Islamic art
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Turkish Pianist Fazil Say Sentenced for Insulting Islam
Playing the Wrong Tune
World-renowned concert pianist Fazil Say was given a suspended jail sentence in Turkey for insulting religious values on Twitter, a case which has become a cause celebre for Turks alarmed about creeping Islamic conservatism. By Tim Neshitov
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Drama School in the West Bank
Theatre of Hope
Students at the West Bank's first and only drama school talk about their struggle to establish a theatre in the West Bank and their desire to change society for the better through theatre. Ulrike Schleicher spoke to three of them
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The Egyptian Artist Ali Abdel Mohsen
The Natural Pessimist
Ali Abdel Mohsen is one of the young, original, and generally irreverent artists who appeared as if out of nowhere in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution and who have completely altered the Cairo art scene. A portrait by Claudia Mende
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Islamic Archeology
Samarra, Centre of the World
With his excavations in Samarra, the German archaeologist Ernst Herzfeld founded "Islamic Archaeology". On the 101st anniversary of his excavations in the city, which is situated in modern-day Iraq, a special exhibition marking his work has opened its doors in Berlin. By Jannis Hagmann
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Saladin Ahmed's ''Throne of the Crescent Moon''
An Arab-American Fantasy Epic
Saladin Ahmed's fantasy novel "Throne of the Crescent Moon" is inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. In his review, Richard Marcus says the epic adds much needed diversity to the fantasy genre
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The Franco-Algerian artist Dalila Dalléas Bouzar
Pulling away the Veil from Memory
In her project "Algeria, Year Zero – the pieced together past of the future", Berlin-based Franco-Algerian artist Dalila Dalléas Bouzar focused on the collective traumas experienced by Algerian society. Martina Sabra spoke with the artist in Berlin
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Louvre Unveils Islamic Art Wing
Where Cultures Intertwine
The Louvre has just opened a new wing devoted to Islamic art and thereby once again highlighted its status as a museum of world art. The successful project has gone ahead under the auspices of three French presidents and rises above fanaticism. By Joseph Hanimann
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Profile of the Egyptian Comic Illustrator Ahmed Omar
''The View from the Other Side''
Comic illustrator Ahmed Omar is primarily known for his cartoons in "El-Doshma". His comics address the issues of corruption, injustice – and the search for a better life. Matthias Sailer introduces the artist
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Missing: the Syrian Film-maker Orwa Nyrabia
The Hunt for Awkward Cultural Activists
Last Thursday afternoon, Orwa Nyrabia, film-maker, festival organiser and activist, disappeared as he was on the way to board a flight from Damascus to Cairo. It is assumed that he was arrested at Damascus airport by the Syrian security services. But, as Charlotte Bank reports, the case is not unique
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''The 99'' Cartoons
Islamic Super-Heroes
In the television series "The 99", Islamic comic heroes fight against evil forces in the world. Western critics warn against religious propaganda – unjustly, says Jannis Hagman
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Michael Muhammad Knight's Novel ''Taqwacore''
Provocation as a Way of Life
Every movement has its pioneers. With his novel "Taqwacore", Michael Muhammad Knight created a blueprint for an individual youth protest culture in the US: "Muslim Punk". His book is both shocking and provocative. But "Taqwacore" has struck a chord with Muslim youngsters who say it reflects their own conflicts of identity. By Naima El Moussaoui
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Aleppo's Old Town
World Cultural Heritage Threatened by Syria's Civil War
Large-scale destruction is being inflicted on the unique historical and cultural legacy of the Syrian commercial metropolis Aleppo. And the people of the city had actually only just begun to show an interest in that legacy. By Claudia Mende