Dear Readers,
As usual, the latest Qantara.de newsletter tells you what's new on
our website. This week's edition features, among others, an exclusive
interview with Islamic scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid.
Best wishes,
Lewis Gropp
Qantara.de
++++++++
IN FOCUS
++++++++
Interview with Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid
"I am a Witness to the Changes in Islam"
Leading Islamic reformist and literary scholar, Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid,
believes that individual freedom is an essential prerequisite to
faith. Everyone, therefore, also has the right to convert to another
faith. He talked to Erhard Brunn about some of his ideas
http://qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-813/i.html
++++++++
POLITICS
++++++++
Rainer Hermann: Where is Turkey Heading?
The Illusion of National Homogeneity
Rainer Hermann is one of Germany's most respected and important
foreign correspondents. He is now set to leave Turkey for Dubai,
after 17 years. His recent book draws on his experiences in the
country over that time. Semiran Kaya on an outstanding piece of
writing
http://qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-1037/i.html
Fifteen Years on from the Oslo Accords
From Asymmetry to Apathy
The altered balance of international and regional power, continued
settlement growth and acts of violence by radical Palestinian
groupings have brought all hope to a standstill. Hisham Adem spoke to
Jibril Rajoub, Margret Johannsen, and Akiva Eldar on the legacy of
Oslo
http://qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-1036/i.html
"Anti-Islam Congress" in Cologne
European Parties Fail to Feed Resentment against Islam
European right-wing populist parties had planned an "Anti-Islam
Congress" in Cologne for the past weekend. An alliance of local
people, politicians, the media, churches and associations put a stop
to these plans. Frank Überall reports from Cologne
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-1038/i.html
+++++++
SOCIETY
+++++++
Criticism of Islamic Theologian Muhammad Kalisch
Doubt about Muhammad's Existence Poses Threat to Islamic Religious
Education
Muhammad Sven Kalisch is an Islamic researcher at the University of
Münster. He is also the first person in Germany to hold a Chair of
Islamic Religion. Kalisch's recent public admission that he is unsure
whether the Prophet Muhammad was actually a historical person has got
him into hot water. Peter Philipp has the details
http://qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-812/i.html
Portrait Albert Memmi
A Sober Look at Freedom
With his "Portrait of the Colonised" Tunisian-French sociologist and
writer Albert Memmi laid forth a seminal work of decolonialism in the
1950s. This work was followed recently by "Portrait of the
Decolonised", in which he draws a very sobering balance. Kersten
Knipp visited the son of Jewish Arab parents in Paris
http://qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-811/i.html
++++++++
CULTURE
++++++++
Palestinian-Israeli Writer and Artist Aida Nasrallah
"We Have to Rethink the Concept of Identity"
In her novel, "Love beyond the Ocean", Aida Nasrallah explores the
complex identity of Palestinians living in Israel. Martina Sabra met
with the Israeli-Palestinian writer and artist on her reading tour in
Germany
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-570/i.htm
Roya Hakakian: "Journey from the Land of No"
Revolution as Love Affair
Due to political pressure, Roya Hakakian's family was forced to
leave Iran after the revolution of 1979. Today the Iranian-Jewish
author lives in the USA and recently published a memoir of her
childhood. Rasha Khayat reports on the book
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-573/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.
------------------------------------
*****************************************
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
*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf
*****************************************
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.
*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm
*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm
*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/
*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm
*****************************************
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
*****************************************
Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm
****************************************************
VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/
****************************************************
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:mukto-mona-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:mukto-mona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
mukto-mona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/