Islamic theology in Germany
All topics-
Portrait of the theologian Rabeya Muller
Equality in the name of Islam
The women's movement within Islam is gaining momentum worldwide. One of the most influential German Muslim women in this respect is the theologian Rabeya Muller. With her clear views and breaks with taboo, she is pushing for change within the Muslim community in Germany
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Interview with theology professor Ömer Özsoy
Academic freedom takes precedence
New centres for Islamic theology have been established at five German universities in recent years. In 2007, Ömer Özsoy became the first Muslim theologian to be appointed as a professor at a German university. He teaches Koranic exegesis at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. In the debate on what direction Islamic theology should take in this country, he stresses above all the importance of academic freedom. Interview by Claudia Mende
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Interview with Kerem Öktem
Farewell to the "Islamic Vatican"?
Diyanet, Turkey's state-run Directorate General for Religious Affairs, is often referred to as a kind of Islamic "mini-Vatican". The Ankara-based authority seeks to shape the religious lives of Turkish Muslims living in Western Europe. In Germany, the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), a federation of almost 900 mosque communities, is closely allied with Diyanet. Claudia Mende asked German scholar Kerem Öktem of St Anthony's College Oxford to what extent Ankara influences debates about religious matters in Germany
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Dispute about Prof Mouhanad Khorchide
A conflict of many layers
The dispute about Mouhanad Khorchide, director of the Centre for Islamic Theology at the University of Münster, is heating up. Although the conflict is ostensibly about the "correct" interpretation of Islam, it is also an attempt by the Islamic associations in Germany to make a show of strength to politicians. The dispute has dire consequences for the discipline of Islamic theology, which is still in its infancy in Germany. By Canan Topçu
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Germany's New Minister for Migration
Aydan Özoguz, a Turkish-German at the Top
The SPD's Aydan Özoguz is the first politician of Turkish origin to hold a top post in Germany. As integration minister, she gives a voice to the country's many migrants - but she has not been without controversy. By Michael Hartlep
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Debate on European Islam
A Mined Terrain
The concept of European Islam has proved to be a constant source of controversy. For some it embodies the deliverance of Islam from everything that is perceived as backward looking and pre-modern. Others fear that a European Islam is a watered-down religion, a kind of government-controlled "state Islam", prepared to fully accommodate to the wishes of the authorities. By Claudia Mende
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Muslims in Germany
Nice and Mild Sharia
Muslims should engage and transform this society. This would require them, however, to overcome the fear of being liked by some. Or is the only good Muslim a rejected Muslim? An essay by Charlotte Wiedemann
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Interview with Naika Foroutan on the German Islam Conference
''Politics Is Also About Using Symbols''
In an interview with Andrea Dernbach, sociologist Naika Foroutan reflects on seven years of the German Islam Conference and the role of young Muslims in Germany
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Exchange between Christian, Jewish and Muslim Scholars
Exploring a Shared Heritage
Prof. Sabine Schmidtke, head of the Research Unit for the Study of Intellectual History in the Islamicate World at the Freie Universität Berlin, has a passion in life: working with ancient manuscripts. In the course of her work, she discovers common threads in the thinking of Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars. Arnfrid Schenk takes a closer look at her work and its significance outside the academic world
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Mouhanad Khorchide's Reformist Theology
De-politicizing the Koran
Mouhanad Khorchide aims to reconcile Islam with the modern world. His aim is to liberate the Koran from all outward trappings and return to the religion's spiritual core Claudia Mende introduces the man and his work
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Interview with Mouhanad Khorchide
''God Is Not A Dictator''
The Koran has thus far been subjected to erroneous interpretation, says Mouhanad Khorchide, professor of Islamic Religious Education at the University of Munster. Khorchide is calling for an emancipation of the faith. Interview by Arnfrid Schenk and Martin Spiewak
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Textbook on Islam for German Schools
Conflicts between Tradition and Modernity
The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is introducing a schoolbook that introduces pupils to Islam. But is the teacher in it going to wear a headscarf or not, and is correct to use the Arabic term "Allah" for God? Ulrike Hummel reports