Most recent articles by Jannis Hagmann
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Launch of the digital television channel AlchemiyaA dose of positivity in dark times
A new London-based media start-up seeks to counter the warped portrayal of Islam. The digital television channel Alchemiya intends to showcase only positive content. Sounds a bit cheesy? Perhaps it is, says Jannis Hagmann, but it just might be a smart business idea and one that will catch on
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Research project into "spaces of participation"Hubs of political protest
From Casablanca to Manama, from Cairo to Istanbul: coffee shops, youth clubs mosques and public areas all play an important role in modern protest movements. A research project at the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO) in Berlin is now taking a closer look at such spaces of resistance and hope. By Jannis Hagmann
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LGBT in Islam"Islam does give us leeway to think"
Muslim and gay? Most scholars consider homosexual acts unlawful – not so Muhsin Hendricks, who says that the Koran does not say that homosexuality is a sin. Jannis Hagmann spoke to the South African imam about Islam, homosexuality and Koranic interpretation
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Interview with intelligence operative Benno Köpfer"You're allowed to be a Salafist in Germany"
More than 300 people from Germany have gone to Syria to join the jihad. In this interview with Jannis Hagmann, Benno Köpfer of the German domestic intelligence service explains what radicalises young people, why not all Salafists agree with the ISIS caliphate and why he drinks the occasional tea with some of them
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Interview with Stefan Meister"The Syria crisis is legitimising Putin"
Russia's backing of Bashar al-Assad and his regime is a geopolitical game, says Stefan Meister, expert in Russian foreign and security policy. Above all, however, Vladimir Putin is benefitting domestically from his Syria policy. The confrontation with the West is making him a key figure in world politics. Interview by Jannis Hagmann
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Book review: "Sectarian Gulf" by Toby MatthiesenSectarianism instead of revolution
The Gulf states were among the many countries enveloped by the Arab Spring. However, authorities there skilfully managed to play Sunnis and Shias off against each other as a means of dividing the protest movement. Initially, the tactic proved successful, writes Toby Matthiesen in his book "Sectarian Gulf". A review by Jannis Hagmann
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Documentary film: "Not Who We Are"Lost time in Lebanon
The stigma of being refugees, the lack of privacy and an uncertain future – these are just some of the problems that Syrian women face in Lebanon. The renowned filmmaker Carol Mansour tells their stories in her touching documentary "Not Who We Are". By Jannis Hagmann
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Interview with Lina Attalah"The Media Are PR Machines of the Military"
After being dismissed from the newspaper Egypt Independent, editor-in-chief Lina Attalah founded the alternative news website Mada Masr. Egyptian media are in "a very precarious condition", she says – and calls for a new kind of critical journalism. Interview by Jannis Hagmann
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Interview with Egyptian Novelist Alaa al-Aswany''Mubarak's Regime Remains Intact''
According to Egypt's renowned novelist Alaa al-Aswany, the Muslim Brothers' rule was a lesson for the country. "The idea of political Islam is now falling apart," al-Aswany asserts in this interview with Jannis Hagmann. But now, he warns, Mubarak's regime may try to take power again
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Internet Activists in SyriaVirtual (Counter-)Revolution
Online activists in Syria have been involved in the anti-Assad rebellion from the outset. And although the regime is now playing them at their own game, their online presence shows one thing above all else: That in this nation at war, civil resistance continues to exist. By Jannis Hagmann
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Lebanese Victims of TortureRemembering Palmyra
They were abducted and tortured. Now they have taken to the stage: In "The German Chair", Lebanese survivors of Syrian jails recreate the horrors of the civil war in a play. By Jannis Hagmann
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The Saudi Arabian Film ''Wadjda''A Children's Story in a Grown-Up World
Wadjda is the first feature film from Saudi Arabia to be directed by a woman. Despite receiving support from the royal family, filming was very difficult for the German-Saudi film team. Nevertheless, the resulting film both tells a touching story and is a delicately nuanced critique of Saudi society. Jannis Hagmann watched the film