"We Are Half of Iran's Population"
| Bild: | In her new documentary film, renowned director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad examines discrimination and legally disadvantaged position of Iranian women and highlights new forms of resistance to the political pressures in the Islamic Republic. By Alessandro Topa

Interview with Irene Khan
| Bild: | Irene Khan, not only the first woman secretary-general of Amnesty International but also the first Asian and Muslim to hold that position, speaks to Ayse Karabat about the cultural relativity of human rights debates and their relation to power and politics

Muslim Professional Footballers during Ramadan
| Bild: | Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, began on 21 August. No exception is made for Muslim professional footballers, who are also obliged to practice abstinence for four weeks. But is it not a bad idea for those involved in competitive sport to observe such a strict fast? By André Tucic

Mohammed Ali Abtahi
| Bild: | The former Iranian Vice President Mohammed Ali Abtahi founded an institute for interreligious dialogue in Tehran. Now he is on trial in an Iranian revolutionary court. Corinna Mühlstedt spoke to him before his arrest

Koran School for Women in Yemen
| Bild: | In her report Rosa Gosch writes about her experiences at Dar az-Zahra, a Koran school for women in Yemen, where reciting in public and preaching is an important part of their training

German Immigration Policy
| Bild: | The establishment of Council of Experts on Integration and Immigration by eight major German foundations has evoked a consistently positive resonance in the German states and federal government. An interview with the Council's chairman, Klaus J. Bade, on German immigration policy

Humour in the Islamic World
| Bild: | Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and the cartoon controversy, few West Europeans connect the Arab world with humour and irony. Yet, Islamic culture can in no way be considered a humour-free zone. Andrea Lueg reports

Iraqi Prisons
| Bild: | Last February Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, made notorious by graphic pictures of abuse of inmates by US jailers, has reopened with top-of-the-range facilities and a new name. Birgit Svensson reports

Interview with Amel Grami
| Bild: | Tunisia has long been one of the most progressive countries in the Arab world with regard to women's rights. But even here neoconservative and Islamist ideas have increasingly been finding a receptive audience among young women. Beat Stauffer spoke with Tunisian religious scholar Amel Grami

Interview with Abdou Salam Fall
| Bild: | Many African nations view Europe's immigration policies as one-sided and selective. Abdou Salam Fall, a sociologist at Senegal's "Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire" (IFAN), advocates a policy of sustainable development as a solution for all sides. Naima El Moussaoui spoke with him in Dakar

Zoroastrians in Iran
| Bild: | Next to Judaism, Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions and it was the state religion in the Persian Empire long before the Muslim conquest. Today, however, the faith ekes out a shadowy existence. Arian Fariborz reports

Psychological Problems among Migrants
| Bild: | Psychological illness among Muslims is regarded as a special problem. Many doctors do not know how to deal with the situation, while treatment concepts and patient-focused services are lacking in Germany. By Cigdem Akyol

College Training for Muslim Imams in Germany
| Bild: | One German state is hoping to improve the integration of its Muslim community by offering imam training programs at university. Michael Hollenbach reports

The West and Islam
| Bild: | People to the south and north of the Mediterranean attribute negative characteristics to one another. In this essay, Hassan Hanafi, professor of philosophy at the University of Cairo, contributes a few thought-provoking ideas

Media and the Finance Crisis in the Gulf
| Bild: | The financial crisis has reached the United Arab Emirates. Constantin Schreiber explains why the rulers are frightened of the media and what they're doing about it