Mahasin Saber wants her "Radio for divorced women" to put the spotlight on the serious deficits in the male-dominated Egyptian society, and to make people aware of the discrimination suffered by women. So far, she's succeeding. Nelly Youssef visited her in Cairo
Mariz Tadros is an expert in development, gender and participation from Egypt. Martina Sabra talked to her about the importance of legal reform for Arab women and about the strategies of Arab women's organisations to overcome discrimination and gender-based violence in Arab countries
Arabic was never easy. But if the language spoken by some 240 million people with its convoluted verb forms and guttural phonology suddenly starts appearing in Latin script, then things get really complicated. And at the same time very straightforward. Details from Mona Sarkis
Fatmire "Lira" Bajramaj is the superstar of German women's football. The young Muslim shot goals on a TV sports show in high heels, wears makeup on the pitch and is active in integration projects. She recently published her biography at the tender age of 22. By André Tucic
Lamya Kaddor, an expert in Islamic Studies and religious pedagogy, advocates a contemporary interpretation of Islam and is fighting to prevent both Muslim fundamentalists and Western critics from taking over the debate. Ulrich Schwerin read her new book
The vast majority of everyday contacts have nothing to do with religion. It is high time the debate on Muslim immigrants and integration in Germany was de-Islamicised, comments the Islam Studies scholar Michael Kiefer
Jonathan M. Bloom, who lectures in the history of Islamic art and architecture at the Boston College of Arts and Sciences, considers the Swiss decision to prohibit the construction of minarets to be a slap in the face of the Muslim community in Switzerland. Eren Güvercin asked him about the origin and history of the minaret
According to a study, 98 percent of the foreign women and 83 percent of the Egyptian women have at some point been subject to sexual harassment in Egypt. Often the blame is placed squarely on the shoulders of the victims. Mohammed Ali Atassi reports
A greater understanding of Islam and of Islamic culture on the part of the majority society is the key to successful integration of Muslim fellow citizens in Germany, writes Stephan J. Kramer, Secretary General of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
With his hostility towards religious minorities in the Islamic world and his wholesale dismissal of Muslim life in Europe, the Islamic scholar and television preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi is damaging dialogue and interreligious communication. A commentary by Khaled Hroub
Islam has been practiced in Bosnia for centuries. Claudia Mende asked Armina Omerika, an expert in Islamic studies, whether the Bosnian Islamic tradition could serve as a model for the integration of Muslims in other European societies
Germany's Science Council has proposed anchoring Islamic theology at the German universities – rightly and fortunately so, says Matthias Drobinski. In the juncture of religion and science Islam has the chance to win back the ability for reflection and self-restriction that the faith once had
Contrary to the European experience, secularization in the Islamic world preceded a religious reformation – with profound negative consequences for political development in Muslim societies. An essay by Nader Hashemi
The question of Islam's compatibility with democracy is often posed in the West. For many intellectuals in predominantly Islamic countries, however, it is not faith that prevents democratisation of their societies. They tend to lay the blame instead at the door of the ruling parties - their fear of losing power, their corruption and nepotism
The supposed "clash of civilizations" has given new impetus to interreligious dialogue involving Islam. Yet the dialogue between Catholics and Muslims in particular has been nothing less than turbulent since Benedict XVI became pope. Our dossier has all the details
Samuel Huntington proclaimed the "Clash of Civilizations". Intellectuals and cultural critics the world over vehemently disagreed, advocating an "Alliance of Civilizations" as an antidote. We have assembled a variety of views on cultural dialogue in our dossier
Beyond the violence in the Middle East conflict, there are many individuals and initiatives working towards lasting peace in the region. Our new dossier presents just some of them
Travels in body are always also travels in mind. In our Orient-Occident Travelogue dossier, we take a look at the way the self and the other were perceived during the Middle Ages, the age of colonialism, up until today.
What possibilities does Islam offer for the reform and democratisation of modern Muslim societies? Qantara.de presents the opinions and initiatives of renowned thinkers from the Islamic world.
Does globalization create opportunities, especially for developing countries, or is it rather an existential threat to traditional economic and social structures? In our dossier, we provide some answers, balancing opposing views
In the West and the Islamic world alike, the headscarf is the subject of heated discussions. We take a closer look at various aspects of the debate and highlight its background and social reality.
Muslim women struggling for emancipation often turn to tradition for inspiration. They analyse the Koran and the history of Islam and challenge interpretations which have been accepted for centuries. Read this and more in our dossier
The Radical Middle Way is an initiative aimed at articulating a mainstream understanding of Islam that inspires positive change. Click here for more...
The Palestine-Israel Journal is staffed by a joint team of Palestinians and Israelis working from a single office based in East Jerusalem. More...
For his coverage of conflict in the Middle East, Judah Passow won four World Press Photo awards. On his website he features photo essays on Beirut, Bosnia, Israel, the West Bank, and Islam in New York...
Effective and sustainable measures are urgently needed at the city, national and EU levels to tackle religious discrimination, according to a report released by the Open Society Institute's 'At Home in Europe' project. More...
The Arab Press Network is a digital network which supports the development of a stronger independent press in the Arab world. Click here for more...
The Britain-based Islamic Foundation for cology and Environmental Studies works towards the revival of Islamic environmental norms. Click here for more...
Euro-Islam.info is an active network of researchers and scholars who conduct comparative research on Islam and Muslims in the West and disseminate key information to politicians, media, and the public. More...
