Author: Heribert Prantl

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Germany′s Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere

Germany and the semantics of exclusion

"We are not burka"

German Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere has doused a hotchpotch of both trivial and relevant concerns in the black, red and gold of the national flag and declared it to be the German "Leitkultur", meaning the country's core, dominant or leading culture. This is just plain silly. Commentary by Heribert PrantlMore

Germany′s integration debate revisited: Piling on the pressureThe refugee debate: What makes us German?Europe, Germany and ″Abendland″ angst: In the name of Christendom
Muslim doctor at work in a children′s hospital in Bonn (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Freedom of religion at work

Islam – a disruptive influence?

A ruling by the European Court of Justice allows employers to prohibit their staff from wearing headscarves. In doing so, it affords greater freedom to companies than it does to religion. A commentary by Heribert Prantl

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Qantara dossier: The headscarf controversyGermany's headscarf ruling: What an imposition! The headscarf ruling from Germany's Consitutional Court: Heated debate on all sides
Iraqi refugee Laith Majid Al-Amirij with his daughter Noor in front of the Brandenburg Gate (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen)

Germany′s refugee policy

Four words for humanity

"We can do it" – Merkel's utterance has become an historic remark. To actually pack it with some political substance is the big challenge of the 21st century. A commentary by Heribert PrantlMore

Syrian refugee Nather Henafe Alali: ″I am the misery of the 21st century″ Islam in Germany: "Democracy and human rights are just hollow words"Europe′s response to the refugee crisis: "Ugly, feckless and dysfunctional"
An overcrowded boat filled with refugees (photo: AP)

After the refugee catastrophe in the Mediterranean

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How the EU is killing refugees

The figure is shocking: an estimated 800 people lost their lives when a boat carrying refugees sank off the coast of Libya. According to Heribert Prantl, the EU has the ways and the means to rescue refugees in the Mediterranean, but because it is guided by a cynical logic, it is letting them drown
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The Lampedusa tragedy: EU refugee policy is morally bankruptSyrian boat refugees in Egypt: "Head straight on to Europe!"Syrian refugees in Lebanon: "We will perish here!"Book review: Stefan Buchen on Syrian "escape helpers" – Germany's new public enemies?
Fully-veiled woman in a Paris station. Photo: Getty Images

Human rights court upholds burka ban in France

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An unfortunate ruling

Does the burka ban supported by the European Court of Human Rights help oppressed women? No, says Heribert Prantl: it's more likely to breed resentment More

Dossier: The headscarf controversyThe German Islam scholar Lamya Kaddor: Why I as a Muslim woman don't wear a headscarfWho is hidden beneath the burka? An appeal to the West
A woman holding two passports, one German, and one Turkish (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Dispute about Dual Citizenship in Germany

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Why the Obligation to Choose is Damaging Integration

The fight against dual citizenship is an assault on the reality of life in Germany. While it is true to say that those who want to assume German citizenship have to decide, they are not deciding whether to feel a little bit more Turkish or a little bit more German; they are deciding in favour of democracy, a state governed by the rule of law and the basic principles on which the constitution is built. A commentary by Heribert PrantlMore

Germany's Disputed Dual Citizenship Law: ''Everyone Must Be Able to Participate''Interview with Doug Saunders: ''Muslim Infiltration Is a Myth''Qantara.de Dossier: Migration in Germany

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Free meals are distributed to the needy in many Muslim countries during Ramadan. The giving of alms forms one of the "five pillars of Islam" – alongside the declaration of faith, daily prayers, the pilgrimage to Mecca and fasting. Followers of the faith refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. When evening comes, many meet in mosques, on public squares or in marquees such as in this picture from Cairo, to celebrate the breaking of the fast, known as "Iftar"

From Jakarta to Cairo – Ramadan around the world

For Muslims all around the world, Ramadan begins on 27 May. The period of fasting that always takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar is one of the five pillars of Islam, intended to be a time for contemplation, mediation and moderation.