore

Fighting Islamic State with satire and black humour: Terribly funny Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef: Jihadists, please blow here!Preventing Islamism in Belgium: Shaking the terrorist image

German air force Tornado jets and a tanker aircraft approach to land at an airbase in Incirlik, Turkey, 10 December 2015 (photo: Reuters/U. Bektas)

Germanyʹs involvement in the Middle East

Merkelʹs anti-IS mission to continue in Syria

Despite internal wrangling, Germanyʹs ruling coalition partners have decided – subject to parliamentary approval – to prolong its military deployment in the fight against Islamic State. Individual parts of the mandate may be extended by varying degrees, but the deployment of German Tornados should only last five months. By Seda SerdarMore

U.S. withdrawal from Syria: The U.S. is still needed in Syria Joey Lawrenceʹs "We came from fire": A tribute to the Kurds Islamic State" in Iraq: Beware the jihadist hydra

Dr. Saad Salloum, Iraqi political scientist, expert in diversity and general coordinator of Masarat (photo: private)

Interview with Iraqi expert Saad Salloum

Celebrating religious diversity in Iraq

Dedicated to preserving Iraq's diversity, which he considers the country's real capital, Saad Salloum has launched a new institute to combat hate speech and change the Islamic religious discourse. Interview by Gilgamesh NabeelMore

Abrahamic Teams and interfaith dialogue: Conquering prejudice face-to-face Introducing the Key Concepts project: From religious tolerance to acceptance Iraqi Jews: Iraqi Judaism lives on in literary form

AfD demonstrator on 9 September 2017 in Potsdam (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Identity politics in the West

Islam – no longer the bogeyman

The champions of white identity are re-grouping. In the West hostility towards Islam has had its day. It is now being absorbed into common or garden racism, says Stefan Buchen in his essayMore

Islamophobia and xenophobia: The West’s racism problem Trump, MbS and the aftermath: Did the global order die with Khashoggi? The end of the "Islamic State": Entering a new chapter in Syria

Yazidi women hold up pictures of missed relatives during a commemoration ceremony in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on 3 August 2019 (photo: Getty Images/AFP/T. Kienzle)

Pursuing prosecution in Germany

Justice for Yazidi survivors of Islamic State genocide

The extremist group "Islamic State" attempted to wipe out the Yazidis. Many thousands died, and survivors tell horrific tales of abuse and enslavement. Now, German investigators have taken up the fight for justice. By Matthias von HeinMore

Slaves of Islamic State: The fight to find the missing Yazidis Nadia Murad: One woman's fight against Islamic State The abduction of women by IS: Traded like cattle

Civilians in Idlib are trapped - even houses, hospitals and schools are being bombed (photo: Getty Images/AFP/O.H.Kadour)

Interview with Middle East expert Andre Bank

Syria: "Iran is not fighting in Idlib"

The Syrian war isn't over yet. Assad and Russia have been bombing Idlib for months. It is striking that Iran refuses to fight in the decisive battle for the last bastion of the insurgents, says Middle East expert Andre Bank in an interview with Diana HodaliMore

Assad & Baʹath party rule: About Syria, which is no more Interview with Syrian dissident Yassin al-Haj Saleh: The West's lamentable myopia The Assad regime and the civil war in Syria: Clash of barbarisms

Photographer and author Joey Lawrence (photo: Joey Lawrence)

Non-fiction: Joey Lawrenceʹs "We came from fire"

A tribute to the Kurds

With its large landscape format and its glossy colour photos, "We Came From Fire" by American-based Canadian photo journalist Joey Lawrence may look like a coffee table book, yet from the sub-title, "Kurdistan's Armed Struggle Against ISIS", to its content, this book is unlike any other. By Richard MarcusMore

The Kurdish YPG and the future of northeastern Syria: Assad smiles from the sidelines Assad and the future of northern Syria: Syriaʹs Kurds hold the cards "Islamic State" in Iraq: Beware the jihadist hydra Kurds in Iraq: When hope turns to fear

U.S. army personnel on patrol, Manbij, Syria (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Malla)

U.S. withdrawal from Syria

The U.S. is still needed in Syria

By rushing out of Syria now, the Trump administration is ceding the field to Russia, Turkey and Iran, all but guaranteeing another regional conflagration in the near future. By leading a new diplomatic effort to end the conflict and begin reconstruction, Trump could both extricate the US from the conflict and help stabilise the region. By Charles A. Kupchan and Sinan ÜlgenMore

Syrian conflict: The war in Syria is not over Trump’s Syria withdrawal: A chance for peace?The end of the "Islamic State": Entering a new chapter in Syria The Kurdish YPG and the future of north-eastern Syria: Assad smiles from the sidelines

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the White House on 24.06.2019 tightening sanctions against Iran (photo: picture-alliance/AP)

U.S. policy on Iran

Trump's fake "stability" premise

The United States justifies its policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran by accusing the nation of "destabilising" the region. But neither is stability the correct criteria for evaluation of Middle East politics, nor is Tehran essentially behaving any differently to its neighbours, says Ulrich von SchwerinMore

Trumpʹs challenge: Taking on Tehran U.S.A and Iran: Trump – agent provocateur Interview with Middle East expert Volker Perthes: "Iran will not negotiate its own surrender"

Iraqis celebrate the re-opening of the Green Zone, home to government buildings and Western embassies, on 10 December 2018 in the capital Baghdad (photo: Getty Images/AFP/A. Al-Rubaye)

Iraq post-Islamic State

Baghdadʹs new era of freedom

With Islamic State out of the picture, the people of Iraq are breathing a sigh of relief. The recent re-opening of Baghdadʹs Green Zone to all traffic is just one indication that times are changing. Judit Neurink reports from Baghdad.More

Birgit Svensson's biographical account "Murderous Freedom": Between heaven and hell – fifteen years in Iraq Baghdad City of Peace Carnival: Grassroots, green shoots A new quality of civil unrest: Is Iraq steering towards post-sectarianism?

Wives of IS fighters under arrest in a camp near the Syrian village of Ain Issa on 22.10.2017 (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Female jihadists

Why women go to Holy War

Worldwide, the number of women joining the “holy war”, or jihad, is increasing. What causes them do so? And what role do they play within jihadist organisations? Two Jordanian Islamism experts have devoted their most recent study to exploring just these questionsMore

"Women of the Islamic State": Prisoners of a barbaric system The IS manifesto for women: Baiting the jihadi brides Interview with the sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar: Radicalisation in the suburbs

Street hawkers selling Kurdistan flags in northern Iraq prior to the referendum in August 2014 (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

The uncertain future of Kurdish autonomy

What next for Iraqʹs Kurds?

A sense of resignation and pessimism is spreading through the Kurdistan region of Iraq, especially among the younger generation. The economic standstill, rampant youth unemployment and the omnipotence of the clans are driving people to despair. Dara Alani reports from SulaymaniyahMore

Iraqʹs wrangle over natural resources: The battle for Kurdish oil Campaigning begins for Iraqi Kurdish parliamentary vote Iraq: Kurdish referendum for political relevance: Papering over the cracks

Topic: 'Islamic State' | IS

Pages

In brief

Most Recent Photo Essay