Afghanistan
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Development aid
Despite the Taliban, Afghanistan deserves help
For the sake of the Afghan people, the international community needs to re-engage in development cooperation. The education sector would be an ideal entry point, argue Conrad Schetter and Katja Mielke
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20 years Iraq War
Farewell to the old world order
It is 20 years since the USA began its invasion of Iraq. Alongside the countless dead Iraqis and U.S. soldiers, it was the West’s credibility in the Arab world that would fall victim to this war. As Karim El-Gawhary argues, this loss is still having consequences two decades later
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Hussein Mohammadi's novella "Scheherazade's heirs"
Keep writing! Literature from Afghanistan
The "Weiter Schreiben" (Keep Writing) project promotes literature from war-torn and crisis-stricken regions and has, most recently, shone its spotlight on Afghanistan. Afghan author Hussein Mohammadi's debut novella is an outstanding work that crosses frontiers. Gerrit Wustmann read the book
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Berlin Museum of Islamic Art
"Islamic Art” goes digital
The Berlin Museum of Islamic Art’s new online portal is the first digital platform in the German-speaking world to present Islamic cultures in an innovative and entertaining way. By Ceyda Nurtsch
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Turkey-Syria earthquake
Biden's farewell to empathy
Mourning the deaths of earthquake victims in the Middle East or sympathising with the suffering of survivors doesn’t win you political points. Joe Biden's State of the Nation address completely ignored the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Is the Arab-Islamic world gradually disappearing from U.S. politics? Essay by Stefan Buchen
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Afghan diaspora
Refugee from Taliban offers virtual tours of homeland
Forced to flee by the Taliban, Fatima Haidari now offers virtual tours of Afghanistan from her new home in Italy – with the proceeds funding secret English classes for women there
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Women’s rights in Afghanistan
The Taliban cannot defeat women
Since returning to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have steadily eroded the rights and opportunities of women and girls, particularly their access to education. But Afghans are not taking the regime's draconian policies lying down – and nor should the rest of the world. By Gordon Brown & Yasmine Sherif
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The Taliban's war on women
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The Taliban's war on women
Since seizing power in mid-2021, the Taliban have continued to restrict the rights of Afghan women and girls. At the end of 2022, they banned women from attending higher education. By Nele Jensch
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"Not our Islam!"
German imams condemn ban on university education for Afghan women
German imams have publicly expressed their solidarity with the women of Afghanistan. In a letter of protest, the clerics say that the Taliban regime's decree barring women from universities cannot be justified by Islam and is even "in fatal contradiction" to the religion
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Best of Qantara.de 2022
Our readers' favourite articles this year
At the end of every year, the team at Qantara.de gives you a run-down of the ten most-read articles on the site over the past 12 months. Here is a quick overview of the stories that attracted the most attention in 2022. Happy New Year to all our readers!
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Iran protests 2022
Tehran fatally oblivious to social change
The Islamic Republic has been unable to quell the civil unrest that erupted three months ago, after Mahsa Amini died after being detained for violating hijab rules. Now the protesters have broadened their demands. Commentary by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani