The hijacked democracy

Image, Dr. Marwan Al-Ghafoury

العربية Deutsch

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On fascism and radicalism in a democratic context

It has now been a year since our ‘Democracy in Danger’ event in February 2024, which dealt specifically with current developments in democratic Western countries, especially ours here in Germany. Over the course of the year, this topic was a recurring theme, often in discussions at events that had a different theme – there is simply a great need in the audience to discuss their concerns in this regard with regard to the political landscape in Germany. The aim of the upcoming event is to add some depth to the discussion in order to perhaps better classify it and counter worrying trends, even if it is in later discussions elsewhere. 

This event will be held in Arabic without translation, this text is intended as a short summary for our non-Arabic speaking audience. We will endeavor to offer this or a similar event with the same focus in German or English at a later date. 

Talk of the political crisis is omnipresent. How can we approach the topic in a way that opens up a perspective and expands it to include cultural and historical aspects? 

As part of the Ibn Rushd Lectures, the Yemeni author, novelist and physician

Marwan Al-Ghafory will present his book Fascism for Beginners: Why Did You Let the Women Live?, recently published in Arabic by Tabaq Publishing in Ramallah, Palestine. Together with the historian Taqadum Al-Khatib, he will discuss the crisis of Western democracies with regard to the challenges in the Middle East. 

In their conversation, they will discuss the currently frequently experienced restriction of the

freedom of expression and discuss how the complex and unresolved problems in the Middle East could push stable democracies to take the path of fascism or, at best, autocracy. The two renowned Arab intellectuals will bring a non-geographical historical perspective to the current crisis in order to analyze its cultural and political roots.  Presented by Amany Alsiefy

About the speakers

Image, Dr. Marwan Al-Ghafoury

Marwan Al-Ghafory

Yemeni-German writer, novelist and doctor, lives in Essen and works as a

Specialist for heart and vascular diseases in Wuppertal. In addition to his medical

career, he has excelled in literature and published a large number of novels, essays and

Poems published. He writes a bi-monthly column for the opinion page of Al-Jazeera Net and heads the “Ibn Sina” society, which deals with cultural, academic and medical issues.

His most important works:

  • Liyal (Poetry): Sharjah Prize for Arab Creativity – first edition, 2004.
  • In anticipation of the prophecy of Yathrib (poetry): General Book Authority, Sanaa, 2006.
  • Code Blue (novel): Oktub Publishing, Cairo, 2008.
  • Al-Khazraji (novel): Azmena Publishing House, Amman, 2013.
  • Braids of Saada (novel): Al-Adab Publishing House, Beirut, 2014.
  • The Wanderings of Mansour Al-Araj (novel): Al-Adab Publishing House, Beirut, 2015.
  • The Way of the Whale (novel): 2019.
  • Five houses for God and a room for my grandmother (novel): Al-Saqi Publishing House, Beirut, forthcoming.
  • Fascism for beginners: Why did you let the women live?Tabaq Publishing House, Ramallah, 2024.

Dr. Taqadum Al-Khatib

Historian, academic and researcher, known for his contributions to political thought and Middle East studies. He is particularly interested in analyzing democratic transformations and modern political ideas.

Al-Khatib  is a former lecturer at the University of Heidelberg, a former visiting researcher at the University of Durham in England and a writer for several Arabic and international newspapers.

His most important works:

  • The Jews in Egypt (1915-1952): Correlation of language and minority
  • Antimperialism in the Global Revolutionary Underground, forthcoming from Stanford University Press.

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