Islamic theology in Germany
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Islamic theology in Germany
Mission accomplished?
Rarely does interest in a subject grow so fast. Introduced as a course of study at German universities just five years ago, Islamic theology is now being taught to 1,800 students at five centres around the country. Arnfrid Schenk takes stock
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Interview with the Islamic scholar Ebrahim Moosa
The reinvention of Islam
Concepts like apostasy or blasphemy reveal that Islamic theology is caught in a mode of imperial Islamic political thinking, says US-based scholar Ebrahim Moosa. What is needed is a process of critical appraisal. Moosa asks that Muslims rediscover the great lessons of diversity in their history rather than following the reductionist versions that masquerade as Muslim theology today. Interview by Claudia Mende
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Interview with the Islam scholar Ahmad Milad Karimi
Accessing the Koran
Ahmad Milad Karimi is one of Germany′s most dynamic philosophers of religion. Having come to the country as a refugee when he was a child, he is now helping to establish an Islamic philosophy of religion and has produced a new translation of the Koran. His main concern is to break down the foreignness of Islam
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Islamic theology
Turning over a new page
Theology and paedagogy can offer young Muslims a better alternative to the hate preachers operating on the sidelines of the faith. By Harry Harun Behr
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Interview with Mouhanad Khorchide
"Religion seeks to touch people′s hearts"
The new book by Islamic Studies scholar Mouhanad Khorchide argues for a modern understanding of the Koran and considers the relationship between God and humanity. "The Koran aims to bring up mature human beings, who develop their own religious nature", says Khorchide. Interview by Canan Topcu
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Islam and the West
What Islamisation?
The state promotes Islam in public life – and for good reason. This has nothing to do with Islamisation but with the liberties enshrined in the constitutions of the Western democracies, writes Christine Langenfeld, chair of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration
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Interview with Harry Harun Behr
"I don't know how Mohammed can be offended"
The Muslim religious educator Harry Harun Behr promotes openness in theology. Stefan Toepfer spoke to him about violence, teaching Islam, the fight against radicalisation and the "Charlie Hebdo" caricatures
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Salafists in Germany
A simple world view and the promise of paradise
Salafists in Germany have been on a recruitment drive for quite some time: handing out flyers and free copies of the Koran in city centres. They are also targeting young people at schools, on the Internet and anywhere where young people meet. How can young people be protected? By Arnfrid Schenk
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Debate about the role of Muslims in fighting Islamist terrorism
IS is not just a Muslim problem
Why do so many people in Germany assume that Muslims automatically sympathise more with the terrorists of IS than with those who are helping their victims? And why is so little notice being taken of the countless statements made by Muslim theologians and intellectuals who have distanced themselves from the terrorists' appalling acts? A commentary by Katajun Amirpur
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The Congress "Horizons of Islamic Theology"
A disintegration of Islam?
Academics from all over the world met to debate Islam at the congress "Horizons of Islamic Theology" in Frankfurt in early September. But the event was overshadowed by the acts of terror being perpetrated in the name of the faith by Islamic State and other extremist organisations. By Claudia Mende
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Interview with Farid Esack
"Pluralist societies are about give and take"
Farid Esack is a Koran scholar and Islamic liberation theologian from South Africa. He is one of the most renowned Islamic thinkers of our time. Claudia Mende spoke to him at the recent international "Horizons of Islamic Theology" conference in Frankfurt
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Interview with Maha El-Kaisy-Friemuth
"We urgently need reform within Islam"
What is the focus of a feminist Islamic theologian's work? And what is the best way to deal with controversial Koran verses in the modern day? Claudia Mende talked to Maha El-Kaisy-Friemuth, professor of Islamic Religious Studies at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg