Qantara.de - Dialog mit der islamischen Welt

The Indonesian government and Greenpeace have teamed up with Islamic organisations to promote plastic waste reduction. Can including religion make environmental campaigns more effective? By Rizki Nugraha and Ayu PurwaningsihMore

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

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

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’tMore

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

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

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