Search

Syriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hard

The corona pandemic has reached Syria. Anna Fleischer explains why the virus could hit the country extremely hard and above all endanger those imprisoned

No end to Bashar's crimes against humanity

Thousands of Syrian women are believed to be incarcerated in the Assad regime's prisons. Little is known about their fate, but those who manage to escape tell tales of horror. Julia Hahn reports from Gaziantep

Time is running out for Saad Hariri

In Lebanon, protests continue against the government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri has already lost a coalition partner. His power appears to be eroding. Diana Hodali reports from Beirut

"If not us, then who?"

Something remarkable has begun in Beirut. Massive government mismanagement and the attendant rubbish crisis two years ago inspired and galvanised Lebanese youth to demand more of their government and to hold their leaders accountable. It all began with the closure of the Naameh landfill, which was over-capacity. Kareem Chehayeb recalls the protests

Islam, faith and climate change

The Islamic Declaration on Climate Change, endorsed in August by Islamic scholars from around the world, calls on countries to phase out greenhouse gas emissions and switch to 100% renewable energy. With 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, the collective statement sends a strong signal ahead of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit later this month, and the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December. By Noor al-Hussein, Queen of Jordan

Green Islam: The fair mosque

Chronicling life in the corrupt city

The smoke of abandonment permeates ″Beirut Noir″. In this collection of short stories, we find the remains of the crippled, the lonely, the lost, and the dead. They move – or fail to move – through a landscape violently reshaped by fifteen years of civil war. Many of the characters are stuck in an afterlife of one sort or another. Or, if they′re still alive, time has stopped. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book

Lacking a culture of remembrance

"In Lebanon, repression has become a permanent state of mind," says the journalist and Orientalist Monika Borgmann. With the archive "UMAM Documentation & Research", founded in 2004, she attempts to fill the gaps in the country's collective memory. Interview by Juliane Pfordte

Hoping for justice

German public prosecutors in Karlsruhe are acting surprisingly fast to interview Syrian victims who have filed criminal charges against members of the Syrian intelligence agency in Damascus. Specific investigations and international arrest warrants could follow. By Kristin Helberg

Corona proactivity in Tunisia, trivialisation in Egypt

Healthcare systems in Tunisia and Egypt are in a catastrophic state. The governmental response to the crisis in both nations could not be more different. Sofian Philip Naceur reports from Tunis