Sistema Mundial

Qantara.de Newsletter 18 October 2012

++ "Tunisia is attempting a democratic reconstruction"  ++ ''Egypt is inexorably developing into a theocracy''  ++ Beyond the Violence  ++ ''We belong to the West, culturally and mentally''  ++ It's about Reconciliation, Not Punishment  ++ Reflecting the Dark Side of Iran's Capital  ++ Hijab and High Heels

Interview with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki  "Tunisia is attempting a democratic reconstruction"  One has to be prepared to work with the Islamists for the sake of social peace, says the Tunisian president, Moncef Marzouki. He told Edith Kresta and Renate Fisseler-Skandrani that this applies even if some of them reject democracy More...

Interview with the Coptic activist Emad Gad  ''Egypt is inexorably developing into a theocracy''   Emad Gad is a leading member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and vice-director of the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. In this interview with Ute Schaeffer and Loay Mudhoon, he criticises the Islamization course being steered by Mursi's administration and explains how Egypt's liberal parties could act as a counterweight to the Islamists More...

''Syria in the Firing Line''  Beyond the Violence   International news reporting on Syria is increasingly focused on the armed conflict raging in the country. Yet, civilian opposition to the Assad regime is continuing as well. In her new book, Kristin Helberg reports on the peaceful origins of the Syrian revolution and the workings of Assad's machinery of power. By Martina Sabra More...

Islam in Bosnia  ''We belong to the West, culturally and mentally''  Bosnia is entering a new phase in its history: the post-war era is over; communities and mosques have been rebuilt. But where are Bosnian Muslims heading in these turbulent times? Charlotte Wiedemann spoke to Ahmet Alibašić, lecturer at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo More...

Coming to Terms with the Mubarak Era in Egypt  It's about Reconciliation, Not Punishment   Egypt is struggling with its recent past. Those in authority want to keep secret-service files hidden away, and nobody seems to have the courage to reform the country's security apparatus. But for some Egyptians, Germany is now considered an inspiration because of the way it is dealing with its recent history of misdeeds in formerly Socialist East Germany. By Andreas Jacobs More...

Amir Hassan Cheheltan's ''Tehran, Skyless City''  Reflecting the Dark Side of Iran's Capital  In "Tehran, Skyless City", Amir Hassan Cheheltan describes the journey through life of an underdog who arrives in Tehran as an uprooted, orphaned inmate of a home and with a high degree of criminal energy, rises through the ranks to become the director of a torture prison. A review by Volker Kaminski More...

Islamic Fashion Magazine ''Ala'' from Turkey  Hijab and High Heels   Turkish public opinion is divided over the Islamic fashion magazine "Ala". Most of the objections emanate from the Islamist camp, which makes it all the more surprising to learn that most of the women who read the magazine are members of the new Turkish middle class, which is politically aligned with the Islamist-leaning AKP. By Marcel Malachowski More...

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