Most recent articles by Claudia Mende
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Local government under Syria's oppositionOf the people, by the people, for the people
The work of civilian local authorities in Syrian opposition-held areas has been almost totally forgotten. Their failure was essentially due to a lack of a support from the West, as well as a lack of considered political concepts. An analysis by Claudia Mende
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Moroccoʹs Jewish legacyThe Rabbi of Essaouira
The presence of Jewish tradesmen helped shape the character of Essaouira in Morocco. Traces of the portʹs Jewish heritage are evident to this very day. Every year Jews from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Essaouira, keeping memories of the city’s Jewish character alive. By Claudia Mende
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Women's self-help project "Amal" in MoroccoThe single mothers of Marrakesh
Single mothers in Morocco still experience social discrimination today. They upset the traditional image of the nuclear family, although that has long since become outdated. The "Amal" project in Marrakesh supports theses mothers, who are often among the poorest members of society. By Claudia Mende
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The association "Deutsch Plus"Working for diversity in Germany
The association "Deutsch Plus" was founded in 2011 with the aim of promoting equal opportunities and participation for people with a migration background. The hope is that by embracing diversity, Germany can progress from being a country of immigration to becoming a true society of immigration. By Claudia Mende
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Interview with the sociologist Farhad KhosrokhavarRadicalisation in the suburbs
The French-Iranian sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar examines why people become radicalised and what factors drive them to jihad. In conversation with Claudia Mende, he explains why deprived suburban areas are hot spots for radicalisation and how Europe needs to react to the threat of terror
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Germanyʹs Arabic Childrenʹs Literature FestivalKarimʹs adventures
The Arabic Childrenʹs Literature Festival held recently in Munich presented a selection of recommended childrenʹs books in Arabic. The catalogue is one of the early outcomes of a three-year project run by the International Youth Library, with the aim of bringing as yet unknown Arabic childrenʹs books to Germany. By Claudia Mende
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Islamic inheritance law in Morocco and TunisiaFeminist Asma Lamrabet under pressure
Conservatives in Morocco have forced the Islamic feminist Asma Lamrabet to relinquish her post at the Centre d'Etudes Feminines en Islam in Rabat. A debate on discrimination against women in Islamic inheritance law sparked the conflict, fuelled in part by a draft amendment in Tunisia that would institute an egalitarian law of inheritance there. By Claudia Mende
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Interview with Libyan author Hisham Matar″You can't turn back the clock″
London-based author Hisham Matar writes about the disappearance of his father, a member of the Libyan opposition who was kidnapped while exiled in Cairo and has never been seen since. In ″The Return″, Matar describes his own fruitless search to trace his father and Libya′s brief moment of hope following the fall of Gaddafi. Interview by Claudia Mende
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Interview with Mauritanian human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid"Time to end Arab racism"
Today in Mauritania, children are still being born into slavery. Not only that, they will remain slaves for the rest of their lives. It is the most prevalent and most extreme expression of Arab racism in North Africa, says human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid and it is time to consign it to the past. By Claudia Mende
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Germany's refugee influx two years onWhere there's a will
In 2015 and 2016, some 1.2 million refugees fled to Germany. Two years on from the start of the refugee crisis, how are these new arrivals integrating? Have the right steps been taken? Report by Claudia Mende
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Germany′s arms exports to the Islamic worldProfiteering from terrorism
Germany's massive arms exports are helping shore up autocratic regimes in the Middle East. The policy is short-sighted and driven by economic interests, writes Markus Bickel in his highly informative analysis ″Die Profiteure des Terrors″. By Claudia Mende
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Interview with Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im"We are in the middle of a transformative process"
Islamic scholar Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im of the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, USA, has done extensive research into the ways in which Sharia can be reconciled with the modern secular state. Claudia Mende spoke to him about the different faces of the secular, the separation of state and religion in early Islamic history and why he feels Muslims are in the middle of a reformation process