Christians in the Islamic world
All topics-
Tattoo trends from Beirut to Baghdad
In the spirit of rebellion
For some it's about following a trend; for others, tattoos are a symbol of their faith, but whatever the reason, the fashion for stylish tattoos is fuelling a growing subculture across the Arab world. By Mey Dudin
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Egyptian Copts flee the Sinai
"They're slaughtering us like chickens"
Christians living in the Sinai are an easy target for IS jihadists. They began carrying out a series of murders aimed at intimidating the religious minority and causing panic. The result is a Christian exodus from the northern Sinai. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Ismailia
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Interview with Lutheran pastor Mitri Raheb
″Till we have a fair peace″
Mitri Raheb is a Lutheran pastor and Arab Christian and the founder of the International Center of Bethlehem. Martina Sabra talks to him about Luther's influence in the Middle East, the chances of an Islamic Reformation and accusations of anti-Semitism
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Christians in Iraq
Coping with wrack and ruin
The Christian villages around the Iraqi city of Mosul may have been liberated, but in reality, the scars of brutal IS rule mean they are uninhabitable. For most residents, returning is not an option at this stage. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Churches in Syria after the fall of East Aleppo
Time for a new beginning
Christian Churches in Aleppo have welcomed the government troops' victory. But after five years of war, it is important that they abandon the paradigm that the Assad regime is the protector of religious minorities and work tirelessly to overcome the religious divide. By Claudia Mende
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Egypt′s Coptic Church
The cost of a cornerstone
Despite a new law aimed at facilitating the construction of Christian houses of worship, the situation on the ground looks somewhat different. By Flemming Weiss-Andersen, Eva Plesner and Elisabeth Lehmann
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Christians in Iraq
Between the fronts
With the Mosul offensive having freed many Christian communities from the clutches of IS, there is undeniably cause for celebration. And yet the position of Iraq′s Christians remains precarious. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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Islamic law
The trust deficit
What the Middle East needs today is not Islamic law, but wide-ranging efforts to rebuild trust among and within communities and in private organisations and government. By Timur Kuran
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Interview with the theologian and Islam scholar Felix Koerner
"Clean theology is good for every religious community"
At the start of the millennium, the Jesuit priest Felix Koerner conducted research in Ankara and engaged with theologians who were streets ahead of their Arab colleagues when it came to libertarian and progressive thought. But the role of religion on the Bosphorus has changed dramatically since then. In an interview with Carolin Kubo, Koerner talks about the interdependence of religion and the state in Turkey and why interfaith dialogue is at a more advanced stage in Germany
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Education in the Arab world
Stop corrupting the next generation!
With curricula still focusing on fighting Christians, the torments of the grave, not to mention children being burnt in Hell, a revolution in Islamic religious education would appear to be long overdue. Mousa Barhouma argues in favour of teaching pupils noble Islamic ideas and humane values without overtaxing their intellectual maturity
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Women′s writing workshop in Basra, Iraq
Writing to survive
A writing workshop in the southern Iraqi city of Basra is encouraging women to use words to process their often traumatic experiences of a country scarred by destruction and conflict. But the future of the project now hangs in the balance due to funding problems. By Birgit Svensson
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Democracy and civil society in the Arab world
Talk is not a crime
With the violent radicalism and civil wars of the Middle East and North Africa capturing the world′s attention, the region′s grossly distorted legal systems are being given short shrift. Yet problematic laws like those criminalising defamation, which facilitate political and economic repression, undermine development – and destroy lives. By Daoud Kuttab