Clash of civilisation

India and Pakistan

The legacy of colonial rule

India's ruling political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is inspired by the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Its core philosophy revolves around the idea of a predominantly Hindu India that seeks a global leadership role. By Suparna Banerjee
Hieroglyphs exhibition at the British Museum

Museums with guilt complexes

To celebrate the bicentenary of the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum is running an exhibition entitled "Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt" until February 2023. While Shady Lewis Botros welcomes the museum's effort to broaden the Eurocentric focus of the exhibition, he says that it "lays bare a critical approach and a potential for revisionism" and remains largely decorative
Religions for Peace conference in Lindau

Fighting hate speech, climate change and COVID-19 together

Religions are often a source of conflict. But the worldwide Religions for Peace movement seeks to change that by galvanising interreligious dialogue. Delegates from 90 countries are meeting this week in Germany. The involvement and commitment of young women at this year's conference is striking. By Christoph Strack
Karl-Josef Kuschel's "Goethe and the Koran"

Islam for the 21st century? Look no further than Goethe

No other Western poet was arguably so well-versed in the Koran or so fascinated by Islam as Germany's national hero, Goethe. In a new publication that examines all Goethe's writings relating to Islam, theologian Karl-Josef Kuschel shows that the poet's message is still highly relevant today. Stefan Weidner read the book
German angst and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award

Habermas, philosopher of communication, rejects dialogue

Philosopher Juergen Habermas was due to be awarded a major Arab prize in Abu Dhabi, but has turned it down following criticism. This decision torpedoes Arab efforts at a substantive cultural dialogue and exposes the West’s moral hubris, says Stefan Weidner
Repercussions of 9/11

The West and the Islamic world – mutually radicalised?

In his book "Ground Zero: 9/11 und die Geburt der Gegenwart" (Ground Zero: 9/11 and the Birth of the Present) Islamic scholar Stefan Weidner analyses the consequences of the attacks on the USA in September 2001. Kersten Knipp spoke with him about failures – as well as opportunities – in the West-East dialogue
Exhibition: "Be/coming/home – Berlin, capital of exiles?"

Monument to diversity in the "Capital of Exiles"

"Be/coming/home" by the Berlin dis:orient collective – which runs until 22 December – showcases work by six artists in exile in the capital. The multimedia presentation, in the form of a COVID-secure urban walk through Kreuzburg and Neukolln, shows how they experience and influence Berlin as a city of exile. Hannah El-Hitami went to see the exhibition for Qantara.de.
Muhammad cartoon controversy

Macron and the Muhammad tempest in a Twitter teapot

French President Macron's statements that caricatures of Muhammad may still be published have triggered outrage in a number of Muslim states. Turkish President Erdogan is among the most vocal critics. Karim El-Gawhary reports
Post-Christchurch debate on religion and terrorism

Who is responsible for the violence?

The question of whether religious texts are interpreted in a tolerant or a hostile way is closely tied to the historical context in which the interpretation takes place. The responsibility for terrorism lies first and foremost with people and not with the religious texts themselves, says Assem Hefny, a lecturer at Al-Azhar University
Christianity and Islam in dialogue

Forget ″them and us″!

Interfaith dialogue can only succeed if its actors stop fomenting value judgements from history. Essay by Alexander Goerlach
Book review: ″The Underground Girls of Kabul″

Boys for a time

Segregation calls for creativity – in Afghanistan, some parents simply pass off their daughters as boys. Fascinated by the idea, Swedish journalist Jenny Nordberg decided to record the results of her research. Marian Brehmer read the book
France after the attacks

Of Islam, champagne and bombs

The situation in France continues to be tense following the latest attacks in Paris. But instead of solving the problems at home, the focus is solely on Syria. Details from Emran Feroz