Islamism | Political Islam
All topics-
Turkey
A 100-year-old democracy with ups and downs
Turkey will mark the centenary of the proclamation of the Turkish republic in October. But 2023 will be an important year in another respect too: Turks will go to the polls in June to elect their next president – an election that could usher in a new era in its history. By Burak Ünveren
-
Turkey
AKP under scrutiny for ties to ultraconservative Islamic community
The ultraconservative Ismail Aga community has close links to Turkey's ruling AKP. Some are now questioning the community's influence after news reports of the forced marriage of a six-year-old girl within the group. By Burak Ünveren
-
Sudan's path to democratic transition
Will the Sudan deal hold?
Sudanese protesters have been calling for the removal of German diplomat Volker Perthes from the UN mission to the country. Despite the fractious nature of post-dictatorship politics, there are some reasons for optimism, such as the latest deal. By Cathrin Schaer
-
Hasan al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood
Who was the architect of Islamism?
Renowned scholar of Islamic Studies Gudrun Kramer has just published the first well-founded biography of Hasan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. Joseph Croitoru read the book
-
Protests in Iran
Islamic Republic facing a religious watershed
Iranians do not want an Islam that interferes. They are fed up with a system that manipulates people with simple promises of salvation and anti-Western propaganda. Islamic theologian Hamideh Mohagheghi sees Iran at a religious crossroads
-
Extortion and intimidation in Swat Valley
Pakistan Taliban racketeering hits borderlands
A lawmaker in Pakistan's rugged northwest was sipping tea with voters when his phone chirped to life – the Taliban were calling with a demand for 'donations'. "We hope you won't disappoint" read the chilling text from a shady go-between of the Pakistan chapter of the Islamists, known as Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
-
Turkey
20 years of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP
On 3 November 2002, Erdogan's newly founded AKP, Justice and Development Party, came to power in Turkey. It has ruled the country ever since, becoming more authoritarian with each victory. By Elmas Topcu
-
Paris Bataclan attack, 7 years on
You will not have my hate
Antoine Leiris lost his wife in the Islamist terrorist attack on the Bataclan club in Paris. German director Kilian Riedhof has made a film of his book "You will not have my hate". By Philipp Jedicke
-
Lamya Kaddor on the Qatar World Cup
"Address problems, but acknowledge progress"
Lamya Kaddor, MP for Germany’s Green Party, visited Qatar with a group of parliamentarians. In interview with Claudia Mende, she advocates a differentiated picture and urges that progress in human rights also be recognised
-
Transgender rights
Pakistani movie "Joyland" banned at home
The local screening of a Pakistan-produced movie portraying a love affair between a married man and a transgender woman hangs in the balance after the film was cleared by censors, then banned by the government under pressure from Islamists
-
America’s partisan war
Benghazi 9/11 casts a long shadow
Cries of "Benghazi!" still resonate across the USA ten years after a deadly terrorist attack in Libya killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. Ethan Chorin re-tells Benghazi as a watershed moment, one that has helped create today's America: polarised, fearful and dangerously unstable. Sherif Dhaimish read the book
-
General election in Israel
Will Bibi make a comeback?
On 1 November, elections are set to take place in Israel for the fifth time in four years. If Arab minority voters decide to stay home out of frustration at their divided parties, they could help Netanyahu secure a comeback. Inge Gunther reports from Jerusalem