Dear Readers,
Please find below a selection of Qantara.de's most recent articles.
Best wishes,
Lewis Gropp
Qantara.de
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POLITICS
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***German-Israeli Relations: Merkel Could Have Taken It Further***
On her visit to Israel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel could have
addressed more "difficult" issues, says Peter Philipp. What the
Middle East needs most, he says, is encouragement to pursue peace
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-945/i.html
***Iraq: Five Years On: "Respect and Fairness for the Muslim
World"***
Five years after the Iraq War, Jürgen Todenhöfer, a prominent
German media manager and former member of parliament for the
Christian Democrats, travelled to Iraq to interview "resistance
fighters" and al-Qaida terrorists. He recently published an account
of what he experienced there. Interview by Hisham Adem
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-946/i.html
***The Third "German Islam Conference": Muslim Pluralism Must Be
Encouraged***
The third "Islam Conference" has shown once more: the debate about
institutionalising Islam in Germany by creating a single umbrella
organisation for all Muslims is one which raises questions as to
whether such an organisation would be really representative. A
commentary by Loay Mudhoon
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-944/i.html
***Islam Coverage in the Media: The Dialectics of Integration***
Despite some progress studies still show that mass media heavily
emphasizes the negative aspects of Islam in its coverage. A
professional conference in Germany discussed how to normalize news
coverage. Loay Mudhoon reports
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-940/i.html
***"Political Tsunami" in Malaysian Politics: Minorities Punish the
Government***
In Malaysia's recent parliamentary election, the opposition benefited
from frustrated minorities and discontent about corruption. Is the
"state racism" of the ruling National Front coalition coming to an
end? Oliver Meiler reports
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-943/i.html
***Israel's Settlement Policy: "Hamas Is an Accomplice of the Jewish
Extremists"***
In a move that undermines the peace process, Israel has announced
plans to build hundreds of new homes in the West Bank. In this
interview, Volkhard Windfuhr, correspondent for the newsmagazine "Der
Spiegel", criticises extremists on both sides of the fence
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-942/i.html
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SOCIETY
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***Blogging in the Arab World: Lessons in Democracy***
Blogs serve an important function as platforms for independent
reporting, especially in the authoritarian states of Northern Africa,
where controversial debates are often excluded from political life.
Alfred Hackensberger reports
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-745/i.html
***Gallup Poll of Muslims: What Do Muslims Think of the West?***
The Washington-based Gallup Institute took on a mammoth six-year task
when it opted to carry out a worldwide investigation into the Muslim
mindset, and it came up with some remarkable results. Peter Philipp
has been carrying out his own investigation
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-744/i.html
***Educational Policy in Saudi Arabia: Hell Fire in Primary School***
Saudi Arabia is hoping to modernise its image with new school
textbooks. The new books were published recently and made available
in the internet. Joseph Croitoru has read them, and reports that they
leave an ambiguous impression
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-743/i.html
***Interview with Prince Hassan of Jordan: "Why Do We Blame
Everything on Religion?"***
Prince Hassan of Jordan has been awarded the Abraham Geiger Prize for
2008 in recognition of his advocacy of ecological sustainability,
reconciliation and dialogue between the religions. Nasser Jubara and
Bassam Rizq spoke with him
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-742/i.html
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CULTURE
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***Youssef Chahine: "Chaos": Sympathy with the Upright Citizens of
Egypt***
Chaos is Youssef Chahine's most recent film. The 81-year-old master
of Egyptian cinema has made a social comedy that also makes digs
about corruption and arbitrary policing. Ariana Mirza went to see it
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-517/i.html
***Lebanese Violinist Claude Chalhoub: "I Have a Multiple Cultural
Identity"***
Claude Chalhoub moves from world music to classical music, striving
to find his place in unstable Lebanon. Stefan Franzen met with the
Beirut violinist and composer
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-515/i.html
***Alaa al-Aswani: The Arab World's Literary Taboo-Breaker***
Alaa al-Aswani is currently the most successful Arab novelist. He was
the only Arabic-language writer to participate in this year's lit.
COLOGNE in Germany, the largest literary festival in Europe, where he
read from his latest novel "Chicago". Samir Grees was listening
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-514/i.html
***Arabic Booker Prize Awarded to Bahaa Taher: On the Threshold of
the Modern Age***
The winner of the first Arabic Booker Prize was no great surprise.
The Arab-British jury chaired by the Iraqi writer Samuel Shimon
decided in favor of Sunset Oasis by the Egyptian novelist Bahaa
Taher, the most prominent of the six finalists. Mona Naggar reports
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-513/i.html
***German-Arab Cultural Exchange: Richard Wagner in Abu Dhabi***
On Saturday, March 8, the Saxony's state orchestra performed an
all-Wagner concert in the United Arab Emirates. Jefferson Chase spoke
to orchestra director Jan Nast about high culture and the everyday
task of creating cultural understanding
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-509/i.html
***Documentary Film: "Telling Strings": Living on Islands***
The Palestinian singer and oud player Kamilya Joubran came to
international fame with the folk music group Sabreen from East
Jerusalem. Together with the Swiss film-maker Anne-Marie Haller,
Joubran has made a film about her family in Israel. Martina Sabra saw
the film and found it both moving and well worth watching
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-512/i.html
***
This is the newsletter of the online magazine "Qantara.de –
Dialogue with the Islamic World"; Qantara.de is sponsored by Deutsche
Welle, the Goethe Institute, the Federal Center for Political
Education and the Institute for Foreign Relations; the portal is
funded by the German Foreign Office.
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Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm
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Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf
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MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.
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Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm
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Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm
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Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/
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MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm
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German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm
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