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Weathering sandstorms, Iraqis grit their teeth

Another sandstorm has darkened Iraqi skies and it's hard to breathe, but Baghdad motorcycle delivery rider Milad Mitti doesn't have the luxury of missing a day's work. Like most people in the now blistering hot desert country, the 30-year-old battles on in frustration, wearing goggles and a grey neck warmer over his mouth and nose "so I can breathe

The rise and rise of Muslim influencers

In recent decades, Muslim piety has gone through a number of qualitative transformations, the most prominent of which is the emerging phenomenon of "Islamic influencers", which represents a new type of Islamic religiousness that combines globalisation and the values of Western modernity and is easy and effortless. By Ahmad Saif al-Nasr

Why are Egyptian human rights abuses ignored?

Egyptian activists complain the international community often talks about Egypt's crisis-ridden economy, but says far less about its dire human rights situation. Cathrin Schaer asks, why is one seen as more important than the other?

Debt on the Nile

For leading economist Yazid Sayegh, the cause of Egypt's current economic and financial crisis lies primarily in the government's policy of excessive borrowing. He also criticises the way German and European politicians handle the Sisi regime. Interview by Mahmoud Hussein

Is Egypt the 'new Lebanon'?

Food prices doubled, salaries halved, banks restricting withdrawals: Egyptians now have the same problems as the Lebanese. But if things get worse here, the fallout will be far more damaging. By Cathrin Schaer

Egyptians in dire straits

The devaluation of the Egyptian pound combined with rising food prices is taking its toll on Egypt. More and more people are slipping into poverty. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo

Mada Masr journalists to stand trial

Reporters from one of Egypt's last remaining independent media outlets are preparing for what activists criticise is a politically motivated trial. The international community should be doing more to help, they say. By Cathrin Schaer

Proposal ignores migrant human rights concerns

A proposed migration deal with Tunisia could help the North African nation avert economic collapse, but observers fear worsening conditions for migrants and future returnees. By Jennifer Holleis and Tarak Guizani

Sheikha Helawy's joyous, rebellious passions

Their bodies might be displaced, torn away from homes and villages. Yet the memories of women and girls in Sheikha Helawy's short-story collection "They Fell Like Stars from the Sky" remain, haunting the spaces where they once lived. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book

A realistic snapshot of Jordanian society

Journalist Rana Sweis spent a period of nearly two years interviewing people of different backgrounds in Jordan. "Voices of Jordan" is a fascinating compilation of the portraits she penned during this time. By Martina Sabra