Palestine
All countries-
Muslim racism and imperialism
Power and exclusion
The outpouring of solidarity worldwide following the violent death of George Floyd should prompt us to step back and fundamentally question racist structures and privileges based on injustice – wherever they exist in the world. An essay by Tayfun Guttstadt
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Non-fiction: Mikhal Dekel's "Tehran Children"
The Jews who fled Nazi Germany to finally end up in Iran
Mikhal Dekel’s father was part of a contingent of Jewish children who went on an odyssey from Poland to Iran as a result of the Holocaust. Dekel has now written a book exploring the story of the "Tehran Children". By Daniel Walter
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Book review: Sahar Khalifeh's "Passage to the Plaza"
It's all a question of timing
When Sahar Khalifeh’s "Passage to the Plaza" appeared in English this year, thirty years after its initial publication, it seemed out of sync – too late and too overshadowed by the coronavirus. Yet perhaps this is just the right time: its locked-in world of curfews and domestic violence speak to 2020 as much as it did to 1990. By Marcia Lynx Qualey
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Trump's plan for the Middle East
Those looking to annex can expect resistance from Jordan
Jordan is not only waging a vigorous battle against coronavirus, but also against the Middle East peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. By Birgit Svensson
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COVID-19 in the Middle East
Women talk under coronavirus lockdown: "I want my life back"
How are people in the Middle East and North Africa dealing with the new coronavirus pandemic? Women from countries across the region, some of them war zones, share their worries – and hopes. By Diana Hodali
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Film review: Elia Suleiman's "It Must Be Heaven"
"Open the door, you ass"
Palestine is disappearing. From the international agenda, from the map, as a concept. The filmmaker Elia Suleiman from Nazareth reacts in the only possible way: using the language of the absurd, says Stefan Buchen in his review
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USA, Israel and the Palestinians
Trump's sham attempt at peace
As we digest the details of Donald Trump's Vision for Peace, we need to ask ourselves just one question: does this draft guarantee an Israeli and a Palestinian baby born today equal civil rights, freedom of travel and a self-determined life in security and dignity twenty years from now? By Inge Gunther
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Interview with Middle East expert Lara Friedman
"A kosher stamp for Israel to retain control over the West Bank"
As expected the Trump administration released its Israeli-Palestinian peace blueprint on Tuesday, a plan that ignores the Palestinians at the expense of lasting peace. Middle East expert Lara Friedman spoke to Wesley Rahn
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U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East
Slave to the Trumpian impulse
Beyond the latest crisis with Iran, current U.S. Middle East policy is nothing if not chaotic. Many fear that the Trumpian approach could irreparably damage future U.S. administrations and international order as a result. By Stasa Salacanin
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An Arab reading of the Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum
Tea with the bogeyman
Contemporary artist Mona Hatoum is one of those figures whose presence in western capitals stimulates much attention and critical writing, while her exhibitions in Arab cities like Amman or Doha don’t seem to generate more than a few lines in the culture and entertainment sections. Yazan Loujami explores why this is so
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Book review: Sherko Fatah's "Schwarzer September"
Dirty war
In his new novel, award-winning author Sherko Fatah delves deep into the history of the 1970s Palestinian terror movement "Black September" – a thrilling tale of special agents which boasts no heroes or victors and is indisputably relevant to our times. By Volker Kaminski
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The Prophet and Sharia
Islamic family law reform – a question of interpretation
Equality in divorce, a ban on polygamy: reformers of Islamic family law have a clear agenda. They are exploiting the ambiguity of traditional jurisprudence. By Joseph Croitoru