Education

Topic: Education

Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen at his house in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania (photo: Reuters/C. Mostoller)

The Gulen movement and the failed coup in Turkey

Harmless is not the word

Since the attempted coup in Turkey in July 2016, the accusation that the Gulen movement was behind the failed putsch has met with scepticism in the West. A new book shows, however, that the movement was never just about dialogue and education, but has instead always sought to grasp the reins of state. By Ulrich SchwerinMore

The Gulen movement in Turkey: Creating an elite to lead the state The restructuring of Turkey: Filling the gap left by Gulen The Gulen movement in Turkey: Struggling against the "Soldiers of Light"

Tunisian Yassine Rihani spent three months working at the Education Centre for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Nuremberg (photo: ifa/Kuhnle)

Rights for the disabled in Tunisia

Inching towards inclusion

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

Disabled refugee children in Jordan: The lesser-known victims of war Lessons from the unrest in Tunisia: Free in name only Non-fiction: Safwan M. Masri′s ″Tunisia – An Arab anomaly″: A history of intellectual excellence

Muslim reads from the Koran (photo: picture-alliance/ANP/R. Koole)

Islamist ideology debunked

Getting past the abuse

Many efforts to provide counter-narratives for Salafist-jihadism are currently failing to address extremists′ abuse of religious scripture directly. Nevertheless, efforts to combat extremism through religious counter-narratives are expanding across the Islamic world. By Rachel Bryson and Milo ComerfordMore

Anti-radicalisation strategies in Egypt: Sheikhs on the beat Islam, Al-Azhar and the terrorists′ ideology: If the cap fits Islam and violence: Self-proclaimed jihadists

Lebanese schoolchildren attend a political Islam school (photo: AFP/raseef22)

Lebanon′s education system

The problem with political Islam

Hassan Lama′a reports on the religious networks that exist within the Lebanese education system and how political Islam schools are still influencing new generations of students More

Hezbollah in Lebanon: How Hezbollah is paralysing Lebanese politics Hezbollah and the uprising in Syria: Can the ''Party of God'' weather the Arab Spring?Civil society initiatives in Lebanon: "I am not a martyr"

Muslim teacher Fereshta Ludin (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Headscarves and neutrality

"It′s our decision!"

Teacher Fereshta Ludin was the first to complain about the headscarf ban in German schools. Here, she writes about her anger and disappointment over what has happened since – and what hasn’t More

nterview with Fereshta Ludin: "The decision for or against the headscarf is wholly a matter for the woman herself"Discrimination in schools: Better marks without a headscarf Qantara dossier: "The Headscarf Controversy"

Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Accusations against Tariq Ramadan

Yet to be proven

Following allegations of sexual assault, police in France took renowned Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan into custody for questioning last Wednesday. Two women say he raped them. By Bachir AmrouneMore

Tariq Ramadan on the Swiss 'minaret ban': "Islam is a European religion"Interview with Tariq Ramadan: ''We Are Europeans''Tariq Ramadan: Europe's Muslim of choice

Father Tobias Zimmermann, principal of the Catholic Canisius Kolleg in Berlin (photo: Stefan Weigand)

Interview with Father Tobias Zimmermann

"Islam confronts us Christians with long-overdue debates"

Father Tobias Zimmermann is the principal of a Catholic school in Berlin. He recently appointed a female teacher who wears a headscarf. Because schools should also serve an experimental purpose, he says. Interview by Julia LeyMore

Qantara dossier: "The Headscarf Controversy"The headscarf ruling from Germany's Constitutional Court: Heated debate on all sides Freedom of religion at work: Islam – a disruptive influence?

The Kremlin, Moscow (photo: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Maximov)

Moscow's cultural policy in the Middle East

Arab ambassadors for Russian interests

The Kremlin is seeking to spread its influence abroad through its foreign cultural work. The plan is working brilliantly in the Middle East, says Joseph CroitoruMore

Putin, Assad and the fall of Aleppo: Masters of disinformation Russia and the Syrian conflict: Drop the dictator!Turkish–Russian relations: Farewell America

The "Strengthening Structures" workshop at the Goethe-Institut Cairo (photo: Roger Anis/Goethe-Institut Cairo)

Goethe-Institut education initiatives in the MENA region

Getting behind civil society

News from the Middle East and North Africa often conveys the image of a troubled region characterised by political and economic volatility. But there are many more facets to life in this region than this image suggests, as shown by the projects the Goethe-Institut is running in the region. By Christina BünsMore

