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Udo Steinbach, one of Germany's leading experts on Islam, died on Sunday night (August 3) after a short, serious illness. This was reported to diplo.news by people close to his family. He was 82 years old

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Steinbach recently summed up his life and the state of the Islamic world when he was a guest on the vodcast (video podcast) of Divan, the Arab House of Culture in Berlin. The interview can be viewed here: YouTube

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Steinbach was born on May 30, 1943 near Zittau. From 1976 to 2007, he was director of the German Orient Institute (DOI), which was still based in Hamburg at the time. He taught at several universities, headed the MENA Study Center of the Maecenata Foundation and was an expert and advisor to many institutions.

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Highly respected in diplomacy‍
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Steinbach enjoyed great respect among the ambassadors of “his” region, the MENA area. One of the ambassadors who knew him very well is Abdullah bin Mohammed, former Ambassador of the State of Qatar in Berlin, now Head of Mission in London: “It is with great sadness that we have received the news of the death of Professor Dr. Udo Steinbach, the outstanding Orientalist, Professor of Islamic Studies and member of the Divan Advisory Board.” Steinbach was an outstanding intellectual personality who played a central role in promoting dialog between Arab and German culture. “For decades, he built bridges of understanding and rapprochement between the peoples through his scientific and cultural research and initiatives.”

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Counsellor at Divan, the Arab House of Culture

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As he devoted himself primarily to the “dialog of cultures” alongside his work as a scientist, he was very devoted to the Divan, the Arab House of Culture in Berlin-Zehlendorf, in the last years of his life. He was an advisor there and a welcome guest at cultural and political events and at meetings with ambassadors and experts on all topics relating to the Islamic and Arab world.

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In his tribute, the director of the Divan, Dr. Lorans Al-Hennawi, told diplo.news:

"Professor Steinbach was not only a friend to the Divan, but also a great authority. We appreciated his valuable expertise, his clear, calm assessment of current developments in the Middle East and his advice in all Divan's efforts to build bridges between Germany and the Arab world. We are proud that he was our companion and that he always appreciated our work. We will miss him very much.  We will always remember him with gratitude."

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