Qantara.de
Encyclopedia
Qantara.de is an Internet portal in German
, English
, Arabic and Turkish
, designed to promote intercultural dialogue between the Western
and the Islamic world.
The portal was founded on the initiative of the German Foreign Office, in reaction to the crisis ridden developments in relations to Islamic cultures in the wake of the shock of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the USA. Online since March 2003, the platform is jointly run by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle
(DW), the Goethe-Institut
(GI) and the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), and is funded by the foreign office. The task of the joint dialogue project is to promote understanding between the various cultures, with the aim of combating ignorance and prejudice through knowledge.
The editorial team works to publish writing by Western
and Islamic authors who seek open and respectful discussion of both commonalities and controversial subjects, even in times of crisis.
These have included such diverse contributors as the Egyptian literary scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, the German former diplomat and Muslim Murad Hofmann, the Islam theologian Halima Krausen, the conflict researcher Heiner Bielefeldt and the physicist Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker
.
Qantara.de has been selected by Britannica's editors as a Web's BestSite.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Arabic and Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, designed to promote intercultural dialogue between the Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
and the Islamic world.
The portal was founded on the initiative of the German Foreign Office, in reaction to the crisis ridden developments in relations to Islamic cultures in the wake of the shock of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the USA. Online since March 2003, the platform is jointly run by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
(DW), the Goethe-Institut
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German...
(GI) and the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), and is funded by the foreign office. The task of the joint dialogue project is to promote understanding between the various cultures, with the aim of combating ignorance and prejudice through knowledge.
The editorial team works to publish writing by Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
and Islamic authors who seek open and respectful discussion of both commonalities and controversial subjects, even in times of crisis.
These have included such diverse contributors as the Egyptian literary scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid, the German former diplomat and Muslim Murad Hofmann, the Islam theologian Halima Krausen, the conflict researcher Heiner Bielefeldt and the physicist Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker is a German scientist and politician.He is son of the physicist Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker and nephew of the former German President Richard von Weizsäcker....
.
Qantara.de has been selected by Britannica's editors as a Web's BestSite.