"Wiki Gender": The first Arabic online lexicon for gender issues The ''Tahrir Lounge'' in Cairo: Grassroots Democracy Resolving the crisis in Libya: Another fine mess

Fethullah Gulen (photo: picture alliance/dpa)

The Gulen movement in Turkey

Creating an elite to lead the state

The movement of Turkish imam Fethullah Gulen has relied on schools, educational institutions and clubs to expand to many countries. Many experts view the movement with scepticism, however. They claim that it has cult-like structures and is pursuing a secret agenda, only pretending to be an open-minded education initiative with a moderate take on Islam. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers Gulen public enemy number one. By Timur TincMore

The restructuring of Turkey: Filling the gap left by Gulen Turkish–US relations: Erdogan's Machiavellian motives The Gülen Movement in Turkey: Struggling against the "Soldiers of Light"

Supporters of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) demonstrate against Jakarta's Christian governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama, accused of blasphemy, November 2016 (photo: Reuters)

Islam in Indonesia

The agents of change

Where is Indonesia heading? With Islamic organisations become increasingly vocal commentators in the public debate about morality and religious minority rights, the concept of citizenship in Indonesia is undergoing a gradual, yet profoundly disturbing transformation. By Chris ChaplinMore

Indonesia′s gubernatorial elections: The tolerance litmus test Political Islam in Indonesia: Wahhabism runs into the sand Indonesia′s ArtJog fair: Open your eyes!

Saudi women in a book cafe in Jeddah (photo: Getty Images/A. Hilabi)

Saudi Arabia′s labour market

Loosing the chains

Scarcely any other country treats native and foreign workers as unequally as Saudi Arabia. With its pronounced disparities between men and women, the labour market also reflects the contradictions within Saudi society. Implementing the initiated reforms will be no small feat. By Nassir DjafariMore

Saudi economic policy: How much reform?Saudi domestic policy: Salman the Powerful Women's rights in the Arab world: Are Saudi women next?

Refugee children in a German school (photo: picture alliance/dpa/Sputnik/I. Zarembo)

Interview with migration researcher Aladin El-Mafaalani

Integrating refugee children: Don't make them wait

Many schools in Germany still struggle with the task of integrating refugee children, although the majority are highly motivated. In interview with Nicole Sagener, migration researcher Aladin El-Mafaalani explains why this is – and what could be improvedMore

Discrimination in schools: Better marks without a headscarf The Avicenna scholarship programme: Cosmopolitan and female How German textbooks present Islam and immigration: "Diversity is part of everyday life"

Female students – at Grace Valley "Wafiyya" College of Arts in Science in Malappuram, Kerala, India (source: Grace Valley College.com)

Islamic education in India

All-female madrassas: Of women, by women and for women

A new breed of women-only Islamic seminaries in India are making the rarefied area of higher studies in Islamic theology accessible to girls, while introducing an eclectic blend of traditional religious studies and modern secular education. By Muhammed Nafih More

Women and Arab-Islamic education: The doyennes of learning Taha Hussein and the democratisation of education in Egypt: The sea of knowledge Gender equality in the Middle East: To the benefit of all

"Wiki Gender"

The first Arabic online lexicon for gender issues

"Wiki Gender" is a collectively-run Internet lexicon. The activists behind it hope to create a digital and participatory knowledge platform that not only provides freely accessible information to the public, but above all serves to initiate discourse. By Sofian Philip NaceurMore

The Wiki Gender website Qantara dossier: Women in the Islamic World Women′s rights in Islam: Can feminism be Islamic?

Professor Ednan Aslan, professor for Islamic religious education theory at the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Sciences at the University of Vienna (photo: dpa/picture-alliance)

Controversial study about Muslim kindergartens in Vienna

The unwelcome glare of publicity

According to a report in the Austrian weekly ′Falter′, Professor Ednan Aslan is said to have allowed civil servants working for the Austrian Foreign and Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz to manipulate his findings for political ends. Allegations he vehemently denies. A commission has now been set up to investigate. By Canan TopcuMore

Austria′s president and the Islamophobia debate: The courage of one man The Islam debate: The dual consciousness of Muslims Interview with the political scientist Farid Hafez: "An expression of institutional Islamophobia"

Topic: Education

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